User:KatieHuda/sandbox

Content

This article has very little content to even evaluate. The first two sentences discuss location of the habitat, both geographically and descriptive details on what type of environment it is near. It then goes in to mention the hydrology of the system, but just states the type and moves on. This makes for a very confusing sentence. Lastly, many plant types of mentioned to be found here with one example by name only. Additionally, habitat is linked twice, and then 2 specific details of the ecosystem are linked. There needs to be more scientific information included, and the information already present needs to be fleshed out and described better.

Tone

The article takes a scientific perspective with no opinions or unprofessional phrasing included.

Sources

While one source is as peer reviewed journal article, which seems trustworthy, the professionalism of the other source is questionable. It seems to be a post that is a collection of facts from other articles about fen meadows. It is written by Dr. Mike Hogan, PhD but seems to be untrustworthy. Additionally, it is not actually a source about fen meadows, it just the source for the linked page about the type of vegetation found in fen meadows.

Talk Page

This article is part of the WikiProject Geography, but it is also a low importance stub quality article. It has one talk post which discusses the sources and used on the page.

Article draft
A fen-meadow is a peatland that depends on precipitation and groundwater. Diverse hydrological settings that maintain regular groundwater flow through topsoil allow for the geographical diversity of fen meadows, which are common in North America and Europe. Fen meadows protect habitats from floods, droughts, and nutrient pollution, making these areas popular for farming and leaving few preserved into the 21st century.

Hydrology
The stand-alone groundwater systems increase biodiversity of fen meadows. The continuous flow of mineral-rich and nutrient-poor acidic groundwater through the fen fosters copious species. These factors result in uncompetitive vegetation inhabiting fen meadows. The hydrological systems are not able to lessen impacts of larger scale climate changes such as acidification and eutrophication. Compositional transformations and increase rate of groundwater influx have the greatest effect this habitat. Changes to the acid and nutrients levels of the water will alter species growth. Variation from current climate patterns including less controlled, faster flow of groundwater will degrade peat from the meadow, changing the habitat altogether.

The Future of Fen Meadows
Currently, the global state of fen meadows is poor. Compared to original numbers, many have been affected to varying degrees. Restoration efforts have proved seriously deteriorated fen meadows too far gone. For this reason, preservation is focused on maintaining fen meadows with minimal anthropogenic interference.

Preservation of Hydrology
The consequences of water supply alteration are severe. Even after acidified topsoil has been removed and replaced, native species reintroduced, and groundwater sources restored or purified, the fens are unable to return to their natural state. Keeping water tables at appropriate levels will allow fen meadows to regulate themselves, as they are wholly dependent on their hydrology. This is method is suitable for protection of preexisting fens, and not for the recovery of degraded habitats. This method is the most promising as no deteriorated fens have been fully restored.

Rewetting, Maintenance, Seed Transfer
Used in unison, rewetting, maintenance, and seed transfer are the optimal methods to recover damaged fen meadows. Rewetting reintroduces water to topsoil, but not water flow. Without proper drainage mechanisms in place, the water will provide correct amounts of nutrients and minerals but drown the vegetation in the area. Maintenance, like mowing, can be a rapid way to salvage vegetative species. Combined with seed transfer, to reintroduce vital biotic components to the habitat, restoration can be achieved. Although most fens do not ever return to the natural state that requires no human upkeep, maintenance can be slowly reduced over time, although hydrology normally will never return to normal once degraded.