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Seasonal
Wetlands
Seasonal
wetlands cover a larger area than permanent fresh water during the
rainy season.
-
They play a vital role in the collection, storage, purification,
and discharge of fresh water in Kenya.
- They
serve as breeding and feeding grounds for fish, reptiles, amphibians,
invertebrates and birds, including migratory waterfowl.
- Seasonal
wetlands provide people with water, food, building and weaving
materials and ceremonial grounds.
- They
are especially important in arid and semi-arid areas, where there
is little permanent fresh water.
Seasonal
wetlands include:
-
Flooded grasslands
- Seasonal
marshes, lakes and springs
-
Temporary pools in grassland, woodland and bush
-
Ephemeral rock pools, flooded rock slabs and seeps
Many
seasonal wetlands are "invisible" during the dry season. Animals
and plants disappear as the water dries. They survive the dry season
as eggs, seeds, or buried under the mud. All that remains is rock
or soil and sometimes dry plant stalks.
Productivity
Wetlands
are highly productive ecosystems. In seasonal wetlands, plants and
animals grow rapidly and in great abundance for a short period.
Microscopic
plants and animals fill the water. They include phytoplankton such
as algae and diatoms, and zooplankton, crustaceans, worms, planaria,
insects and molluscs. These serve as food for mammals, birds, reptiles,
amphibians and fish.
Many
fish disperse from the lakes into shallow streams and flooded areas
to breed.
Most
waterbirds breed in seasonal wetlands. Many species of waterbirds
breed in only two or three localities in Kenya. Seasonal wetlands
also provide feeding and resting grounds for migratory waterfowl. |
Biodiversity
Parks Project
