Bog Ecology and Palynologyfacultyweb.cortland.edu/broyles/FNH09/bog.pdf · •“bocc” is a...
Transcript of Bog Ecology and Palynologyfacultyweb.cortland.edu/broyles/FNH09/bog.pdf · •“bocc” is a...
Bog Ecology and Palynology
Adirondack Bogs—Satellite View
What is a bog?
• “bocc” is a Celtic word for soft soil
• A special wetland of isolated hydrology;
only source of water is from precipitation;
no inlet or outlet of water
• Outline
– Glacial formation
– Unique Physical Features
– Unique Chemistry
– Unique Plants
Glaciation and Bog Formation
• Wisconsin glacier
covered much of North
America from 18,000-
25,000 years B.P.
• Glacial debris formed
moraines at terminus
• Retreat of glaciers left
depressions and isolate
ice blocks surrounded by
debris (i.e., Kames)
Secondary Impoundment
and Bog Formation
Beaver Pond near
Raquette Lake
Bog Formation
• Ice melted in sheltered
isolated areas
• Environment remained
protected and cold
• No inlet or outlet of water
(precipitation only),
consequences
– Low oxygen
– Low mineral content
– Slightly acidic
Initial Colonization by Hydrophytes
• Sphagnum moss, water
lilies, small shrubs along
periphery of depression
• Formation of floating mat
of vegetation
• Accumulation of organic
material deep in
depression
Late Stages of Bog Succession
• Matt of plants extends
into open water and may
float over surface—
quaking bog
• Larch, black spruce, red
maple forest may cover
bog
• Organic soil fills
depression (accumulates
4 cm per 20 years)
Bogs Scrub the Atmosphere
of Carbon Dioxide
Bog
Vegetation
Zones
A
B C
Open
Water
A. Bog Forest
B. Forest-shrub
Transition
C. Floating Mat
Jam Pond as an Isolated Wetland surrounded by a Kame
Bog Zones—Jam Pond, German NY
Larch/Black Spruce Forest
Ferd’s Bog-Adirondacks
Bog Chemistry
• Anoxic
• Acidic—humic acid from decay of moss (3.5-5.5)
• Low mineral nutrient
• Significance: (1) few decomposers—organic matter accumulates, (2) few aquatic animals, (3) plants adapted to special circumstances
• Plant Adaptations
– Carnivorous habit-bladderwort, sundew, pitcher plant
– Sclerophyllous vegetation--Heaths
Plant Adaptations
Carnivorous Habit
Round-leaf sundew
Drosera rotundifolia
Bladderwort
Utricularia sp.
Plants adapted to nutrient poor soils?
Sarracenia purpurea
Northern Pitcher Plant
Blasoxipha fletcheri
Sacophagus Fly Larvae
Blaesoxipha fletcheri
Pitcher Plant Mosquito Wyeomyia smithii
Rotifer Habrotrocha rosa
Bacteria
Slime Mite Sarraceniopus gibsoni
Midge Larvae Metriocnemus knabi
Northern Pitcher Plant
Food Web (from Eliason)
Heaths—Blueberry, Rhododendron family
Bog Rosemary
Andromeda glaucophylla Labrador Tea
Rhododendron groenlandicum
Sclerophyllous leaves—thick leathery, thick way or pubescence—
traits often associated with plants in arid regions.
Why are these plants in a bog?
Sclerophyllous Shrubs
Leather leaf Bog Laurel
Chamaedaphne calyculata Kalmia polifolia
Tamarack (Larix laricina)
Deciduous conifer
spur shoots
whorls of needles
acidic peat wetlands
Black Spruce (Picea mariana)
Acidic peat wetlands
Sharp needles
Parasitic Dwarf Mistletoe
Bog Peat and Clay
Bog Economics • Peat Products
– Peatmoss
– Peatcrete
– Peatwood
– Insulation
– Scotch
• Living Sphagnum moss
– Sterile dressing
– Absorbent material
– Decoration
• Vaccinium macrocarpon
– Cranberry
– Other Vaccinium
Do you remember how Sphagnum disperses spores?
Bog People
Understand past cultures through human remains
Diseases, diet, heavy metals, artifacts
Please read “Tales from the Bog” at National Geographic link on course web page
European Iron Age—1200 BC-400 AD
• European Iron Ages
– Human sacrifices
• Physical trauma
• Good health
– Diet & grooming
• Offerings
• American Bog People
– Skulls from Florida
peatland
• 5,000-8,000 ybp
Public Domain by Sven Rosborn
Thought Question: Although Bog People have wonderfully
preserved soft tissues, these structural tissues are often greatly
diminished.
What are the diminished tissues and why are they diminished?
Bog Caution
Previous Field Bio
Students warned
me about Broyles’
Field Trips
That’s why you
never walk in
front of the
Prof
BOGS are COOL!
If you make it
back bring me
some fossils
Bog Review
• Unique physical, chemical, and biological
properties
• Adaptations of bog vegetation
• Historical studies
– humans & artifacts
– palynology
• Economic and Ecological Value