Wetland Ecosystems

Preface v

1 Introduction 1

Wetland Ecosystems 2

Wetland Ecosystems Services 13

Role of This Book 17

2 Coastal Wetlands 19

Tidal Salt Marshes 22

Tidal Freshwater Wetlands 45

Mangrove Wetlands 61

3 Freshwater Swamps and Marshes 87

Freshwater Swamps 90

Freshwater Marshes 118

4 Peatlands 149

Geographical Extent 151

Hydrology and Peatland Development 153

Biogeochemistry 163

Vegetation 166

Consumers 174

Ecosystem Function 175

5 Ecosystem Approaches to Wetland Science 189

Mesocosms 190

Whole-Ecosystem Experimental Wetlands 204

Mathematical Models 217

Conclusions 234

Appendix A Odum Energy Language Symbols 237

References 239

General Index 279

Organism Index 285