An introduction to freshwater wetlands and their invertebrates

Abstract

This chapter provides a primer on some basic aspects of freshwater wetland habitats and foundational information about the invertebrate fauna that exploits freshwater wetlands. We provide some definitions of wetland habitats and how they are categorized hydrologically. We describe the kinds of invertebrates that inhabit wetlands (macroinvertebrates and microinvertebrates, aquatic and terrestrial forms) and how these organisms are ecologically controlled (by hydrology, oxygen supplies, plants, predators). In conclusion, we review some of the major contributions of wetland invertebrates to society, as focal points of food webs, indicators of wetland ecological health, and vectors of some important human diseases.