Stems of larger plants provide another good source of food. Decomposing plants and animals are the major food source for other wetland inhabitants. Wetlands are also important for controlling flood and storm waters. Fast-moving water is slowed by vegetation and temporarily stored in wetlands. The gradual release of water reduces erosion and possible property damage.
Coastal wetlands absorb the erosive energy of waves, further reducing erosion.
Poised between land and water, wetlands act as buffers, regulating the flow of sediments and nutrients into rivers and the Bay. As water runs off the land and passes through wetlands, it is filtered. Suspended solids, including sediment pollutants, settle and are trapped by vegetation. Nutrients, carried to wetlands by tides, precipitation, runoff and groundwater, are trapped and used by wetland vegetation. As plant material decomposes, nutrients are released back into the Bay and its tributaries, facilitated by floodwaters or tides.