Welcome

Welcome to our virtual field trip of Jugbay Wetlands Sanctuary. In this virtual field trip, we will take you through stops we visited at the wetland and we will discuss different aspects and functions of fresh tidal water marshes. 

The overlook to Jug Bay.

The loading dock where we unloaded and loaded our canoes.

by Michelle Kreiger and Kirstie Howard

Professor: Dr. Bob Ford

BI - 201 | General Ecology

October 2012

Productivity

Productivity is prominent at Jug Bay. "Jug Bay enjoys enormous biological productivity - about 290 species use the refuge" (Faber). The wetland is brimming with organisms. A few specific examples of productivity is spatterdock, oil, and wild rice, whose productivity has increased over the years. Many factors contribute to the productivity, for example the inflow of nutrients from larger bodies of water greatly affects the productivity of Jug Bay. Nutrients also come from the decomposition of the plants. Even the flow of the water affects productivity. For example there is more deposition on the inside of the river bends which allows more nutrient deposits and more growth ability.

Amazingly enough, beavers are also an incredible aid to the productivity of Jug Bay; read this article to find out why.

Faber, Scott. Chesapeake Bay Journal. "Jug Bay Sanctuary’s walk on the wild side only a few miles from major cities." February 2012. 15 October 2012. Web.

Services

Preserving wetlands is greatly beneficial to our environment in the way that they slow down water flow, run off, and act as a great filtration system while housing a variety of species. Water doesn’t flow quickly through this area because of the mass amounts of vegetation that are present. By traveling through the wetlands, water is actually being filtered naturally! “Nitrogen in water is transformed to harmless nitrogen gas” and the nutrients that pass through are needed and used by the plants ("Value of Wetlands"). 

Wetlands are also a great source of food for animals; a primary source of food for ducks in the Jug Bay Wetland Sanctuary is the common named plant duck corn. Duck corn gets its name from being very popular among the waterfowl in this area. Canadian Geese have grown so dependent on the corn in this area that they have been known to stay in the wetlands even during the winter when they would normally fly south (Swarth, “Distribution and Abundance” ).

"The Value of Wetlands." WWF. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. <http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/about_freshwater/intro/value/>.

Swarth, Chris. Distribution and Abundance of Wintering Waterbirds on the Patuxent River Estuary. Rep. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.jugbay.org/sites/www.jugbay.org/files/Swarth%20waterbird%20report.pdf>.

Impacts

Human impact in the Jug Bay Wetland Sanctuary can be seen all around the preserve. A negative human impact that is made in this wetland zone is pollution. While canoeing around one can see large tubs around the shore, as well as shelters that were made for hunting before Jug Bay had protections placed around it. Unseen pollution that comes from humans is sewage that travels into the open water, coming from the houses that surround the area. The pollution greatly impacts plants ability to breath properly, retrieve sunlight and complete necessary cell functions (Swarth, “An Investment” ) Humans have also made a positive impact to Jug Bay in the way that they remove non-native species that grow and end up monopolizing the nutrients other native species need to survive. Put your efforts into preserving the health of Jug Bay by researching volunteer opportunities they offer here.

hunting blind

Swarth, Chris. "An Investment Worth Protecting." Marsh Notes 20 (2007): 4. Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary. Web. <http://www.jugbay.org/sites/www.jugbay.org/files/newsletter/winter2007.pdf>.

Aerenchyma

Wetlands have several adaptations to help each organism survive. Aerenchyma is an adaptation plants have to transfer and store oxygen. To read more about aerenchyma, read this article. Another adaptation we saw at Jug Bay was the lobular formation of the immergent aquatic vegetation, such as spatterdock. Spatterdock grows from the stem with two lobes rather than straight accross so that it can bend over to absorb more sunlight. One more example of an adaptation is the beaver lodge. Beavers eat around their lodge to keep out predators.

Aerenchyma

Spatterdock

Corn pods are a source of food for the animals in this area. Duck corn pods have the adaptation of being airy and light so they can float in the water-abundant wetland.

This part of Jug Bay is a good example of a transition from marsh to swamp. The plants begin to heighten and there are less marshy plants.

Riparian Swamp

This part of Jug Bay is the transition into the Riparian Swamp where there are tall trees. One of the differences between a swamp and a marsh is the vegetation that grows in the region. Swamps have trees whereas marshes have low-land herbaceous vegetation. Read this article to learn more about the differences between swamps and marshes.