A wetland is an area that is part land and part water and in which water is the controlling
environmental factor. Wetlands have the following three characteristics:
• The water table remains at or near the land surface, & water covers the land for part of the year.
• The soils are hydric (wet for most of the year and low in oxygen).
• The plants that grow there are adapted for life in water or saturated soil (hydrophytes).
Explore different types of wetlands and find out how they are formed: