Moss swamp: features and basic characteristics

In the world of swamps occupy huge areas. About 70% percent is occupied by wetlands in South America. In Russia, this figure is about 37% of the country's area, in Western Siberia - 42% of the entire territory.

The origin of the term and its meaning

The swamp is a terrestrial ecosystem thatis a surface of the Earth with excessive moisture and accumulation of water. The remains of vegetation accumulate in the water and organic matter accumulates. A swamp can be considered as a living organism that grows, grows in size and develops during the accumulation of peat. If the peat formation process stops, then the place becomes a peat bog. They are formed after the drying of rivers and lakes or by waterlogging of land.

There are several types of wetlands: lowland, transitional and upland. The latter type includes moss bog, which will be discussed in the publication.

Appearance and features

The formation of moss bogs has several stages. First, in the meadows and forests, moss is formed, called "cuckoo's flax." It has the ability to hold a large amount of liquid, as a result of which peat begins to form. Over time, the surface of peat deposits becomes overgrown, and the area increases. The water balance of the surface layers changes, and the vegetation is renewed: moisture-loving appears on the place of dead vegetation. Peat layers increase, and as a result, trees also die in wetlands. At the last stage, sphagnum (Sphagnum) appears - white moss, after which the swamps were called moss. It absorbs the liquid and has a convex shape.

White moss (Sphagnum) grows in water that is poorsoluble salts. Hypnum moss grows where water is flowing and hard. It also has a water-holding capacity, it grows tops, and the lower part of the stem declines and goes into peat.

Moss bog occupies vast territories with a depth of 4 meters. They can be seen in the tundra of the Arkhangelsk province, and in Siberia.

How moss peat bogs are formed

This swamp is formed by peat moss (Spnagnum). It occurs in moist soil with moist air. Marshes are formed on meadow swamps, wet sandy and clayey soil, rocks (western coast of Sweden and Norway). These mosses are moisture-loving and do not grow under high temperature and dry air. They also evaporate moisture. Water in its composition is poor in nitrogen, lime (it can cause the dying of moss), phosphoric acid and potassium. Properties of peat bogs: luminescence and mummifying action.

The moss bog has an uneven surfacecovered with bumps that form around old stumps. It is very nice to sit down and rest on dry hummocks after a tiring road, because the water is quite cold on a hot day, as the peat has poor thermal conductivity. The great Russian poet N. Nekrasov said that nature in Russia is “Kochi, and moss bogs and stumps”.

Famous Moss Swamps

Animals and birds

Most of the inhabitants of the marshes are small in size and are adapted to semi-aquatic habitats. In the moss bogs such animals live:

• Birds that nest on the bumps of marshes: plovers, partridges, black grouse, cranes, ducks, herons and chibis, moorhen, meadow chase, yellow wagtail, oatmeal, kestrel, meadow horse, hooglok
• Animals: raccoon, elk, otter, muskrat and mink.
• Mammals: water rat, kutora, vole housekeeper, common shrew, dark and red vole. They serve as a refuge for moss bumps, feed on seeds of pine and grass, and berries.
• Various insects (mosquitoes, flies, mites).
• Reptiles: viper and viviparous lizard.
• Amphibians: gray toads and grass frogs, marsh turtle.

In the moss bogs there are some animals listed in the Red Book.

Plants

The following plants grow on moss bogs:

• Berries: cloudberries, lingonberries, cranberries (growing in transitional and upland marshes) and blueberries.
• Short gnarled pine and dwarf birch.
• Marsh cypress grows in North America and the Danube.
• Sundew, sedge, wild rosemary, pemphigus, calamus.
• Ground cover: sphagnum moss and cotton grass.

The fauna of moss swamps is poor. Trees are scattered in small quantities, so feed is scarce for animals. Birds and large animals do not have enough shelter.

Mshara - what is it?

Moss bogs in the north are called Mshara,or msharnik. So called kostrkornik, which is moss grown. The plant is a stem densely planted with leaves. Near the leaves are branches that hang down and fit tightly to the stem. The surface of the stem has thin-walled cells with holes, thereby forming capillaries. On them water rises from the soil, and peat mosses are filled with water. Over time, the old parts die off, turning into peat, and the tops grow up. Such swamps as a result of the inflow of water grow in width, height and length. The result is a moss mass that rises above the level of the soil water. Msharniki are rich in remnants of trees, and they also grow water mosses.

Moss bog is a unique in its beauty corner of nature.