The benefits of wetlands are seldom still disputed after the great Mississippi floods of 1993.
Wetlands absorb flood waters, clean water and recharge aquifers.
They do this by means of their sponge-like hydrology and their unique biotic communities. These communities consist of invertebrate shredders and aerobic and anaerobic microfauna that digest and release nutrients trapped in leaves, wood, and other organic sources. The nutrients feed lush plant communities, while the shredders feed the more spectacular predators, such as dragonflies and damselflies, breeding amphibians, minnows, and migrating waterfowl. Many wetland communities, such as temporary ponds and prairie potholes, are stable because they feed each other. Not all of the wetlands in an area become unstable at the same time, so the stable communities become sources to restock the unstable communities.