All of these are beneficial effects of wetlands, except __________.

• A. Add nitrogen to the air
• B. Provide habitat
• C. Improve water quality
• D. Replenish groundwater

Answer: (A)

Wetlands provide several well-known ecosystem services, including providing habitat for diverse species, improving water quality by filtering pollutants, and replenishing groundwater through slow infiltration. The option that isn’t a beneficial effect is adding nitrogen to the air. Wetlands don’t serve as a source of atmospheric nitrogen in the sense of providing a beneficial service; in fact, they help manage nitrogen by removing it from water through plant uptake and denitrification, which releases nitrogen gas back to the air as part of a natural cycle. So the other choices describe real benefits, while adding nitrogen to the air is not a beneficial effect.