How would you describe a bog?
A bog is a freshwater wetland of soft, spongy ground consisting mainly of partially decayed plant matter called peat. Bogs are generally found in cool, northern climates. They often develop in poorly draining lake basins created by glaciers during the most recent ice age.
What is the difference between blanket bogs and raised bogs?
Raised bogs generally contain deeper peat deposits (typically between 4 and 8 metres) while blanket bogs are generally shallower with a peat depth of between 2 and 5 metres typical. Raised bogs also tend to contain a better-developed Sphagnum layer than blanket bogs.
What is an example of a bog?
The definition of a bog is small marsh with wet ground made up of decaying plants, usually moss. An example of a bog is a quaking bog, or a bog that is sturdy enough for walking but causes things to sway when you move on it. To sink or become stuck in or as in a bog; mire.
Why is peat bog destruction a bad thing?
Peat bogs are a very important store of carbon. We call them carbon sinks . If all the peat was removed and burned this would quickly release a huge volume of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and contribute to the greenhouse effect.
What animals live in bogs?
Mammals like the snowshoe hare, moose, beaver, and muskrats are also found in and around bogs. And on a gruesome note: Preserved bodies are sometimes found in bogs! Because decomposition happens so slowly, anything that falls into a bog, including animals and people, can be preserved for long periods of time!
What is bog down?
Definition of bog down 1 : to cause (something) to sink in wet ground The mud bogged down the car. The car got bogged down in the mud. 2 : to become stuck in wet ground The car bogged down in the mud.
What animals live in blanket bogs?
Species living in and around Blanket Bog Invertibrates common to bogland include mayfly and stonefly larvae as well as dragonfly and damselfly larvae. Whirligig beetles, pondskaters and water boatmen can be seen on the surface of the ponds.
What animals live in Irish bogs?
Bogs are home to many interesting animals such as the Irish Hare, Common Frog, the Smooth Newt, Snipe, Skylarks, Meadow pipits, Dragonflies and the rare Irish Curlew.
What animals live in a bog?
Bogs provide food and shelter for many important game species, including furbearers such as mink, muskrat, raccoon, and beaver, and game birds such as rails, woodcock, ruffed grouse, turkey, and wood duck.
What is the biggest bog in the world?
The world’s largest wetland is the peat bogs of the Western Siberian Lowlands in Russia, which cover more than a million square kilometres.
Why do people drain peat bogs?
For many years peat was removed from bogs for gardeners to add to their soil or to burn as fuel. This dramatically reduced biodiversity . Because peat takes such a long time to form, it is a non-renewable energy resource like fossil fuels. Peat bogs are a very important store of carbon.
What animals live in peat bogs?
Wildlife of our Peatlands
- Golden plover. A beautiful wading bird known for its haunting call and distinctive golden spangled plumage, with contrasting black face and belly in the breeding season.
- Hen harrier.
- Red grouse.
- Spahgnum mosses – our peat builders.
- Desmoulin’s whorl snail.
- Skylark.
- Bog asphodel.
- Marsh fritillary.
What are the different types of ombrogenous bogs?
Two types of ombrogenous bogs are commonly distinguished: raised bogs and blanket bogs. Compare valley bog. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.
How is the ombrogenous bog dependent on rain water?
ombrogenous bog. A Dictionary of Ecology. © A Dictionary of Ecology 2004, originally published by Oxford University Press 2004. ombrogenous bog A peat-forming vegetation community lying above groundwater level: it is separated from the ground flora and the mineral soil, and is thus dependent on rain water for mineral nutrients.
How are bogs different from marshes and swamps?
A bog is a kind of wetland with wet, spongy soil. Bogs differ from marshes and swamps because their soil contains almost no minerals. That is because their main source of water is rainwater, which contains few minerals.
Why are bogs so bad for the environment?
Bog soils are oxygen- and nutrient -poor, and are much more acid ic than other soils. Eventually, watery bogs become choked with living and decaying plants.