The Ecology of Cranesmoor, a New Forest Valley Bog: I. The Present Vegetation

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Abstract
The vegetation of Cranesmoor, which is in Hampshire, England, is described by means of a general vegetation map, maps of the distribution of 19 individual species and quadrat data. Quadrat data from 13 different sample sites are compared by means of a coefficient of difference. Soil analyses from the 13 sites, and more widely distributed measurements of water conductivity and pH suggest that the distribution of the bog vegetation (as distinct from the marginal wet heath) is related to movement of soil water, known as flushing. Vegetation dominated by Schoenus nigricans or Myrica gale and Molinia caerulea is found along two main zones of movement of soil water, derived from woodland-covered clay soils. Vegetation dominated by Sphagnum papillosum and Rhynchospora alba is found in an area receiving only a little local drainage from heath-covered, acid, sandy soils. This area is shielded from the main flow of soil water. Analyses of the standing crop of vegetation show that the probable annual turnover of plant material, and the calcium and iron uptake per unit area of vegetation are 2 to 3 times greater in the flushed than in the shielded areas. The hydrology, and in particular the intensity and base richness of flushing are thought to be important factors in the ecology of this and other New Forest valley bogs.