swamp ecosystem
Waterlogged forest community
A swamp ecosystem is a wetland environment characterized by standing water and woody vegetation—trees and shrubs rather than grasses.
Swamps support distinctive communities of plants and animals adapted to waterlogged conditions: cypress trees, alligators, wading birds, amphibians.
The Everglades contain both swamp and marsh ecosystems.
Unlike marshes, swamps are defined by their tree cover.
- alligatorsLarge freshwater crocodilians
- crayfishFreshwater pinching crustacean
- cattailsTall wetland reed
- cypress treesConiferous evergreens, often columnar
- water filtrationRemoving impurities from liquid
anaerobic conditions · flood control · pitcher plants · conservation efforts · egrets · dragonflies · carbon sequestration · hydrology · frogs · turtles · sedges · herons · still water · mangroves · cultural significance · lily · muck · mud flats
swamp ecosystemdesert ecosystem
Arid region's living community
desert · dryland · sand dunes · Sahara Desert · Mojave Desert
swamp ecosystemmountain ecosystem
Life zone on peaks
highland · rocky terrain · prairie · grassland · mesa