839

Know the difference!!! (mander.xyz)

submitted 5 months ago by fossilesque@mander.xyz to c/science_memes@mander.xyz

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[-] DannyBoy@sh.itjust.works 59 points 5 months ago

By that definition could you have a swamp bog, a swamp fen, a marsh bog, and a marsh fen?

[-] oxideseven@lemmy.ca 72 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Wildlife biologist here, Absolutely.

Oddly enough I usually see/write it fen/bog marsh. There are tons of other qualifiers too, like salt marsh, tidal marsh and such.

The same applies for all 4 examples if it's needed. Salt swamps and fresh water swamps and such.

[-] NeatNit@discuss.tchncs.de 11 points 5 months ago

I'll have a tidal salt fen marsh, with extra tide.

[-] NielsBohron@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago

Oddly enough I usually see/write it fen/bog marsh.

I was going to ask about the order of adjectives, actually, since I find esoteric grammar rules oddly interesting and have been on a bit of a "adjectives hierarchy" kick lately.

[-] Pilon23@feddit.dk 2 points 5 months ago

Are any of the combinations more prevalent than others? E.g. do bogs/fens encourage or discourage trees from growing?

[-] oxideseven@lemmy.ca 4 points 5 months ago

I don't specialize in that particular area so I couldn't say honestly.

My primary focus when I did was just dealing with the Everglades and surroundings for the most part.

Worldwide I'm not sure I could even guess what should be more common.

Canada has those prairie potholes which are usually marshes and Canada is huge, so maybe sheer numbers it could be something like that, but by size you get things like the Everglades. I'm sure someone knows though, just not me.

[-] livus@mander.xyz 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

I find this definition a lot more compelling than the one in the meme.

In other words it's more to do with geology and how the wetland has formed from groundwater vs water flow, than it is to do with characteristics like ph and trees - those things sort of proceed from the basic structure.

[-] oxideseven@lemmy.ca 2 points 5 months ago

Usually what happens is whoever needs to know has their own specific way of determining the thing.

As a wildlife biologist, the meme description is pretty good and would suffice for just about anything I need. The present or recent past circumstances are the most important to my work.

If I were interested in the geology, or say ground water, earth studiesor, or even the more distant past then this definition you share becomes more useful.

There are going to be even more criteria that apply for different groups, and even sometimes none of these definitions we've seen would matter because you only care if it sustains a specific species or something even less obvious.