Original Post by Kayla Sizemore:

Biochemical characteristics

soil – deep layer of organic soil and peat/sand mixture

large amounts of charcoal due to frequent fires

pH – low

Phosphorus is the limiting nutrient

nutrient poor, cycling ombrotrophic

Plant adaptations

Evergreen shrubs and trees dominate

Carnivorous plants like venus fly traps and pitcher plants are present, due to low nutrients.

Ecosystem-level processes

P:R ratio ~=1

Weblike food chains

High species density

My Comment:

Hi Kayla,

I am identifying the wetland as a Pocosin. A crucial piece of information is that there is a deep layer of organic soil and peat/sand mixture. It is a rare combination compared to the other wetlands we are studying. The large amounts of charcoal is also a rare aspect of a pocosin that stuck out to me. The nutrient-poor cycling also enabled me to eliminate other wetlands from being the possible match. The coexistence of the two plant adaptations are also unique to a Pocosin (Flanagan 2016). Great job having accurate descriptors!

Reference:

Flanagan, Kathryn. 2016. Power Point Presentation. https://canvas.du.edu/courses/128480/files?preview=8582554