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Bay lakes are
Carolina Bays that are filled with water all year.
They are home to aquatic animals such as
freshwater fish. They are also popular locations for
boating and fishing. |
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The edges of natural Bay Lakes are
covered with marsh
grasses and aquatic plants like water lilies. |
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Sparse trees and
grasses grow on the sand rims around Bay
Lakes. Beyond the sand rim, the ground drops off
into the bowl-shaped Bay. The Bay itself is filled with dense
shrubs. |
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Bay Lakes are Carolina Bays that are large enough to hold water
all year long.
Most Bay lakes are filled with peat, or partially
broken-down plant matter. Since they are covered with water all
of the time, there is not much oxygen in the sediment at the bottom of the lake.
Oxygen is needed to break down dead plant matter. The
process of breaking down dead plant and animal matter is called decomposition.
Without oxygen,
dead plant material decompose very slowly. Peat builds up
at the bottom of the lake.
Water in peat-filled bay lakes is
very acidic.
It contains very few plant
nutrients.
Like blackwater rivers, the
broken-down plant matter
stains the water so that it looks like tea.
Peat filled Bay lakes are usually surrounded by a ring of
pine trees and shrubs just inside the sand rim. These
plants can grow
in areas where the peat is less than 5 feet deep. As the
water becomes deeper, the plant community changes. FIrst,
the shrub thicket turns into a swamp. Then, the swamp
turns into a marsh. Finally, the marsh is replaced by open water.
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