To celebrate National Biodiversity Week, the Irish Peatland Conservation Council (IPCC) are sharing some of the “surprising” to learn facts about bogland biodiversity.
There are over 20 different species of Sphagnum moss found on Irish bogs. These are known as the “bog builders” and are the “most important” plants on bogs.
The moss holds up to 20 times its own weight in water by having internal water storage cells and forming external water storage cells with other Sphagnum moss plants.
During World War I, Sphagnum moss was harvested and dried and stitched together as a wound dressing to treat injured soldiers. It was not until the 1920s that the use of the moss as a wound dressing came to an end.
Plants are usually eaten by insects, however, on bogland, the opposite happens, as insects become prey to certain plants.
The IPCC said:
“The leaves of the sundew plant contains glands at the tips that create a sticky trap and when an insect lands on the leaf, it gets stuck in the sticky fluid, and the leaf tentacles close around it.
“All the nutrients in the insect’s body are digested into molecules that can be absorbed into the sundew through pores on the leaf surface.”
Common cottongrass produces seed heads that look like cotton wool and “creates a winter wonderland” in June on bogs nationwide.
It is the deepest rooting plant on the bog, as its roots can reach into the peat to a depth of 60cm. The roots are so deep as being able to access nutrients where no other plant can enables the common cottongrass to survive on bogs.
Ireland has a native reptile known as the viviparous lizard. The lizard can drop its tail as a “defensive feature”, and the lizard’s tail can grow back, according to the IPCC.
Bogs are nutrient-poor, which is due to the high water table on bogs, which limits decomposition and the associated release of nutrients.
Bog asphodel and Rhizobium work together to create a “symbiotic relationship”, which both the bog asphodel and the Rhizobium bacterium benefit.
Rhizobium bacteria can fix atmospheric nitrogen into a usable form for plants. Bog asphodel provides its roots as a host for the Rhizobium, and in return the bacterium shares its fixed nitrogen with bog asphodel.