productive than other ecosystems the physical properties of heidrick soil enable it to absorb a higher proportion of nutrients that makes wetlands home to many rare and endangered species of terrestrial and aquatic plants and animals that are found in no other ecosystem. there is also a natural flow through and filtration system of nutrients a characteristic unique to wetlands it's these properties that help called grass in a salt marsh for instance to produce more plant material and store more energy per acre than any agricultural crop. healthy wetlands are crucial to all wildlife and humans throughout the world many birds use wetlands as a pit stop in their long distance migration many animals there to reproduce what lands provide great volumes of food especially the species that form the base of the food where acting as natural water purifiers they absorb many pollutants in surface waters their ability to trap and retain water protects land against floods and the impact of storms of the 600000000 people are dependent on wetlands for fisheries and farming rice which is grown in wetla