Peat Land Communities

The Peatland Communities

Peatlands are wetland communities that form through the accumulation of partially decayed plant material, peat. Peat is the partially decomposed remains of dead plants and to some extent animals. The most common forms of peat are sphagnum mosses and sedges. Peatland communities develop where the amount of organic material exceeds the rate of decomposition. Topography, local climate and hydrology are important factors in the development of a peatland community.

Peatlands can take thousands of years to develop. There are two major pathways for peatlands to develop over time: terrestrialization and palulification. Terrestrialization is the process by which a lake basin gradually fills in from the edges with sediments and peat forming plants. As the layers of peat increase, the living plants may become raised above the water table. This process creates a type of peatland community called a raised bog. Paulification occurs when a peatland community begins to spill over into a dry community. This can occur naturally due to changes in climate, changes in hydrology, or changes in topography.

The most common form of peatland community is a pocosin. Pocosins occur on flatlands near or on the coastal plains. Pocosins have acidic, nutrient poor soils. Because few plants can grow in mineral poor, acidic soils, the diversity in a pocosin community is poor. Pocosins are dominated by evergreen shrubs, vines, and scattered trees. Pond pine and inkberry dominate the overstory while bamboo vine ties together the understory.