Swamps and Bogs Janel Dye G-hr

World Distribution Map of Wetlands (Swamps and bogs etc.)

Major Characteristics of Swamps Swamps are forested wastelands. Swamps are often found near rivers, and lakes, and have mineral soil, that drains very slowly. They have trees and bushes. They have water in them for most of the year, or part of the year. Swamps vary in shape and size They’re often classified by the types of tress that grow there. Swamps start out as lakes. Indigenous People of Swamps: Native Americans. Elevation: low elevation. Geology: "forested low, spongy land generally saturated with water and covered with trees and aquatic vegetation; may be a deep water swamp, such as the cypress tupelo, which has standing water all or part of the growing season or bottomland hardwood forests, which are only flooded periodically" Rainfall/Snowfall: Yes Seasonality: Wet seasons and dry seasons

Types of Swamps Conifer Swamps Trees like white cedar, northern white cedar, eastern hemlock, eastern white pine, pitch pine, loblolly pine and black spruce are common in conifer swamps. Hardwood Swamps Hardwood swamps have trees like red maple, black willow, aspen, cottonwood, ashes, elms, swamp white oak, pin oak, tupelo and birches. Shrub Swamps Shrub swamps consist mostly of small trees and shrubs like buttonwood, alders, willow, and dogwood. Cypress Swamps Fire plays a major role in the creation of cypress swamps, because cypresses start to establish themselves after a fire before any other tree. Other trees and shrubs like pond cypress, blackgum, red maple, wax myrtle, and buttonwood can also be found in cypress swamps. Animals like white-tailed deer, minks, raccoons, anhinga's, pileated woodpeckers, purple gallinules, egrets, herons, alligators, frogs, turtles and snakes are often found in cypress swamps.

Anthropogenic Problems of Swamps People would dry up swamps, by filling them with dirt and rocks, and also digging them out to form “waterfront” homes. People believed that swamps were wasteland that were breeding grounds to disease carrying insects. To solve this problem people again had to be reminded that swamps are important to the biodiversity of that region and place.

Chart/Table Sex (Adult) Height Weight Male 4-7 feet 130-500 lbs. Soil pH for some plants, some of which are located in swamps. This is the height and weight of most black bears in America. This relates to the black bears that live The Great Dismal Swamp. Sex (Adult) Height Weight Male 4-7 feet 130-500 lbs. Female 90-250 lbs.

Chart/Table This is a chart of prey found in 37 fecal samples collected from canebrane rattlesnakes in Chesapeake, Virginia. On the Northern edge of The Great Dismal Swamp

Major Characteristics of Bogs Bogs are characterized by spongy peat deposits, acidic waters, and a floor covered by a thick carpet of sphagnum moss. Bogs receive all or most of their water from precipitation rather than from runoff, groundwater or streams. Bogs are low in the nutrients needed for plant growth, a condition that is enhanced by acid forming peat mosses. Bogs typically survive in low temperatures. A fen is a type of bog except it receives water from groundwater, and water running down slopes, and just rain and snow.

Types of Bogs Blanket Bogs- are called this because they cover the ground like a blanket, found near high rainfall, found in western Ireland and mountainous areas. These types of bogs form through the removal of forests which become unusable, and causes the buildup of peat. Raised Bog- Found mostly in Ireland, Peat is a higher quality, and they form naturally Northern Bogs- Northern bogs are generally associated with low temperatures and short growing seasons where ample precipitation and high humidity cause excessive moisture to accumulate. Therefore, most bogs in the United States are found in the northern states. Northern bogs often form in old glacial lakes. They may have either considerable amounts of open water surrounded by floating vegetation or vegetation may have completely filled the lake. Pocosin- The word pocosin comes from the Algonquin Native American word for "swamp on a hill." The are dominated by evergreen shrubs and trees, and are found on the Atlantic Coastal Plain from Virginia to northern Florida, most are found in North Carolina. Usually, there is no standing water in pocosins, but a shallow water table leaves the soil saturated for much of the year. They range in size from less than an acre to several thousand acres located between and isolated from old or existing stream systems in most cases. They have natural fires because pocosins tend to become very dry in the summer and spring. These burnings add to the acidity of the soil which contains peat, sand, and large amounts of charcoal.

Anthropogenic Problems in Bogs Humans have drained bogs to build residential areas, which caused the loss of habitat and resources for animals in nature. To solve this problem they have taken action to help people see the beauty and need for bogs, they protect our wildlife and hold extraordinary carnivorous plants, and are a refuge for most species that were to become extinct but they adapted to the conditions, and people realized this and now respect bogs and their role in our world.

Chart/Table Acidic wetlands and their state of being, how many have been destroyed or partially destroyed, and recovered. SSSI- Site of Special Scientific Interest The results of a study to show the population prediction of the termination of the pitcher plant over the years up to 2060.

Chart/Table This chart shows the increase in Methane Production and also Methane Oxidation of the temperature in northern peat bogs.

Plants and Animals in Bogs/Pocosins Plants- Sphagnum Moss, Labrador Tea, Northern Pitcher Plant (carnivorous plant), Cotton Grass, Cranberry, Blueberry, Pine, Labrador Tea, and Tamarack. Pocosins’ Plants- Sweet Bay, Zenobia, sweet pitcher plant (carnivorous plant) Animals- Moose, Eastern Newt, Deer, Lynx, Greater Sandhill Crane, the Sora Rail, and the Great Gray Owl. Pocosins’ Animals- Black Bear, red-cockaded woodpecker, and the red fox Insects- Dragonflies, Mosquitos

Bibliography Nature Works: http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/nwep7i.htm New World Encyclopedia: http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Swamp#Definition_and_geology Google: http://www.google.com http://www.powershow.com/view1/1d216a-ZTE4N/Peat_Bogs_powerpoint_ppt_presentation EPA: http://water.epa.gov/type/wetlands/bog.cfm Michigan Environmental Education: http://techalive.mtu.edu/meec/module12/Typesofwetlands.htm Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries: http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/bear/black-bear-facts/ http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wildlife/reptiles/snakes/canebrake-rattlesnake/conservation-plan/canebrake-rattlesnake-conservation-plan.pdf