Some Ecological Statistics of a "Miniature Bog"

Abstract

Succession may be defined as a linked change of the biotic and abiotic components of an ecosystem. In a mire ecosystem, this change is mediated through the storage of energy in the form of peat. The deposition of peat affecting the hydrologic and edaphic conditions within the system brings about a change in the flora of the mire. A study of succession in a mixed mire is presented together with measurements of the dynamics of the process. In the ecosystem studied, deposition of 1804 g dry weight of peat, representing the storage of 8326 kilocalories of energy, can bring about the complete transformation of one square metre of extreme rich fen to bog (Du Rietz 1949) in all characteristics. At the present net rate of production by Sphagnum fuscum (the main peat former), this process would take only seven years. Pe3IoMe