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bog
bog very old lake without inlet or outlet that becomes acid and is gradually overgrown with a characteristic vegetation (see swamp ). Peat moss, or sphagnum , grows around the edge of the open water of a bog ( peat is obtained from old bogs) and out on the surface. With its continued growth, the moss forms a mat on the water in which other bog plants find a foothold, and humus and soil are slowly built up on the body of the water. Because of this formation bogs are sometimes treacherous (quaking bogs shake under the weight of a man) and have occasionally resulted in fatalities when a man or animal breaks through the vegetative crust. Because of their extreme acidity, bogs form a natural preservative and have been found to be a valuable repository of animals and plants of earlier times. Typical bog plants of today include, besides sphagnum, many orchids, the pitcher plant, the sundew, and the cranberry (old bogs are utilized for cranberry cultivation). Because of the reclamation of old bog lands by drainage and by their natural filling in, bogs in America are becoming rare, and with them their unique flora and fauna. One example of the latter is the bog turtle, Clemmys muhlenbergi, a tiny animal with a black, sculptured shell and orange head markings. The bog turtle has disappeared from most of its original habitat in the middle Atlantic states. Another consequence of the drainage and filling of bogs is the decreased water-holding capacity of the land, resulting in rapid run-off during rains and the increased siltation of rivers and streams. |
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"bog." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "bog." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-bog.html "bog." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-bog.html |
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bog
bog / bäg; bôg/ • n. wet muddy ground too soft to support a heavy body: the island is a wilderness of bog a peat bog fig. a bog of legal complications. ∎ Ecol. wetland with acid, peaty soil, typically dominated by peat moss. Compare with fen1 . • v. (bogged , bog·ging ) [tr.] (usu. be bogged down) cause (a vehicle, person, or animal) to become stuck in mud or wet ground: the car became bogged down on the beach road. ∎ (be bogged down) fig. (of a person or process) be unable to make progress: you must not get bogged down in detail. DERIVATIVES: bog·gy adj. bog·gi·ness n. ORIGIN: Middle English: from Irish or Scottish Gaelic bogach, from bog ‘soft.’ |
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"bog." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "bog." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-bog.html "bog." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-bog.html |
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bog
bog A plant community of acidic, wet areas. Decomposition rates in it are slow, favouring peat development. In Britain and high northern latitudes typical plants include bog-mosses (Sphagnum species), sedges (e.g. Eriophorum (cottongrass) species), and heathers (e.g. Calluna vulgaris and Erica tetralix). Insectivorous plants (e.g. sundews, Drosera species) are especially characteristic; they compensate for low nutrient levels by trapping and digesting insects. Three types of bog community are commonly distinguished: ombrogenous bogs, raised bogs (see also topogenous mire), and valley bogs. These reflect the different physiographic and climatic conditions that may give rise to bog formation. Bogs supporting different plants occur in the tropics. Compare fen.
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MICHAEL ALLABY. "bog." A Dictionary of Ecology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "bog." A Dictionary of Ecology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O14-bog.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "bog." A Dictionary of Ecology. 2004. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O14-bog.html |
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bog
bog A plant community of acidic, wet areas. Decomposition rates in it are slow, favouring peat development. Typical plants include bog-mosses (Sphagnum species), sedges (e.g. Eriophorum species), and heathers (e.g. Calluna vulgaris and Erica tetralix). Insectivorous plants (e.g. sundews, Drosera species) are especially characteristic. They compensate for low nutrient levels by trapping and digesting insects. Three types of bog community are commonly distinguished: ombrogenous blanket, raised bogs (see also TOPOGENOUS MIRE), and valley bogs. These reflect the different physiographic and climatic conditions that may give rise to bog formation. Compare FEN.
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MICHAEL ALLABY. "bog." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "bog." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-bog.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "bog." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-bog.html |
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Bog
Bog Spongy wet soil consisting of decayed vegetable matter; often called a peat bog. It develops in a depression with little or no drainage, where the water is cold and acidic and almost devoid of oxygen and nitrogen. A bog rarely has standing water like a marsh, but plants such as cranberry and the carnivorous sundew readily grow there.
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"Bog." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Bog." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Bog.html "Bog." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Bog.html |
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bog
bog XIV. — Gael. and Ir. bogach, f. bog soft.
Hence bog vb. XVII. boggy XVI. |
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T. F. HOAD. "bog." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "bog." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-bog.html T. F. HOAD. "bog." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-bog.html |
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bog
bog See hydrosere.
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"bog." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "bog." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-bog.html "bog." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-bog.html |
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bog
bog
•agog, befog, blog, bog, clog, cog, dog, flog, fog, frog, grog, hog, Hogg, hotdog, jog, log, nog, prog, slog, smog, snog, sprog, tautog, tog, trog, wog
•hangdog • lapdog • seadog • sheepdog
•watchdog • bulldog • gundog • firedog
•underdog • pettifog • pedagogue
•demagogue • synagogue • sandhog
•hedgehog • warthog • groundhog
•roadhog • backlog • Kellogg • weblog
•eclogue
•epilogue (US epilog)
•prologue (US prolog) • footslog
•ideologue
•dialogue (US dialog) • duologue
•Decalogue
•analog, analogue (US analog)
•monologue • apologue
•catalogue (US catalog) • travelogue
•eggnog • leapfrog • bullfrog
•Taganrog
•golliwog, polliwog
•phizog • Herzog
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"bog." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "bog." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-bog.html "bog." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-bog.html |
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