4 MAJOR TYPES: BOG, FEN, MARSH, SWAMP

Wetlands can form from exposure to open ocean, tidal river mouths, rivers and streams, lakes and reservoirs, and rainfall. They come in four major categories: bog, fen, marsh, and swamp. Bogs and fen comprise mires: both have short or submerged vegetation, but bogs have high acidity (from rainfall) and fen have neutral to alkaline character (from lakes or streams). Marshes, neutral to alkaline, can have saltwater, brackish, or freshwater, and have taller herbaceous plants. Finally, swamps have full shrubs and trees.

If you want to keep it simple you can stick to just this basic system of four types, and imagine the varying atmospheres they evoke. We can go deeper even with that, by adding dimensions of time, movement, and mood.

6 ECOLOGICAL PROCESSES, 6 BASIC EMOTIONS

Now, six main ecological processes dictate wetland development, explained below. And since this series covers not just ecology, but Mythic Ecology for storytelling, I’ve mapped these processes onto “sample story moods” you can choose to evoke for atmosphere and extend into themes, drawing a bit upon the Theory of Six Basic Emotions.

1. Eutrophication: influxes of certain minerals and nutrients can cause enrichment blooms but reduce biodiversity. Sample Story Mood: Mania.

2. Acidification: influxes of rain can increase acidity, threatening non-adapted species. Sample Story Mood: Disgust.

3. Salinization: influxes of saltwater from oceans increase saltiness, threatening non-adapted species. Sample Story Mood: Bitterness.

4. Sedimentation: influxes of sediment deposited by currents can smother existing lifeforms, bring pioneers or invasives, change stability. Sample Story Mood: Anger.

5. Aridification: exodus of moisture causing soil exposure or degradation, via climate change, reduced precipitation, increased evaporation, lowering of water tables, or groundcover changes. Sample Story Mood: Fear.

6. Inundation: influx of moisture via flooding, which quenches or drowns existing lifeforms. Sample Story Mood: Surprise.

How do these ecological processes shape wetlands? Let’s take a look.

