Peat Bogs & Decay

Peat bogs, decay, environment, ecosystem, organisms, decomposition, preservation, death, organic decay, mechanical decay.

Introduction

We know that there are instances where the rate of decay can be slowed, and that there are places that help preserve organisms that have died - just look at the ways we dig up dinosaurs and find insects in amber. But what about in today's world?

Peat Bogs

A peat bog is an area of land that is quite muddy, wet and semi-liquid. If you were to walk through one, you would eventually sink into it, like quick sand. In the UK, places like Wales and Scotland are abundant in peat bogs. They provide a unique set of organisms a place to live and breed, which makes their biodiversity rich.

Within this biodiversity are tiny microorganisms, and while they live off the organic matter in the area, they don't always consume a lot of it, and are often slower than other microorganisms that live elsewhere. This could be because these areas are usually colder than others, and also contain more moisture.

Interesting fact: a "Jack O' Lantern" origin story is that during the 1600s it was a nickname for strange lights over the top of peat bogs. They were mistaken for ghosts and fairies. It wasn't until people started carving turnips in the 1800s that the familiar name got it's modern meaning.

Decay

So, what is decay?

Well, after an organism dies, it doesn't just sit there doing nothing. It ends up becoming bone in something called a rate of decay. This decay is the process of something losing it's structure.

There are different types of decay. Here are some examples:

Organic: organic decay is the breakdown of an organism. It could be your pet animal, an animal that has died in a road accident (often a squirrel, badger or fox). Anything that is organic in it's original makeup has a rate of decay. Some things are quicker than others (depending on size).

Mechanical: mechanical decay is the decay of something man-made that ends up giving way to Mother Nature in that it gets opened to the elements. An example of this is an old car. If it would sit in the same position without use or care given to it, it would eventually rust and rot away.

Decay vs Decomposition

Decay is the starting process of decomposition. An example being human remains. When we die, we are often buried. This is usually within a wooden coffin - a box that holds our body when lowered into the ground - and our body just lies there with no interaction with the ground. Eventually, over a fairly long period of time, our body begins to decay. It will first build up with gases from our insides, and then we go into rigor mortis. Our dead bodies take up to 50 years to fully decay and turn to bone.