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Fig. 8. Gradients of flooding frequency, water depth, and depth of the sphagnum moss mat control the composition and structure of vegetation in this Michigan bog. The gradient runs from the open water in the center of the bog through herbaceous, shrubby, and small tree woodlands. A forest grows in the mineral soil surrounding the lake in which the bog has grown on the expanding sphagnum mat.
© S. Pickett, Institute of Ecosystem Studies