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Wetland Types in the Gulf of Mexico |
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Fresh Water Wetlands
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Swamps
General Description:
forested wetlands found along rivers, streams, bayous, or lakes
Common Plant Types: Bald cypress (pictured), Tupelo
Location: found in all of the Gulf state
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Prairie Potholes
General Description:
wetlands with few trees, warm and dry climatic conditions, dominated
with prairie plants that serve as vital habitat for migratory birds
Common Plant Types: drought resistant plants, floating aquatic
plants in deepwater, bulrushes and cattails close to shore
Location: Texas
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Playa Lakes
General Description: wetlands found amid prairie grass and croplands
that serve as vital habitat for migratory birds
Common Plant Types: diverse assemblage of non-woody plants including
pink smartweed, ragweed, cheeseweed, blue sunflower, evening primrose
Location: primarily in the panhandle of Texas
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Pocosins
General Description: a wetland known as a "swamp on a hill" that
is a seemingly flat area slightly raised at its center. The floor is covered
with sphagnum moss and the soils are acidic and low in nutrients.
Common Plant Types: several herbaceous species, evergreen shrubs,
loblolly pines, holly, sphagnum moss, bay and pond pines, venus fly trap.
Location: northern Florida to Mississippi
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Vernal Pools
General Description: naturally occurring depressional wetlands
lacking a permanent above-ground outlet. These wetlands are covered by
shallow water for variable periods from winter to spring, but may be completely
dry for all of the summer and fall.
Common Plant Types: wildflowers, drought resistant plants that
remain dormant during the dry season.
Location: found in the gently sloping plains of grasslands, flooded
meadows, and upland forests.
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Bottomland Wetlands
General Description: forested wetlands found along rivers
Common Plant Types:
broad-leaved and needle-leaved deciduous trees including gum and oak
species, bald cypress
Location: found in all of the Gulf states
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Saltwater Wetlands
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Mangroves
General Description: forested wetlands that are primarily comprised
of mangrove trees
Common Plant Types: red, black, and white mangroves
Location: primarily in Florida and South Texas in tidal estuaries
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Saltwater Marshes
General Description: wetlands found along the Gulf coast in salinity
concentrations ranging from .5-25 ppt.
Common Plant Types: grasses and other vegetation adapted to salt
and brackish water such as smooth cordgrass
Location: found in all Gulf
states
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