Discover: What Adaptations Improve an Organism's Suitability for a Wetland?       

These organisms have various adaptations that allow them to survive in wet conditions.         


 Pixabay   
Duckweed is well adapted to a wetland environment.

  Video

Watch this video about how basilisk lizards are adapted to water - Basilisk lizard

Watch this video about dragonfly adaptations

Look closely at how various organisms are adapted to live in wetlands.

  • Think about how these adaptations can help them get food or nutrients.
  • How do their adaptations help them avoid predators? 
  • Do they have adaptations that allow them to live and breathe in the water?

Duckweed is a small fast growing plant that floats on the surface of the water. It has air spaces in its body to help it float.  Some species have small roots, others have no roots at all so duckweed puts all its energy into producing food.  It clings to ducks and is transported from pond to pond.

Insects such as fishing spiders hide under the surface of the water in air bubbles.  They run on the water to catch tadpoles, fish, and small frogs.
A very efficient wetland predator is a dragonfly. Dragonflies have four wings, instead of two, enabling them to fly as fast as 60 kph. These amazing insects can hover and even fly backwards. They shadow their prey using manouvers fighter pilots can only dream of. They disguise themselves and trick their prey by creating the visual illusion that they’re not moving.
A water strider insect has two short legs at the front and four long legs to its sides. Its front side legs are used for paddling and its back side legs are used for steering. Its body pushes away (repels) water. This allows it to stand or run on the water. It feeds on the surface of the water.

Unsplash- McGill library 
                   

A beaver has webbed feet that act like paddles.  A beaver’s tail is covered in scales, is flattened, and propels the rodent through the water when swimming. Beaver lips can close behind their front teeth so that they can gnaw underwater and still keep water out of their mouths.



Watch this video - Marsh Plant Adaptations

One unique feature of some wetland creatures is their ability to live both on water and on land.  Many wetland insects have life cycles in which the insect lives only in water for part of their lives and only on land for the rest of their lives. How do they breathe?

Animals that get their oxygen from the water have gills, an adaptation that allows them to breathe underwater.

Animals that spend most of their time out of the water breathe air using their lungs.

Frogs are specially adapted to live in water and on land.  Tadpoles have gills, but mature frogs have lungs to breathe air, and they are able to absorb oxygen from the water directly through their skin.

Wetland plants and animals have specific needs and will only be found in  a specific habitat (home) that meets their needs.  What does adaptation mean for plants and animals that call a bog home?

Digital Field Trip to Wetlands

Go to the "Adaptations in a Bog" section of the Digital Field Trip to Wetlands to learn about how plants and animals can survive in bogs.

  • You need to explore to find how some plants get enough nitrogen to survive in the nutrient-poor soil of a bog.
  • Identify which birds are able to survive winter in the bog.