| Doesn't the bog completely fill in with sediment? In theory, yes: over thousands of years the bogs would gradually become more solid, and each band of vegetation would move inwards until the bog was entirely transformed into forest. However, in reality, this rarely happens so evenly, and in some areas bogs are even expanding. |
|
The soil in a bog is very acidic. This is because of
the underlying soil type, lack of drainage, and chemical reactions caused by some bog plants. Some bacteria can not survive in these
acidic conditions, and without as many bacteria or fungi to decompose organic material, almost nothing rots in a bog. Because decomposition rates
are so slow, the soil remains poor. Some bog plants are insectivorous and obtain many nutrients by trapping insects to make up for nutrients
they can't get from the soil.
Bog rosemary is small shrub with tough, needle-like leaves and pink bell-shaped flowers, common in boreal bog forests. Photo by Maya Walters. |
boreal bog forests -- page 2 of 3
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related topics
[soil] [fungi] [plants]
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