It is estimated that ___% of economically important fish and shellfish species in the U.S. depend upon wetlands at some stage in their life.

The best wetlands for most amphibians have good quality water, an even mixture of open-water and emergent vegetation, and are shallowly and seasonally flooded. In general, wetlands that harbor ___ have fewer amphibian species than wetlands that do not support them.

Reptiles prefer drier habitats and do not use wetlands.

What is a hemi-marsh?

Some of the most productive wetlands for foraging ducks dry annually (seasonally flooded wetlands) allowing annual plants to germinate from seeds, and grow. After seeds have been produced and water has filled the wetland again, ducks move into the wetland and consume the abundant seeds. Unfortunately, this situation only occurs naturally and cannot be recreated.

Some mammals that live in wetlands can change their surrounding environments. Beaver dams are an obvious example of this phenomenon. ________ also modify their environments by collecting emergent vegetation for their huts or for food.

How do wetlands benefit fish and shellfish? (check all that apply)