Wetlands - An Introduction

This instructional guide is designed to provide instructors with lecture materials and resources that introduce wetlands as ecosystems.  Student objectives, a general lecture outline and a more detailed PowerPoint presentation with instructor notes are provided.  Wetland definitions and their importance are discussed as well as the criteria that are used to distinguish wetlands from uplands. 

The structural and physiological adaptations of wetland plants, wetland functions and the economic value of ecological services provided by wetlands are also presented. Instructors who are looking for videos or additional print and web-based resources on the topics covered here should consult the resources list provided at the end of this module where these resources are summarized and cited.

Module Objectives

Upon successful completion of this module students should be able to:

• Distinguish between wetlands and uplands using soils, hydrological and vegetation criteria
• Describe the structural and physiological adaptations of wetland plants
• Describe the various ecosystem functions that are provided by wetlands
• Evaluate the economic value of ecological services provided by wetlands

Lecture Outline

Sample PowerPoint Slide with instructor notes

Module download (21.2 MB)

Return to NCSR Wetlands Ecology and Management Description

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Curriculum produced by NCSR. Funding Provided by the National Science Foundation