IBEROATLANTICA

Description

Oceanic bogs in initially slightly concave areas, with water input mostly derived from in-situ input of atmospheric moisture, dominated by strictly acidophilous heath and Sphagnum species. The litter shed by this vegetation is poorly decomposed as a consequence of both the strongly acidity it contributes to create and the soggy, anoxic conditions, leading to the build-up of peaty domes.

Protection

The EU Habitat Directive, under the code 7110* (" Active raised bogs"), grants them priority protection. Some stands might be better included in 7120 ("Degraded raised bogs still capable of natural regeneration"); and, locally end ephemerally, 7150 ("Depressions on peat substrates of the Rhynchosporion") is represented in our bog complexes (protection cautionarily provided in any case by inclusion in 7110*).

Floristic Composition

Frequent species

Erica tetralix 68%, Narthecium ossifragum 51%, Molinia caerulea 49%, Trichophorum cespitosum 46%, Drosera rotundifolia 39%, Calluna vulgaris 39%, Juncus squarrosus 36%, Eriophorum angustifolium 34%, Potentilla erecta 34%, Sphagnum capillifolium 29%, Sphagnum auriculatum 26%, Carex echinata 26%, Sphagnum papillosum 25%, Sphagnum cuspidatum 22%, Trocdaris verticillatum 21%, Sphagnum tenellum 21%, Sphagnum pylaesii 19%, Carex durieui 19%, Carex panicea 18%, Erica mackayana 17%, Drosera intermedia 17%, Aulacomnium palustre 16%, Juncus acutiflorus 13%, Carex nigra 13%, Juncus bulbosus 13%, Arnica montana 12%, Pinguicula grandiflora 12%, Sphagnum rubellum 11%, Vaccinium myrtillus 10%, Sphagnum subnitens 10%, Carex binervis 10%, Rhynchospora alba 10%, Sphagnum recurvum 10%, Agrostis hesperica 9%, Dactylorhiza maculata aggr. 9%, Ulex minor aggr. 9%, Eleocharis multicaulis 8%, Ranunculus bulbosus 8%, Viola palustris 7%, Sphagnum compactum 7%, Nardus stricta 7%, Sphagnum russowii 6%, Eriophorum vaginatum 6%, Agrostis canina 5%, Serratula tinctoria 5%, Pedicularis sylvatica 5%, Parnassia palustris 5% view more...

Indicator species

Erica tetralix 0.66, Trichophorum cespitosum 0.45, Narthecium ossifragum 0.45, Calluna vulgaris 0.37, Molinia caerulea 0.36, Juncus squarrosus 0.35, Drosera rotundifolia 0.33, Eriophorum angustifolium 0.29, Sphagnum capillifolium 0.28, Potentilla erecta 0.27, Sphagnum papillosum 0.22, Sphagnum cuspidatum 0.21, Sphagnum auriculatum 0.21, Sphagnum tenellum 0.2, Sphagnum pylaesii 0.19, Drosera intermedia 0.16, Trocdaris verticillatum 0.15, Carex echinata 0.13, Carex panicea 0.12, Aulacomnium palustre 0.12, Sphagnum rubellum 0.11, Vaccinium myrtillus 0.1, Arnica montana 0.1, Juncus acutiflorus 0.1, Carex binervis 0.09, Ulex minor aggr. 0.09, Rhynchospora alba 0.08, Pinguicula grandiflora 0.07, Erica mackayana 0.07, Agrostis hesperica 0.07, Dactylorhiza maculata aggr. 0.06, Carex durieui 0.06, Carex nigra 0.06, Eriophorum vaginatum 0.06, Sphagnum compactum 0.06, Nardus stricta 0.06, Sphagnum russowii 0.06, Sphagnum recurvum 0.05, Ranunculus bulbosus 0.05, Sphagnum quinquefarium 0.04, Eleocharis multicaulis 0.04, Sphagnum subnitens 0.04, Polygala serpyllifolia 0.04, Agrostis canina 0.04, Viola palustris 0.04, Daboecia cantabrica 0.04, Serratula tinctoria 0.04, Hypnum jutlandicum 0.03, Pleurozium schreberi 0.03, Gymnocolea inflata 0.03 view more...

Phytosociology

Calluno vulgaris-Sphagnetum capillifolii
Drosero anglicae-Narthecietum ossifragi
Erico tetralicis-Trichophoretum germanici

Relations with other habitat types

A regional level IV unit is created, since the mostly geomorphological units proposed by EUNIS are hardly appliable to the relatively small Iberoatlantic bog complexes. Floristic similarity with regard to poor fens of units Q222 and Q223 may turn distinction somewhat tricky on occasions, especially when relying on mere species lists, without consideration of relative abundances. Topographical differences and the remarkably lower pH (often below 4) help in the delimitation of true bogs, less species-rich as a consequence of the more severe ecological conditions and whose appearance, with the predominance of Sphagnum hummocks, carnivorous plants and dwarf ericaceaous shrubs, is less grassy. EUNIS tried to tackle this ambiguity through the creation of its ill-defined unit Q25G ("Iberian quaking bogs"), actually very different to the true transitional mires of block Q25.

Q11x

Regional distribution

As an azonal vegetation composed by ecological specialists (able to cope with very selective edaphic conditions whose influence far exceeds that of the thermal regime), and despite the impact of drainings and artificial fertilizations, it occurs scattered across all the territory, even in climatically unsuitable submediterranean southwestern areas, where the lack of summer rains is compensated by siliceous impermeable bedrocks on which the abundant surface runoff during the rainy winters, eventually collected in concave places, hardly differs from rain water, giving rise to boggy valleys reminiscent of EUNIS block Q21 (“Oceanic valley mire“).

Known occurrences and potential area of occupancy of the habitat type in the study region.

Q11x Iberoatlantic raised bogs