A local ecosystem includes a variety of grasses that grow on spongy soil. In spring, heavy rainfall and melted snow cover the soil in a few inches of water. The ecosystem dries up by late summer. What term BEST describes this ecosystem?
A. pond
B. estuary
C. wetland
D. stream bed

The correct answer is C. Wetland.

Explanation:

A wetland is a generic name for habitats located between hard ground and open water. Wetlands include, for example, wet and waterlogged shallow land, shallow lakes and seas, marshes, floodplain forests, and flowing waters.

Wetlands provide a breeding ground for many animal and plant species and can act as a buffer in flood areas and prevent severe and sudden floods. Rainfall, waters entering the catchment area, soil and ground elevation differences in the area, and water evaporation form the hydrological conditions of the wetlands. Wetlands are one of the most valuable and endangered habitats on Earth. Swamps, overgrown lakes, flood-prone areas, shallow bays, water-covered beach areas and mangrove beaches are all endangered habitats.