Edwin Romanowicz Wetlands have a very interesting hydrologic setting. In many cases a symbiotic relationship exists between the hydrology and the ecology. The vegetation and animal communities occupy the wetland because they are well adapted to the stress caused by the hydrologic setting.
Vegetation resists the flow of water through wetlands.
With the low hydraulic gradient that exists in many wetlands this resistance can be substantial. Vegetation can alter the landscape. Most notable are raised bogs. Peat accumulation creates mounds that alter the hydrology by creating areas that are separated from groundwater, receiving the bulk of their water from precipitation.