Poor fen

A poor fen (also known as transitional bog, transitional mire or sedge mire) is a natural wetland habitat, supporting a dense carpet of mosses and sedges. It develops where the water is fairly acidic and has very few plant nutrients.[1] Poor fen is intermediate between the taller vegetation of fen, which occurs where the water is much less acidic, and the short, mossy vegetation of bog, which is even more acidic.

The development of fen (mesotrophic) swamp forests during the dry season. Summer 2018. A strong decrease of groundwater level and the feed stream. In the climatic zone (taiga, forest tundra) of the Arkhangelsk region.

Ecology

Poor fen occurs where the ground is permanently wet with nutrient-poor water which is somewhat acidic. It occurs around springs on mountain slopes, in places where neutral water enters more acidic bogs, and in complex with wet acidic grassland.[1]

The organic soils of poor fens are composed of peat.[2] As with all peatlands, the rate of plant decomposition is slower than accumulation under wetland conditions. As the peat surface thickens, the plant community changes in response to lower nutrient availability, and increasingly acidic and anaerobic chemistry.[3]

Poor fen is usually grazed by wild animals or livestock, which prevents ecological succession to wet woodland.

Natural disturbance factors influencing poor fens include fire, flooding, windthrow, and insects. Similar to grazing, a natural fire regime can prevent succession to woodland. In the absence of fire, a thick layer of leaf litter can encroach on the open mire which in turn stifles fen vegetation.[2]

Vegetation
The marsh cinquefoil (Potentilla palustris)

Poor fens are covered with peat-forming Sphagnum mosses[3] such as Sphagnum angustifolium, Sphagnum fallax and Sphagnum magellanicum, while other brown mosses can also be frequent, such as Polytrichum strictum. Mosses combine with a high abundance of sedges such as Carex canescens, Carex echinata, Carex nigra, Carex lasiocarpa, Eriophorum scheuchzeri (white cottongrass) and Trichophorum cespitosum (tufted bulrush). Other abundant plants are Andromeda polifolia (bog-rosemary), Betula nana (dwarf birch), Dactylorhiza maculata (heath-spotted orchid), Eriophorum vaginatum (hare's-tail cottongrass), Potentilla erecta (common cinquefoil), and Vaccinium oxycoccos (bog cranberry).[1]

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gollark: In any case, I don't even know if there's any way to get stable, fair and actually competent large-scale governance at this point.
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gollark: It doesn't seem like keeping the same governments in power eternally has actually produced good outcomes.

See also

References
  1. "D2.2a Poor fen" (PDF). European Red List of Habitats - Mires Working Group. Luxembourg: European Union. 2016. Retrieved 2019-01-10. type of mire, fed by throughput of acid, nutrient-poor ground water
  2. "Poor Fen". Natural Communities of Michigan: Classification and Description. Michigan Natural Features Inventory, Report No. 2007-21. Lansing: Michigan State University. 2007. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
  3. "Chapter 7: Natural Communities, Aquatic Features, And Selected Habitats" (PDF). PUBSS-1131H Complete Ecological Landscapes of Wisconsin: An assessment of ecological resources and a guide to planning sustainable management. Madison: Department of Natural Resources. 2017. pp. 126–128.
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