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.

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.

This calcium-rich environment supports highly diverse and unique rare plants that tolerate low oxygen conditions, calcium carbonate deposits, low nutrient availability, and relatively cold organic soils (peat)—the calcareous fen ecosystem.

Over time this organic matter accumulates to form peat, one of the key characteristics of a fen. Unlike typical bogs, which are not fed by groundwater but rather accumulate rainwater and are highly acid, the flow of water through a fen gives it a pH above 5; that is, it is only moderately acid.

Fens are peat-forming wetlands. Peat forms when wetland plants die creating mats of dead and decaying plant matter. Fens are sustained by mineral enriched groundwater which is less acidic.

The term "fen" is used to describe a class of open, wetland plant communities dominated by sedges, which develop where the ground surface is continuously wet and a layer of dead plant material accumulates to form peat.

Jan 19, 2023 · Bogs and fens are two of North America's most common kinds of peatlands and are primarily sphagnum moss (peat moss). Many people use the two terms (bog and fen) interchangeably. However, they have unique environmental characteristics that promote different plant communities.

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 …

Apr 3, 2020 · To investigate whether rewetting of drained fen peatlands leads to microbial recovery, we studied the vertical depth stratification of microbial communities and predicted functional gene...

A fen is a peat-forming, permanently saturated wetland fed by upwelling groundwater. A fen differs from a bog in that fens draw their water from ground sources, while bogs accumulate water exclusively through rainfall—though these two types of …