hilippine wetlands are endowed with a rich diversity of flora (1,616 species) and fauna (3,308 species). These consist of algae (1,177 species), aquatic macrophytes (439 species), mollusks (728 species), insects (1,764 species), other arthropods (498 species), fishes (208 species), and waterfowls (110 species). These species represent the dominant components of the complex food webs that have evolved in the different wetland types. Sponges cnidarians, free-living flatworms, annelids, and nudibranchs were not included in these inventories.