Have you ever wondered what a swamp is? Or, perhaps, it was curious to know in more detail about the nature of its occurrence and the main features? If yes, I note that you are far from the only ones so inquisitive.
For example, since childhood, I wanted to understand why so many secrets and legends are associated with this area among the people, what is so unusual about it and what plants and animals inhabit it.
Section 1. What is a swamp? General definition of the concept
A rather complex natural formation is called a swamp, which is a site of various sizes, on which a huge amount of moisture is constantly concentrated, both slow-flowing and stagnant. It should also be noted that although the swamp ecosystem is in most cases stable and perfectly balanced, it is also fraught with many mysteries. For example, many do not know that a given body of water, such as a typhoon, is characterized by the presence of the so-called eye, which is a small, absolutely clean lake.
Most swampson our planet is located in the tropical and subtropical zones. It is hard to imagine that their total area is millions of hectares.
Of course, every student will immediately answer that the area around the Amazon River in South America is considered the most swampy. However, Russia can boast of having the largest reservoir of this type in the world - Vasyugan Lake can be seen in Western Siberia.
Section 2. What is a swamp and how is it formed?
At first glance, it may seem that all the current swamps were once lakes, but this is not entirely true. How then to explain the fact of their occurrence on the land?
Let's imagine a small area that has been damaged by a forest fire. For greater clarity, let's mentally draw before our eyes the black remains of trees, branches, ash and charred stumps firmly sitting in the soil.
Nature at all costs will try to heal its wounds, which means that some time will pass, and the first plants to appear in such a forest, for example, moss, which is called cuckoo flax in nature. Due to the lack of foliage on the branches, lower vegetation will receive more moisture. Gradually, the speed of its growth will gain more and more momentum. If the rampant growth continues long enough, it will eventually change the nature of the soil itself, making it wetter.
There is another way. According to experts, if for some reason a poorly permeable layer forms underground at a not too great depth, it willwill retain moisture in the upper layers, as a result of which moisture-loving plants will gradually appear, which, as in the first case, will change the nature of the soil, turning it into marshy.
Section 3. What is a swamp, its flora and fauna
Actually speaking, it does not matter how this or that swamp was formed, in any case, it will gradually grow.
Undoubtedly, at first, these changes will be hardly noticeable, but it will take several years, or even decades, and the peat layer will strengthen. Let's put it this way: in about 1000 years, in place of a burnt forest, it will already be ten or even twelve meters high.
Trees will appear here. Wetlands are characterized by the presence of birch, pine, spruce or alder. If the humidity is high enough, then all plants tend to take on an unusual shape.
Most of the inhabitants of these territories, say, insects and amphibians, are quite small or very tiny, but there are also large representatives.
If we talk about the entire territory of the planet as a whole, then it is in the swamps that predators such as pythons or alligators live, crocodiles hunting smaller prey are also frequent guests. Of herbivores, it is impossible not to note nutria, tapirs, muskrats and beavers. Unfortunately, the draining of swamps leads to a significant reduction in their numbers.
Large ungulates also adapt to this semi-aquatic lifestyle. Nature has made sure that the hooves of, for example, Asian buffaloes are widened. It's significantincreases the area of \u200b\u200bsupport, and heavy animals, although they can wander through the swamp, sinking chest deep, they will never completely get stuck.
