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A peatland is a type of wetland whose soils consist of organic matter from decaying plants, forming layers of peat. Peatlands arise because of incomplete decomposition of organic matter, usually litter from vegetation , due to water-logging and subsequent anoxia . [ 1 ]
[citation needed] Peat is discouraged as a soil amendment by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, England, since 2003. [32] While bark or coir-based peat-free potting soil mixes are on the rise, particularly in the UK, peat is still used as raw material for horticulture in some other European countries, Canada, as well as parts of the United States.
Peat forest contains high amount of carbon due to its soil nature, categorized as histosols with characteristics of high organic material content (70–99%). [10] [23] This carbon pool is stabilized by the low temperature on temperate peat, and by the water logging on tropical peat.
Pocosin is a type of palustrine wetland with deep, acidic, sandy, peat soils. [1] Groundwater saturates the soil except during brief seasonal dry spells and during prolonged droughts. Pocosin soils are nutrient-deficient (oligotrophic), especially in phosphorus. [2]
Peat cutting, while much more common in bogs, does happen in fens. Peat cut from fens has many uses, including burning as a fuel. [5] Pollutants can alter the chemistry of fens and facilitate invasion by invasive species. [5] Common pollutants of fens include road salts, nutrients from septic tanks, and runoff of agricultural fertilizers and ...
The wildlife and vegetation forms often lead to high endemism because of the severe soil and microclimate characteristics. An example of this is the Exmoor Pony , a rare horse breed which has adapted to the harsh conditions in England's Exmoor .
Geology and soils (i.e. bedrock and texture) play also an important role. When the mineral soil is composed of heavy clay, the soil will act as an impermeable substrate that facilitates water accumulation. [7] Simply an increase in surface water from melting permafrost can cause increased paludification in boreal ecosystems. [8] [9]
Blanket bog on the Yell, Shetland Islands, with some peat working. Blanket bog or blanket mire, also known as featherbed bog, is an area of peatland, forming where there is a climate of high rainfall and a low level of evapotranspiration, allowing peat to develop not only in wet hollows but over large expanses of undulating ground.