1 00:00:06,667 --> 00:00:14,055 Will stared at the blank piece of paper in front of him and sighed. 2 00:00:14,056 --> 00:00:18,354 "Wetlands are useless. I don't want to write a report on them! 3 00:00:18,355 --> 00:00:23,460 I'd rather hang out in the backyard." He grabbed his phone and headed outside. 4 00:00:23,461 --> 00:00:27,095 Will got comfortable in his favorite spot, the hammock. 5 00:00:27,096 --> 00:00:31,891 After a few minutes of rocking back and forth, he dozed off. 6 00:00:31,892 --> 00:00:37,235 Soon an annoying buzzing woke him up. "Stupid mosquitoes," Will grumbled. 7 00:00:37,236 --> 00:00:43,537 "I wish they'd all die." He opened his eyes and saw that he wasn't in the hammock anymore but in a canoe. 8 00:00:43,538 --> 00:00:46,675 And dozens of hungry mosquitoes were circling him. 9 00:00:46,676 --> 00:00:53,813 "Actually if mosquitoes died, many other species would die too—ones you like," QT said. 10 00:00:53,814 --> 00:00:57,841 "Mosquitoes are an important part of the ecosystem." 11 00:00:57,842 --> 00:01:02,231 Will got up and sat on the canoe's bench. "A part of what?" 12 00:01:02,232 --> 00:01:09,159 "An ecosystem is a community of plants and animals and the environment they live in," explained QT. 13 00:01:09,160 --> 00:01:14,339 "Each species within an ecosystem depends on the other species for its survival. 14 00:01:14,340 --> 00:01:19,085 If mosquitoes weren't around, the birds and fish that eat them would disappear. 15 00:01:19,086 --> 00:01:23,470 And then the species that eat those birds and fish would die off too." 16 00:01:23,471 --> 00:01:26,440 "I guess I don't want that . . . ," Will said. 17 00:01:26,441 --> 00:01:29,872 "Each species is part of the ecosystem's food chain. 18 00:01:29,873 --> 00:01:36,298 Food chains show how species are connected. Algae and plants form the bottom of any food chain. 19 00:01:36,299 --> 00:01:41,079 They're called producers because they can make their own food from sunlight. 20 00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:45,527 Creatures that eat other plants and animals are called consumers. 21 00:01:45,528 --> 00:01:49,003 Consumers that only eat plants are called herbivores. 22 00:01:49,004 --> 00:01:52,886 Those that eat both plants and animals are called omnivores. 23 00:01:52,887 --> 00:01:57,222 And those that only eat other animals are carnivores." 24 00:01:57,223 --> 00:02:00,462 Will peered into the water. "I see what you mean. 25 00:02:00,463 --> 00:02:05,377 Those little fish are eating plants. And that bird just ate one of the fish! 26 00:02:05,378 --> 00:02:10,692 And—whoa!—that alligator would have eaten the bird if he were a little quicker!" 27 00:02:10,693 --> 00:02:18,001 "Alligators are at the top of the food chain," QT said. "Very few species can prey on them. 28 00:02:18,002 --> 00:02:26,398 When alligators—and all other creatures—die, decomposers, like bacteria and fungi, break down the dead bodies. 29 00:02:26,399 --> 00:02:31,447 They return the energy and nutrients at the top of the food chain to the bottom 30 00:02:31,448 --> 00:02:36,745 so plants have what they need to grow and start the whole cycle again." 31 00:02:36,746 --> 00:02:42,697 "There are so many animals here! There must be a lot of different food chains," Will guessed. 32 00:02:42,698 --> 00:02:50,359 "You're right. Some plants are eaten by mice, which are eaten by snakes, which are eaten by hawks. 33 00:02:50,360 --> 00:02:55,405 And some plants are eaten by deer, which are then eaten by panthers. 34 00:02:55,406 --> 00:03:02,971 The many connections between all the food chains in an ecosystem make up a food web." 35 00:03:02,972 --> 00:03:07,949 "Did you say 'panthers'?" Will asked in surprise. "Where are we?" 36 00:03:07,950 --> 00:03:12,988 "We are in the Everglades, a huge wetland in southern Florida. 37 00:03:12,989 --> 00:03:18,193 Right now we are in a freshwater marsh, a large part of the Everglades. 38 00:03:18,194 --> 00:03:22,205 Believe it or not, panthers used to be common around here." 39 00:03:22,206 --> 00:03:25,614 QT projected a panther sneaking up on a rabbit. 40 00:03:25,615 --> 00:03:29,943 "Now they're endangered and we're unlikely to see one." 41 00:03:29,944 --> 00:03:36,926 "Maybe we can see better from that tower," Will said, paddling the canoe toward it. "But what exactly is a wetland?" 42 00:03:36,927 --> 00:03:43,136 "It's just what it sounds like: an area that is covered by water for the majority of the time. 43 00:03:43,137 --> 00:03:50,086 Wetlands are pretty shallow, usually no more than a meter deep. There are two main types. 44 00:03:50,087 --> 00:03:54,879 Coastal wetlands—as you can probably guess—are close to a coast. 45 00:03:54,880 --> 00:04:02,074 Fresh water and salty water mix there, so only species that can tolerate water that's a little salty can survive. 46 00:04:02,075 --> 00:04:11,330 Inland wetlands are, well, farther inland. They usually form when rain floods a riverbed or another low, flat area. 47 00:04:11,331 --> 00:04:18,964 Wetlands exist on every continent, except for Antarctica, so there is a huge variety of different habitats. 48 00:04:18,965 --> 00:04:29,098 For instance, wetlands where mostly grasses grow—like this one—are called marshes, and those where trees grow are called swamps." 49 00:04:29,099 --> 00:04:36,319 The canoe reached the shore, and Will got out, stepping onto a path to the tower. 50 00:04:36,320 --> 00:04:43,693 When he reached the viewing platform, he said, "There's so much land! Why don't they do something useful with it?" 51 00:04:43,694 --> 00:04:52,001 "Wetlands are useful!" QT exclaimed. "They have several important jobs. For one they protect us from floods. 52 00:04:52,002 --> 00:04:59,583 When a heavy rainfall comes, wetlands act like a sponge, absorbing the extra water and releasing it slowly." 53 00:04:59,584 --> 00:05:04,041 "I guess that's useful," Will admitted. "What else do wetlands do?" 54 00:05:04,042 --> 00:05:10,475 "They clean water as it passes through, absorbing a lot of nutrients and pollutants. 55 00:05:10,476 --> 00:05:16,389 Let's continue to the coast, and you'll see another benefit of wetlands." 56 00:05:16,390 --> 00:05:22,946 As Will paddled along, the scenery began to change; the marsh became a maze of small islands and trees. 57 00:05:22,947 --> 00:05:27,512 "I've never seen trees growing in water before," commented Will. 58 00:05:27,513 --> 00:05:32,992 "We are in a mangrove swamp," said QT, "another habitat in the Everglades. 59 00:05:32,993 --> 00:05:42,214 It demonstrates another major role of wetlands: many species live here and migrating birds stop here to rest. 60 00:05:42,215 --> 00:05:51,524 Plant roots also keep the soil from being swept away by the flow of water and even make it possible for new land to build up." 61 00:05:51,525 --> 00:05:56,690 Will noticed something big and gray swimming nearby. "What's that?" he asked. 62 00:05:56,691 --> 00:06:01,666 QT scanned the underwater creature and replied, "That is a manatee. 63 00:06:01,667 --> 00:06:07,033 They're harmless herbivores; don't worry. They live close to the shore here in Florida. 64 00:06:07,034 --> 00:06:11,939 Sailors long ago thought these animals were mermaids." 65 00:06:11,940 --> 00:06:17,387 Will stopped paddling to watch the manatee. "It doesn't look like a mermaid to me!" 66 00:06:17,388 --> 00:06:21,912 Soon the gentle rocking of the boat put him to sleep. 67 00:06:21,913 --> 00:06:26,931 When he opened his eyes, he was back in the hammock, still surrounded by mosquitoes. 68 00:06:26,932 --> 00:06:38,234 "I guess mosquitoes aren't totally bad. And wetlands aren't useless after all," he said and ran upstairs to write his report.