This document has been prepared to provide a comprehensive review of Rocky Mountain wetlands. It draws on all types and sources of scientific information and is both an analysis and synthesis. We recognized from the outset that large gaps exist in the scientific literature on Rocky Mountain wetlands. An attempt has been made to identify and delineate these gaps in order to estimate the magnitude of research needed to narrow them. Therefore, this document is both a state-of-the-art and state-of-the-science of Rocky Mountain wetlands as of December 1985. This report is intended to provide information for the assessment, planning, and permitting activities of Federal and State agencies. It is also an educational source document for anyone interested in the ecological functioning and value of high-elevation wetlands.

Wetlands are crucial ecosystems that help filter a great number of toxicants out of the earth's waters. They must be managed and occasionally even built from scratch, including all of the flora and fauna that grows there. Invertebrates play a key role in the wetland food chain. This comprehensive resource is the first dedicated solely to the ecology and management of invertebrates.