Plants
The environmental conditions in peatlands can limit the
growth and survival of many plant species. Fens and bogs
are wet habitats with limited oxygen available for plant
growth. Bog plants also have to deal with acidic soil and
the lack of essential nutrients including nitrogen, phosphorus,
and potassium. The plants that are found growing on peatlands
have developed a variety of adaptations that allow them
to survive in these harsh conditions. There is little direct
competition between peatland plants because different species
have developed different adaptations for survival e.g the
roots of the Heather plant form an association with fungi
in order to obtain essential nutrients while sundews eat
insects to obtain these nutrients.
There is considerable variation in the environmental conditions,
such as temperature and moisture, found within a single
peatland site. Different parts of a site can therefore have
quite different communities of plants e.g. some species
of Sphagnum moss are only found within pools while others
have adapted to life on the drier hummocks. Although some
plant species are confined to peatlands it is often the
communities of plants that are unique. Peatlands are now
some of the richest areas of natural vegetation remaining
in Ireland. Click on the links below for further information
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