Exploring Freshwater Biomes: Marshes, Swamps, and Bogs

Upon viewing the Exploring Freshwater Biomes video series, students will be able to do the following: List some of the ways fresh water is used in daily life. Understand how and why fresh water is so important to the lives of humans and many other living things. Explain that lakes are large, standing bodies of fresh water. Light cannot reach the bottom of the deepest parts of lakes. List some of the animals and plants that live in lakes. Understand that in mid-summer most temperate lakes have distinct layers or zones. These zones have different characteristics. In spring and fall these distinct layers mix. Describe a pond as a small body of standing water in which light can reach the bottom. List examples of plants and animals that live in ponds. Understand that there are many different kinds of lakes and ponds. Differentiate between a river and a stream. Explain that the land area that drains into a stream and river system is referred to as a watershed. Cite some examples of animals and plants that live in moving bodies of freshwater. Describe a wetland as a place that is saturated with water for at least part of the year. Define a swamp as a specific type of wetland that is dominated by trees and shrubs. Explain that a marsh is a specific type of wetland dominated by soft-stemmed vegetation.