– Floristic Study of Ntak Inyang Wetland –
ABSTRACT
According to Cowardin et al. (1979), wetlands have three major attributes. These include: hydrophytic vegetation, hydric soil and hydrology.
The bottom of wetlands, at least periodically, supports predominately hydrophytes i.e. it supports vegetation adapted to the wet conditions. It favours particular type of trees, shrubby species and associated herbs, sedges and grasses.
The substrate is predominately undrained hydric soil, i.e., they often have unique soil conditions or hydric soil that differs from adjacent uplands. The substrate is saturated with water i.e. they are distinguished by the presence of water (hydrology), either at the surface or within the root zone.
In Nigeria, specifically in Akwa Ibom State, swamps are dominated by herbaceous vegetation and are characterized by very wet soils during the dry season and standing water during rainy season (Ekpenyong, 2013).
The diversity of flora within a plant community reflects the complexity in their physical, chemical and human.
Gichukiet al., (2001) showed that there are strong relationships between environmental quality and vegetation composition and abundance with strong coupling effects being in those areas that are prone to anthropogenic disturbances in the catchment of a water body.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE
DECLARATION i
CERTIFICATION ii
DEDICATION iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS v
ABSTRACT vii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study 1
1.2 Wetlands Types 3
1.3 Wetland Functions and Values 4
1.4 Statement of the Problem 10
1.5 Objectives of the Study 10
1.6 Justification 11
CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1 Wetland Vegetation 12
2.2 Factors Influencing Wetland Vegetation Composition and Distribution 14
CHAPTER THREE: MATERIALS AND METHODS
3.1 Description of Study Area 19
3.2 Vegetation and Soil Sampling 20
3.3 Quantitative Determination of Species Floristic Attributes 20
3.4 Laboratory Procedures for Soil Analysis 24
CHAPTER FOUR: RESULT
CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION
5.1 Discussion 43
5.2 Conclusion and Recommendation 46
REFERNCES 47
INTRODUCTION
The term wetland refers to areas of marsh, fen, peat land or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt including areas of marine water, the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six meters (Ramsar Bureau, 2005).
This definition admits a wide range of diverse landscapes inwhich three inherent components of a wetland are manifested. These include water, hydric soils and hydrophytic vegetation.
Ramsar definition covers a broad range of wetlands that include lakes and rivers, swamps and marshes, wet grasslands and peat lands, estuaries, deltas and tidal flats, near-shore marine areas, mangroves and coral reefs and human-made sites such as fish ponds, reservoirs, and salt pans.
Wetlands are areas where saturation with water is the dominant factor determining the nature of soil development and the types of plants and animals living in the soil or on its surface.
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (Cowardin et al.1979) also define wetlands as lands transitional between terrestrial and aquatic systems where the water table is usually at or near the surface of the land or the land is covered by shallow water.
Wetlands have often been described as being ecotones, i.e., they act as transitional zones between upland areas such as forests and farmlands and deep water aquatic systems such as rivers, lakes and estuaries (Mitsch and Gosselink, 2002).
Till now, there is no universally agreed classification of wetland types, and these vary greatly in both form and nomenclature between regions.
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