Article
Article
Swamp, marsh, and bog
Article By:
Damman, Antoni W. H. Department of Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut.
Last reviewed:August 2021
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.672000
Wet flatlands, where mesophytic vegetation is areally more important than open water. Swamps, marshes, and bogs are commonly developed in filled lakes, glacial pits and potholes, and poorly drained coastal plains or floodplains. Swamp (see illustration) is a term usually applied to a wetland, or waterlogged land, where trees and shrubs are an important part of the vegetative association. Marsh refers to a transitional land–water area that is covered (at least part of the time) by estuarine or coastal waters. Marshes are characterized by aquatic and grasslike vegetation, especially without peatlike accumulation. Bog is a term used for a nutrient-poor, acid peatland, and it implies the lack of solid foundation. Some bogs consist of a thick zone of vegetation floating on water. See also: Bog; Ecology; Peat; Wetland
The content above is only an excerpt.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information
