Wetlands and Rainforests
Wetlands filter water and rainforests store carbon and house biodiversity.
About this topic
Wetlands (marshes, swamps, peatlands) filter pollutants, absorb floodwater, store carbon and provide habitats for birds and fish. Tropical rainforests have the highest biodiversity on land, with layers from the forest floor to the emergent canopy, and they absorb CO₂, release oxygen and influence rainfall.
Wetlands act like sponges, soaking up heavy rain and releasing it slowly, which reduces floods, and their plants trap sediments and absorb excess nutrients, cleaning water. Peatlands store huge amounts of carbon because waterlogging slows decay. Mangroves protect coasts from storms and nurse young fish.
In a rainforest the layers are the forest floor, understorey, canopy and emergent layer, each with its own animals and plants. Soils are often thin and poor, because nutrients are cycled quickly in living plants instead of stored in soil, so when forest is cleared for farming the land quickly loses fertility.
Draining wetlands and clearing forests release carbon, destroy habitats and increase flooding and extinction. Conservation includes protected areas, sustainable harvesting, replanting and certification schemes. A misconception is that rainforests are the lungs of the planet; they use much of the oxygen they produce, though their carbon storage and rainfall effects are vital.
Key ideas
- Wetlands buffer floods
- Rainforests have the most species
- Both are shrinking
Quick check
Use cases: where Wetlands and Rainforests helps
- Homework: review the key idea behind Wetlands and Rainforests before you start a problem set.
- Exam revision: use the quick check to test whether you can recall Wetlands and Rainforests without notes.
- Visual learning: play with the interactive lab to see how Wetlands and Rainforests changes when you adjust its inputs.
- Teaching a friend: explain Wetlands and Rainforests in your own words, then compare your version with the key ideas.
Biology underpins medicine, farming, conservation and biotechnology.
Frequently asked questions
What is Wetlands and Rainforests?
Wetlands filter water and rainforests store carbon and house biodiversity.
What will I learn in Wetlands and Rainforests?
Wetlands buffer floods. Rainforests have the most species. Both are shrinking.
Is Wetlands and Rainforests part of Biology?
Yes. It is one of 150 Biology topics on LearnViz HighSchoolEdu, with 3 key ideas, a live animation and a quick check.
Does the Wetlands and Rainforests lab work on a phone or tablet?
Yes. The animation resizes to fit your screen and supports touch, so you can drag, tap and slide with your finger.
How should I study Wetlands and Rainforests?
Read the summary and key ideas first, play with the interactive lab to see the idea in motion, then answer the quick check. If you get a question wrong, go back to the key idea it tests.
Do I need an account, and is my progress saved?
No account is needed. Marking a topic as learned is saved in your own browser, so it stays on that device and is not sent to a server.