
What is a Fen? - US Forest Service
Fens are peat-forming wetlands that rely on groundwater input and require thousands of years to develop and cannot easily be restored once destroyed. Fens are also hotspots of biodiversity. They often are home to rare plants, insects, and small mammals. Larger animals like deer and livestock graze in this type of wetland.
Fen | Definition, Description, Chemistry, Plants, Fen vs Bog, & Facts ...
Fen, type of wetland ecosystem, especially in a low-lying area, wholly or partly covered with water and dominated by grasses and grasslike plants such as sedges and reeds. Fens develop as the result of sustained flows of mineral-rich groundwater in the root zone, which limit the decomposition of plant debris and allow the formation of peat.
Fen - Wikipedia
A fen is a type of peat-accumulating wetland fed by mineral-rich ground or surface water. [1] [2] It is one of the main types of wetland along with marshes, swamps, and bogs. Bogs and fens, both peat-forming ecosystems, are also known as mires. [2] The unique water chemistry of fens is a result of the ground or surface water input.
Region 5 - Land & Resource Management - US Forest Service
Fens are an interesting natural phenomena and are rare in the arid West. Fens provide a large array of ecosystem services, including supporting the highest biodiversity found among wetlands, providing hydrological services such as water storage and purification, and sequestering large amounts of carbon.
Taking thousands of years to form, fen-wetland ecosystems are rare nationwide (EPA 2021). Their . unique groundwater regime and chemistry, along with floating vegetated mats of peat, support diverse and rare plant and wildlife communities. The fen is the last of its kind in the Willamette Valley and is vulnerable to threats posed by urban
Fens - North American Nature
Fens are wetland ecosystems that develop in areas with low nutrient availability, resulting in a unique set of conditions that support the growth of specific plant species. The formation processes of fens are closely linked to the hydrological dynamics of the surrounding landscape.
Understanding the bio-physical characteristics of a fen ecosystem …
2021年2月3日 · Understanding the bio-physical characteristics of a fen ecosystem to inform management and conserve the rare habitat. Fen-wetland ecosystems are rare nationwide. Their unique groundwater regime and chemistry, along with a floating, vegetated peat mat that may occur, support diverse and rare plant and wildlife communities.
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The Fen Phenomenon
Fens, a type of wetland ecosystem, depend on groundwater sources to wet soil at or just below the soil surface. Fens typically feature plant communities dominated by mosses and sedge like plant species growing over peat. Fens comprise a very …
About Fens - Native Plants and Ecosystem Services
Wetlands make up only 3 percent of the earth’s surface, yet they provide us with many benefits, including flood control, water purification, and carbon storage to help prevent global climate change. Because prairie fen is globally rare, it may disappear entirely if we …
Threats to Fens - Native Plants and Ecosystem Services
Fens and the areas surrounding them are under a number of threats, including conversion for human use, fragmentation, changes in hydrology, changes in disturbance regime, non-native invasive species, and pollution. All of these pressures mean that an already rare ecosystem needs restoration to enable it to persist.