Joshua Ellis Nutrient Gradient within Mud Lake Bog and How that Affects the Pigment Patterns of Sarricenia ABSTRACT

The bogs in Northern Michigan are unusual ecosystems that contain a thick layer of peat that separates the surface vegetation from the nutrient-rich groundwater below it. Because of the thick layer of peat, nutrient-poor rain is the sole source of water for the surface vegetation, which allows the bog to stay nutrient-poor. In order to measure nutrient dynamics throughout bogs, we decided to investigate the Inverness Mud-lake bog, located in Cheboygan County, MI. We conducted water pH, DO, phosphate, nitrate, and ammonium abundance tests on bog water in the sphagnum mat, and analyzed the percent of pitcher plant redness across these factors as well. We found no correlation between pitcher plant redness and anything else, nor any other factor against another factor, except for nitrates, which showed a significantly positive correlation between abundance and distance from the lake.