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Peatlands primarily ameliorate stream water quality by <br />trapping sediments and reducing erosion. Their sediment <br />deposition and erosion control abilities are mostly dependant <br />upon the presence of vegetation which slows the flow of water and <br />allows sediments to settle out. The roughness and large degree <br />of pore space in the upper several inches of the peat surface <br />serve to efficiently trap sediment. In some instances peatlands <br />have been shown to be important in the removal of metals and <br />nutrients from stream water, and thus improve water quality (Holm <br />1986). Because the upper surface of the peatland is not a soil <br />but an undecomposed mass of roots and fibers and because the <br />lower layers do not permit the flow of water, natural erosivity <br />of peatland soils is low. <br />Peatlands provide valuable habitat for many species of <br />plants and animals. Many plant species and perhaps some animal <br />species are dependant upon the peatland ecosystem for food, <br />and /or habitat (obligate species), while many other plants and <br />animals use the areas only secondarily for these same purposes <br />(facultative species). During the course of this study, for <br />example, several species which are either rare or threatened in <br />the southern Rocky Mountain region were discovered. In some <br />cases these species had not previously been known to inhabit the <br />area (Cooper in process). The characteristics of plant and <br />animal species found in Colorado peatlands are considered further <br />in section 5. <br />7 <br />