Introduction
Causes of succession have become such a great interest to ecologists because it has a tendency to dominate within its natural communities (Connell and Slatyer 1997). Succession is described as a directional change in the species composition of an area over a given time. Furthermore, succession refers to changes studied in an ecological community following a disturbance that opens up a relatively large area (Connell and Slatyer 1997). Based on its habitat properties, it is divided into either primary or secondary succession. Primary succession occurs in areas that usually lack soil and/or has soils that are newly exposed by occurrences like receding glaciers. Whereas secondary succession occurs in communities that have been destroyed by a disturbance but have left behind soil that was present before (Johnson and Miyanishi 2008). An important difference between the two is the level of difficulty in which species can invade it. With primary succession, species would have more difficulty due to the new soils having less adaptation and therefore having a lower nutrient availability (Connell and Slatyer 1997). Bogs would fall under the category of primary succession.
Bogs tend to be dominated by sphagnum moss, sedges, and shrubs, predominantly by sphagnum moss. Autotrophs and many vegetation sites emerge from primary successions such as bogs (Connell and Slatyer 1997). The plant species sphagnum moss in particular, which takes in carbon, plays a crucial role within temperate and bog ecosystems (Berendse 2001). Sphagnum moss tend to effect environments it resides in due to its effects of elevated CO2, increased N deposition, and atmospheric deposition on growth of other plants. There are cases where sphagnum moss can actually increase the cover of vascular plants (Berendse 2001). Sphagnum moss are generally dominant within bogs but it is the adaptation of the other plant species that determine their growth and diversity, not the sphagnum moss. For example, it is possible for soil within bogs to be productive in favored conditions where nutrients are high and generally in moderate acidic environments (Aerts et al 1992). Succession shares a correlation with changes in other characteristics such as diversity due to soil productivity and how plant species adapt within a given zone.
Four hypotheses were tested with relation to diverse communities and physical properties between four zones. It was expected that the bog would be more acidic than the moraine (the wetlands), with the tamarack and shrub zones being the most acidic. Another expectation was that the shrub and tamarack zones would have a greater vegetation height and less water depth than the cat-tails/sedges or wetlands. It was also to be expected that the amount of open water, sphagnum moss and key plant species would vary with the zones in a characteristic manner. Lastly, it was to be expected that there would be a higher diversity of plants within the bog, primarily in the tamarack and shrub zones as opposed to the cat-tails/sedges and wetlands.
Under the case where these hypotheses are not supported, assumptions can that made that bogs do not have the advantage of holding lower pH levels than wetlands. A second assumption that can be made is that there is no advantage for zones that contain more sphagnum moss to have more mats of peat and raised areas. Another assumption is that different zones do not necessarily vary in their cover types .The last assumption is that can be made is that there is no advantage to having a higher diversity within the four different zones.
Methods
This study was conducted in two various locations. A set of data for three zones was collected at Volo Bog State Natural Area located in the northeastern city of Ingleside, Illinois. While another set of data was collected for a different zone in Moraine Hills State Park, at a moraine marsh in McHenry, Illinois. The subjects of this study was the distinct vegetation types found within the four separate zones: cat-tail and sedge marsh, shrub marsh, tamarack marsh, and moraine marsh. Three exercises were completed. Students were divided into groups of two or three and each group member was given a data sheet. Upon receiving the data sheet, each group was also given a measuring tape, four meter sticks, and litmus paper (pH strips). Each group had to then collect and record their own data.
Exercise one involved measuring water depth and vegetation. Beginning in the Volo Bog State Natural Area, each group was assigned a vegetation ring/zone to begin in. With a tape measure, an 8m (24ft) transect was measured along the boardwalk. Within every 33cm (1ft) interval, a sampling point was chosen by simply reaching an arm out and holding the meter stick vertical to the ground. With each sampling point, a type of vegetation or open water was indicated. This was done until a total of 25 sampling spots was completed. In addition, at 2m (6ft) intervals, the depth of water or height of the mat of vegetation was measured. Depth of water was measured simply by sticking the meter stick into the water as far as it could go. The height of the mat of vegetation was measured by aligning two meter sticks; one at water surface and the other at mat surface. The difference between the two was taken and this was the height to be recorded into the data sheet. This was done until a total of 4 transects (a total of 100 vegetation sampling points and 20 depth/height sampling points) were completed and recorded for.
Exercise two involved measuring the vegetation abundance along with percent coverage of open water and sphagnum moss. All four meter sticks were used to make a 1m x 1m square along the edge of the boardwalk. The number of individuals of each diverse species was counted within each 1m x 1m square. Using the same square, the percent coverage of sphagnum moss and open water was estimated. This was recorded by a number based off a percentage. A 0 was recorded for 0% percent covered by either moss or open water, a 1 was recorded for 1-25% covered, 2 for 26-50% covered, 3 for 51-75% and finally 4 for 76-100% covered. The percent cover of sphagnum moss and open water were recorded separately. The 1m x 1m square was done again in a different location along the boardwalk within the same zone.
Exercise three emphasized on determining the pH level which was taken from a collected water sample within the zone. A litmus paper was used to be dipped into a clean portion of water sample and then was left to dry. In an attempt to gain the most accurate data, more than one litmus paper was used. The color change of the litmus paper was to be recorded onto the datasheet. This completed the
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