Land-water ecotone ecology

Wetland margins overlapping with the adjacent upland margins are called the 'wetland ecotones'. They enjoy some of the best ecological conditions found in terrestrial and aquatic habitats and, therefore, are richer in biodiversity and rate of primary production. Wetland ecotones are the store-house of 'gene pools' and habitat of wild relatives of some cultivated plants. Most of the winter season migratory birds spend the daytime here in search of insects, molluscs and fishes as food and nights on trees. These ecotones often experience cyclic hydric to xeric conditions when the annuals of one season plants species emerge and flourish, the seeds and propagules of the other season undergo perennation, buried in the mud. World's largest segment of human population depends on rice (as food and fodder) which is essentially a wetland ecotone species. These ecotones are an extremely open system with lots of inflows, retention and outflows of materials and nutrients from uplands to aquatic ecosystems. The vegetation performs efficiently as conservers of soil, water runoff and nutrients and prevents aquatic bodies from upwelling and eutrophication.