Small wetlands such as the one pictured above often dry up during the summer. These 'ephemeral wetlands' are home to all kinds of frogs, salamanders, reptiles and aquatic life that depend on this specific kind of habitat for their survival. Photo by Lester Graham.
Biologists are trying to get people to appreciate a long-overlooked ecosystem. Small pools that often dry up in the middle of summer, called ephemeral wetlands, are frequently drained or filled in, destroying habitat for a number of different creatures. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports:
Transcript
Biologists are trying to get people to appreciate a long-overlooked ecosystem. Small pools that often dry up in the middle of summer, called ephemeral wetlands, are frequently drained or filled in, destroying habitat for a number of different creatures. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports:
(Frog sounds)
Ephemeral wetlands can be found in rural areas, suburbs, and even in big cities. Ed Hammer is a biologist with the Environmental Protection Agency. He says these temporary wetlands are home to frogs, salamanders and other animals that have evolved with the wet then dry cycle of an ephemeral wetland, and some of those animals are an important part of the food chain.
“Things like fairy shrimp are extremely valuable to migrating birds. Species like pintail ducks will go in and feed in these wetlands. So, they’re extremely important for things like that.”
The problem is, most of the ephemeral wetlands are small, usually less than two acres in size, and so they’re not recognized as being very important. The EPA is now trying to raise awareness of the temporary wetlands to help preserve the creatures that depend on them.
For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, this is Lester Graham.
Related Links
- Download a brochure on ephemeral wetlands by the Conservation Foundation. Acrobat Reader required to open file.