Water loving plants are associated with these ecosystems. Lakes, however, are not considered wetlands because they have well defined beds and banks whereas wetlands generally do not. In wetlands, the adaptation of plant and animal life contribute greatly to the conditions of water, land and soil. The depth of water in wetlands do not generally exceed 6 meters. Wetlands fall into two broad categories, those that are peatlands and those that are non-peatlands .
Wetlands help to maintain water quality by slowing runoff and allowing sediments to settle out.
In addition, the plants such as cattails absorb nutrients so that the water that does run off is not too rich in nutrients causing algae blooms in streams. Some chemicals such as pesticides, oil and gas are also removed from the water by some plants or are broken down by bacteria found in the water and mud. Before they do the following activity, have your student visualize a lake and a wetland in their minds. Ask them to discuss the above question using the Think, Pair, Share strategy. Parent introduces a definition of wetlands using definition in parent information above and models the use of a Venn diagram for comparison.