What is a Fen? “Fens are an important and unique wetland type. 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.

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.

A fen is located on a slope, flat, or in a depression and gets most of its water from the surrounding mineral soil or from groundwater (minerotrophic). Thus, while a bog is always acidic and nutrient-poor, a fen may be slightly acidic, neutral, or alkaline, and either nutrient-poor or nutrient-rich. [ 8 ]

Geogenous peatlands, i.e. fens, are nutrient-rich (minerotrophic) and strong connections to groundwater. Fens commonly have neutral pH all year, and are characterized by abundance of base cations, Ca and Mg. Vegetation is dominated by grasses, sedges, and rushes.

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.

Fen Peatlands |The IUCN UK Peatland Programme exists to promote peatland restoration in the UK and advocates the multiple benefits of peatlands through partnerships, strong science, sound policy and effective practice.

fen, type of wetland ecosystem, especially a low-lying area, wholly or partly covered with water and dominated by grasses and grasslike plants such as sedges and reeds. Fens develop on slopes, in depressions, or on flats as a result of sustained flows of …

Nov 28, 2016 · Peatlands are wetlands whose vegetation produces peat that is very rich in organic carbon. The quantity of water entering the system and its chemical quality determine many types of peatlands or mires: acidic sphagnum …

A fen-meadow is a type of peatland, common in North America and Europe, that receives water from precipitation and groundwater.

Wetlands - The term fen has been variously used by peatland ecologists, ground-water hydrologists, and vegetation scientists. The common denominator among all types of fens is recognition of the...