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Swamps create a
buffer for the shoreline. The trees
hold the soil in place with their roots and prevent
erosion. |
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Swamps hold water
when it rains. After is stops raining, they slowly
release the water into rivers and
streams. |
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Water that passes through swamps and
other wetlands is very clean because wetlands take
pollutants out of water. Even though the water in
this blackwater stream looks dirty, it is really very
clean. It has been stained by harmless,
broken-down plant matter. But it is free of
sediment, nutrients, and other kinds of pollution. |
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Playful river otters (Lutra canadensis) make
their home along the rivers and streams of the Lower Cape Fear basin.
River otters are
amphibious. They can
walk on the land just as well as they swim in the water.
They are
nocturnal, but can sometimes be see early
in the morning or late in the day.
Photo by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service |
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Freshwater crayfish or crawfish live
among the cypress roots in riverine swamp forests.
They are an important part of the riverine
food web
and are often eaten by river otters.
Photo by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service |
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Keep the Soil in Place
Swamp trees that grow along the
shorelines
of rivers and lakes hold the
sediment
on the banks in place. This prevents erosion.
Along the shores of lakes and estuaries, swamp forests form a
buffer that protects the shoreline
from wave erosion. The waves
break against the trees before they have a chance
to hit the shoreline.
Store Water
Large riverine
swamp forests can hold lots of water.
When it rains, they fill up with rainwater. After it
stops raining, the water slowly seeps out into the river.
Erosion happens when too much water flows down the river, too
fast. The swamp forests prevent erosion
by holding water and slowly letting it flow into the
river. This also
keeps the river from drying up when it is not raining.
Clean Water
Like other wetlands, swamp forests act like
filters,
taking
pollutants
out of the water. The water that comes out of a swamp is
cleaner than the water that went in.
Rainwater that runs off of rooftops, city streets, parking
lots and farms can have lots of pollutants. It might
contain
nutrients,
heavy metals,
and
sediment. Water slows down when it gets to a swamp.
When the water stops moving, sediment and other heavy pollutants settle
to the bottom. Nutrients
in the water can be taken up and used by the trees and other
plants in the swamp. Nutrients can also attach to the sediment
that settles out of the water. Metals
can settle out of the water or be taken up by swamp plants.
Shelter Animals
Coastal swamp forests are home to many freshwater creatures.
The
detritus
in swamp forests is food for crayfish, clams, snails, and shrimp.
Many freshwater fish, like largemouth bass (Micropterus
salmoides), use swamps to lay eggs and look for food.
The
invertebrates and fish that visit swamps are food for
playful river otters. River otters make their homes on the
banks of slow-moving coastal rivers.
Amphibians
and water snakes also live in swamp forests. The poisonous
cottonmouth or water moccasin is common in North Carolina swamps.
You have now finished learning about the swamp
forests of the lower Cape Fear River Basin. Click on the
bird to continue...
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