Bog

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/bog

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How deep is Bog?Can exceed 10 meters (approx. 33 feet) in mature bogs
2. What is the scientific classification?Ombrotrophic mires, receiving water primarily from precipitation
3. What is the dominant peat-forming organism?Sphagnum moss (Genus Sphagnum)
4. Why do bogs have so much water and moss?Sphagnum moss can hold up to 20 times its dry weight in water, keeping the bog very wet. It also releases acids that make the water acidic, which slows down the breakdown of plant material and lets peat build up.
5. How do plants survive in a bog with low nutrients?Plants in bogs have special tricks. Some, like sundews and pitcher plants, catch insects for extra food, and many plants are adapted to grow with very little nitrogen or phosphorus.

Ombrotrophic: Receiving nutrients and water solely from atmospheric precipitation.
Oligotrophic: An ecosystem characterized by low nutrient levels and high oxygen content.
Carbon Sequestration: The process by which atmospheric carbon dioxide is captured and stored in organic matter or geological formations.