IMPORTANCE OF HYDROLOGY, SOIL AND VEGETATIONIN WETLAND RESEARCH

Wetlands, one of the most productive systems in the biosphere are a unique ecosystem. They occur in landscapes that favor the ponding or slow runoff of surface water, discharge of ground water, or both. Wetlands are not only important for maintaining plant and animal diversity, but also for balancing global carbon budget via sequestrating or releasing CO2 from/into atmosphere depending on their management. Therefore, it is imperative to understand how wetlands form and function, then we can better manage, utilize, and protect these unique ecosystems. Hydric soils, hydrophytic vegetation, and wetland hydrology are the three main parameters of wetlands. These parameters are interrelated with each other which jointly influence the development and functions of wetland ecosystems. The objective of this paper was to report the current understanding of wetlands and provide future research directions. The paper will first focus on aspects of hydrology research in wetlands, and then shift to soil hydrosequence a

Importance of Hydrology, Soil and Vegetation in Wetland Research

Wetlands, one of the most productive systems in the biosphere are a unique ecosystem. They occur in landscapes that favor the ponding or slow runoff of surface water, discharge of ground water, or both. Wetlands are not only important for maintaining plant and animal diversity, but also for balancing global carbon budget via sequestrating or releasing CO2 from/into atmosphere depending on their management. Therefore, it is imperative to understand how wetlands form and function, then we can better manage, utilize, and protect these unique ecosystems. Hydric soils, hydrophytic vegetation, and wetland hydrology are the three main parameters of wetlands. These parameters are interrelated with each other which jointly influence the development and functions of wetland ecosystems. The objective of this paper was to report the current understanding of wetlands and provide future research directions. The paper will first focus on aspects of hydrology research in wetlands, and then shift to soil hydrosequence and wetland vegetation to better understand processes, structure, and function of wetlands, and conclude with some possible future research directions.