Minerotrophic refers to environments that receive nutrients primarily through groundwater that flows through mineral-rich soils or rock,Environment Canada (2014). Ontario wetland evaluation system: Northern Manual, 1st edition, version 3.2. Queen’s printer for Ontario. or surface water flowing over land. Minerotrophic, “minerogenous”, and “geogenous” are now often used interchangeably, although the latter two terms refer primarily to

hydrological Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and drainage basin sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is called a hydro ...

systems, while the former refers to nutrient dynamics. The hydrologic process behind minerotrophic

wetland A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

s results in water that has acquired dissolved chemicals which raise the nutrient levels and reduce the acidity. This in turn affects vegetation assemblages and diversity in the wetland in question.Brinson, M. M. (1993). A Hydrogeomorphic Classification for Wetlands. ''Environmental Laboratory (U.S.) & Engineer Research and Development Center (U.S.).'' Retrieved from https://erdc-library.erdc.dren.mil/jspui/bitstream/11681/6483/1/TR-WRP-DE-4.pdf If dissolved chemicals include chemical bases such as

calcium Calcium is a chemical element; it has symbol Ca and atomic number 20. As an alkaline earth metal, calcium is a reactive metal that forms a dark oxide-nitride layer when exposed to air. Its physical and chemical properties are most similar to it ...

magnesium Magnesium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 ...

ions, the water is referred to as '' base-rich'' and is neutral or

alkali In chemistry, an alkali (; from the Arabic word , ) is a basic salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. An alkali can also be defined as a base that dissolves in water. A solution of a soluble base has a pH greater than 7.0. The a ...

ne. In contrast to minerotrophic environments,

ombrotrophic Ombrotrophic ("cloud-fed"), from Ancient Greek ὄμβρος (''ómvros'') meaning "rain" and τροφή (''trofí'') meaning "food"), refers to Soil, soils or vegetation which receive all of their water and nutrients from precipitation, rather ...

environments get their water mainly from precipitation, and so are very low in nutrients and more acidic. Of the various wetland types, fens and rich fens are often minerotrophic while poor fens and

bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and musk ...

s are often ombrotrophic.

Marsh In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in genera ...

es and

swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

s may also be fed through groundwater sources to a degree.

Hydrology

The hydrological setting of a wetland strongly influences its characteristics. Chemical ions are transported to wetlands via their hydrological system, and in turn affect pH, conductivity, and nutrient levels. Chemical and nutrient dynamics may differ depending on a minerotrophic wetland’s hydrological setting, which could include water discharge dominated, recharge dominated, or some combination of both. These characteristics also vary seasonally, as average groundwater levels increase and decrease at different times of the year. This seasonality can raise water below ground or above the surface to become free standing. Additional factors such as geological conditions, soil type, and surface morphology may also influence the characteristics of a wetland in tandem with hydrological setting.

Vegetation communities

Stable water and nutrient availability via groundwater systems allows for a diverse array of plant species to grow in minerotrophic wetlands. This also allows for

peat Peat is an accumulation of partially Decomposition, decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, Moorland, moors, or muskegs. ''Sphagnum'' moss, also called peat moss, is one of the most ...

to accumulate provided the water does not flow too quickly. A minerotrophic wetland may be alkaline or weakly acidic, which also influences vegetation communities. Rich fens are often characterized by alkaline hydrologic conditions, allowing for more plant diversity. These areas may be dominated by brown mosses of the family Amblystegiaceae and sedges in the genus ''

Carex ''Carex'' is a vast genus of over 2,000 species of grass-like plants in the family (biology), family Cyperaceae, commonly known as sedges (or seg, in older books). Other members of the family Cyperaceae are also called sedges, however those of ge ...

''. Acidic poor fens are often dominated by peat mosses of the genus ''

Sphagnum ''Sphagnum'' is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species of mosses, commonly known as sphagnum moss, also bog moss and quacker moss (although that term is also sometimes used for peat). Accumulations of ''Sphagnum'' can store water, since ...

'' which tend to further increase acidity.

Examples

A notable example of a minerotrophic wetland is the Everglades, a large subtropical wetland located in Western Florida, USA.{{Cite journal, last=Richardson, first=Curtis J., date=2009-08-27, title=The Everglades: North America's subtropical wetland, url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11273-009-9156-4, journal=Wetlands Ecology and Management, volume=18, issue=5, pages=517–542, doi=10.1007/s11273-009-9156-4, s2cid=23666340 , issn=0923-4861, url-access=subscription

References

Pedology

Hydrology

Vegetation communities

Examples

See also

References