What is Fen?
[[File:Fenland^ - geograph.org.uk - 494448.jpg|thumb|250px|A small damp overgrown patch in [[Suffolk]], perhaps similar to the original fenland habitat]] [[File:Illustrated diagram of a fen.jpg|thumb|260px|]] A '''fen''' is a type of [[wetland]]. It is usually fed by [[mineral]]-rich surface water or [[groundwater]].<ref>Godwin K.S. ''et al'' 2002. Linking landscape properties to local hydrogeologic gradients and plant species occurrence in New York fens: a hydrogeologic setting (HGS) framework. ''Wetlands'', '''22''', 722–37.</ref> Fens have [[pH|neutral]] or [[alkali]]ne water, with dissolved minerals but few other plant [[nutrients]]. They are usually dominated by [[grass]]es and [[sedge]]s, and typically have brown [[moss]]es like ''Scorpidium'' or ''Drepanocladus''.<ref name=Keddy>Keddy P.A. 2010. Wetland ecology: principles and conservation. 2nd ed, Cambridge University Press.</ref><sup>p8</sup> Fens may have a high diversity of other plant species, including [[carnivorous plant]]s such as ''[[Pinguicula]]''.<ref name=Keddy/><sup>ch9</sup><ref>Wheeler B.D. and Giller K.E. 1982. Species richness of herbaceous fen vegetation in Broadland, Norfolk in relation to the quantity of above-ground plant material. ''Journal of Ecology'', '''70''', 179–200.</ref> Fens may occur along large lakes and rivers where seasonal changes in water level keep soil wet, with few woody plants.<ref>Charlton D.L. & Hilts S. 1989. Quantitative evaluation of fen ecosystems on the Bruce Peninsula. In ''Ontario Wetlands: inertia or momentum?'' eds. M.J. Bardecki and N. Patterson, pp. 339–54. Proceedings of Conference, Ryerson Polytechnical Institute, Toronto, Oct 21–22, 1988. Toronto, ON: Federation of Ontario Naturalists.</ref> The distribution of individual species of fen plants is connected to water regimes and nutrient concentrations.<ref>Slack N.G; Vitt D.H. & Horton D.G. 1980. Vegetation gradients of minerotrophically rich fens in western Alberta. ''Canadian Journal of Botany''. '''58''', 330–50.</ref><ref>Schroder H.K. ''et