The Biology of Peatlands

Peatland organisms live in an environment which is typically wet and nutrient-poor, partly anoxic,
often acid, and in large parts exposed to wind and sun. In this chapter, we consider the many
adaptations in plants and animals that enable them to inhabit peatlands successfully, for the fens and
bogs. Many of the conditions described in this chapter are caused by the growth and accumulation of
peat by the peat mosses, Sphagnum.