Learn about the amazing, crazy critters in wetlands. Go on a virtual tour of the Ecolinc wetland to discover the tiny creatures and the larger animals that eat them. Explore their interactions with one another through food chains and food webs.

Wetlands are areas of land saturated or flooded with water permanently or seasonally. There are a variety of wetland environments including:

• Inland wetland: marshes, peatlands ponds, lakes, rivers, floodplains, swamps, fens
• Coastal wetland: saltwater marshes, estuaries, mangroves, lagoons, coral reefs
• Human-made wetland: fish ponds, reservoirs, saltpans

Wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems on Earth, providing essential services such as:

• Water purification – Wetlands filter pollutants, improving water quality for both wildlife and humans.
• Flood control – They absorb excess rainfall, reducing the impact of extreme weather events.
• Biodiversity hotspots – Wetlands are home to countless species, from birds and fish to insects and amphibians.
• Climate resilience – They store carbon, helping mitigate the effects of climate change.

Despite their importance, these ecosystems are disappearing three times faster than forests due to urban development, pollution, and climate change. By understanding and protecting these ecosystems, we can secure the future of our water resources and biodiversity.

You will receive hands-on materials and a teacher guide for this session.

No prior knowledge is required.

In this program students will:

• Explore wetland organism interactions.

In this video conference students will:

• Observe wetland organisms and discuss their specific features
• Identify the producers and consumers (including herbivores, carnivores and omnivores) in a wetland ecosystem and explain how they generate energy
• Construct a wetland food web
• Discover how energy is transferred through the wetland ecosystem
• Understand that all organisms are connected in the ecosystem.

Science: Science understanding

• Organisms have evolved over time, as seen in fossils and scientific records; the structural features and behaviours of living organisms enable them to thrive in their environments (VC2S6U02)
• Habitats can be described by their physical conditions; changing the physical conditions of a habitat, including by human activity, may affect the growth and survival of organisms (VC2S6U01)