Dear All,
Acrotlem definitions
James Fenton’s letter in the latest Mires Research News set me
thinking again about how we define ‘acrotelm’. Many seem to define it
as the seasonally-aerated zone in bogs regardless of the state of
decomposition of peat at the surface. Some reserve the term for
seasonally-aerated, spongy, poorly decoposed Sphagnum (proto-) peat at
the bog surface, while others apply the term to non-bog wetlands (e.g.
fens). Personally, I think of the acrotelm as a spongy poorly
decomposed Sphagnum deposit. I would expect the hydrological behaviour
of such a deposit to be quite different from that of the seasonally
aerated zone in a well humified peat. When we consider hydrological
behaviour and the ecological consequences of such behaviour the
question of definition becomes important. I would be intrigued to know
what other list members think of the matter. Some may be intrested to
know that Bryan Wheeler has written on this topic in a paper entitled
Water and Plants in Wetlands which is in a book entitled Eco-Hydrology
published by Routledge and edited by myself and Rob Wilby (sorry if
this sounds like a plug but the chapter really is good on the problem
of acrotelm definition).
Research focus
On a different note, I read John Tallis’s
Group Update in the MRN with interest. The increasing conservation
focus of the group is in many ways to be welcomed. However, I do
wonder whether there is a danger that we will lose sight of some of
the ‘purer’, less site-specific (i.e. non-management) research
questions in mire science if it becomes too strong a focus. In many
ways the increasing conservation focus is perhaps a reflection of a
lack of academic involvement in the group and its organisation. I
wondered if others felt the same way and whether they had suggestions
on how to improve this somewhat neglected side of the group.
Andy Baird.
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Dr Andrew J. Baird
Lecturer in Physical Geography
Department of Geography
University of Sheffield
Sheffield
S10 2TN
Research area: shallow groundwater systems
http://www.shef.ac.uk/uni/academic/D-H/g/staff/ajb.html
Tel: +44 (0)114 2227949
Fax: +44 (0)114 2797912
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