BOG

A bog, quagmire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant materialoften mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens. It is a type of wetland ecosystem characterized by wet, spongy, poorly drained peaty soil

FORMATION OF BOG:
The saturation of the moss with water retards passage of air, so that parts of a mass of Sphagnum more than a few inches from the surface are usually anoxic. The combination of lack of oxygen, lack of minerals, and highly acid condition greatly retards the action of bacteria and fungi, the usual decay organisms. With the retardation of decomposition of the dead moss, a Sphagnum peat develops under the living plants. This is particularly the case in areas where there is a mean annual temperature of below 10 C (50 F), which also retards decay. Once bogs are formed, they retard the development of efficient drainage by inhibiting water movement and slowing erosion of the soil or rocks on which they rest. Thus, bogs tend to be long-lived if temperatures remain low and sufficient excess of rainfall over evaporation exists to prevent their drying out. If they do dry out, upland plants will colonize the former bog.

GROWTH OF BOG:
During much of this process the vegetation is floating. The bog is called a quaking bog to indicate the instability of the surface, which will sink slightly beneath a weight. It is even possible to break through the vegetation into the water beneath. Both people and animals have drowned this way. No floating bogs may also quake if the peat is thick and spongy. Ultimately, by upward and centripetal growth, the bog fills the lake completely.

DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT:

Bogs are widely distributed in cold, temperate climes, mostly in the northern hemisphere (boreal). The world's largest wetlands are the bogs of the Western Siberian Lowlands in Russia, which cover more than 600,000 square kilometers. Sphagnum bogs were widespread in northern Europe: Ireland was more than 15% bog (AchillIsland offIrelandis87%bog), Scotland, Denmark, Estonia (20%),Finland (26%),northernGermany, Latvia (10%), the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. There are extensive bogs in Canada and Alaska (called muskeg). There are also bogs in Patagonia and the Falkland Islands in the southern hemisphere. Ombrotrophic wetlands (of which bogs are an example) are also found in the tropics, with notable areas documented in Kalimantan; these habitats are forested so would be better called acidic swamps.

TYPES OF BOG:
Wetmore Pond, located in the Mountain Range in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, is an example of quaking bog formation. Bog

habitats may develop in various situations, depending on the climate and topography. In the 19th century it was thought that the bog itself somehow 'attracted' the rain that sustained it. The main types are:

VALLEY BOG
These develop in gently sloping valleys or hollows. A layer of peat fills the deepest part of the valley, and a stream may run through the surface of the bog. Valley bogs may develop in relatively dry and warm climates, but because they rely on ground or surface water, they only occur on acidic substrates.

RAISED BOG:
These develop from a lake or flat marshy area, over either nonacidic or acidic substrates. Over centuries there is a progression from open lake, to marsh, then fen (or on acidic substrates, valley bog) and Carr, as silt or peat fills the lake. Eventually peat builds up to a level where the land surface is too flat for ground or surface water to reach the center of the wetland. This part therefore becomes wholly rain-fed (ombrotrophic), and the resulting acidic conditions allow the development of bog (even if the substrate is non-acidic). The bog continues to form peat, and over time a shallow dome of bog peat develops: a raised bog. The dome is typically a few meters high in the center, and is often surrounded by strips of fen or other wetland vegetation at the edges or along streamside, where ground water can percolate into the wetland

BLANKET BOG:
In cool climates with consistently high rainfall, the ground surface may remain waterlogged for much of the time, providing conditions for the development of bog vegetation. In these circumstances bog develops as a layer "blanketing" much of the land, including hilltops and slopes. Although blanket bog is more common on acidic substrates, under some conditions it may also develop on neutral or even alkaline ones, if abundant acidic rainwater predominates over the ground water. Blanket bog cannot occur in drier or warmer climates, because under those conditions hilltops and sloping ground dry out too often for peat to form in intermediate climates blanket bog may be limited to areas which are shaded from direct sunshine. In periglacial climates a patterned form of blanket bog may occur

QUAKING BOG:
Quaking bog or schwingmoor is a form of bog occurring in wetter parts of valley bogs and raised bogs, and sometimes around the edges of acidic lakes where bog is beginning to form. The bog vegetation forms a mat half a meter or so thick, is floating over water or very wet peat. Walking on this surface causes it to move larger movements may cause visible ripples of the surface, or they may even make trees sway.

BOG HABITATS:
There are many highly specialized animals and plants associated with bog habitat. The species restricted to bogs are known as tyrphobionts and species characteristic of bogs but not confined to them are called tyrphophiles. Bogs are recognized as a significant/specific habitat

type by a number of governmental and conservation agencies. For example, the United Kingdom in its Biodiversity Action Plan establishes bog habitats as a priority for conservation. Bogs are challenging environments for plant life because they are very acidic and low in nutrients. Characteristic plants are tolerant of acidic conditions: they include species of Vaccinium and royal fern (Osmunda regalis). Carnivorous plants such as sundews and butterworts (Pinguicula) have adapted to the low-nutrient conditions by using invertebrates as a nutrient source. The high acidity of bogs and the absorption of water by sphagnum moss reduce the amount of water available for plants. Some bog plants, such asLeatherleaf, have waxy leaves to help retain moisture. Bogs also offer a unique environment for animals. For instance, English bogs give a home to the boghopper beetle and a yellow fly called the hairy canary fly (Phaonia jaroschewskii).

Virgin boreal acid bogs at Brown's Lake Bog, Ohio. The tree cover is not typical of a bog.

LOCATION OF BOGS:
EUROPE

Ballynahone Bog - a raised bog and the largest in Northern Ireland Bockstens Mosse - a bog in Halland County, Sweden Bog of Allen - a large peat bog in the centre of the Republic of Ireland Borremose - a raised bog in central Himmerland, Denmark. Clara bog - a raised bog in County Offaly, Republic of Ireland

AMERICAS

Big Bog State Recreation Area - a recent addition to the Minnesota state park system

The Bog Garden - a nature preserve, botanical garden, and city park located in Greensboro, North Carolina Burns Bog - in British Columbia, the largest domed peat bog in North America The world's largest peat bog, located in Western Siberia, is thawing for the first time in 11,000 years)