that fire has historically occurred in such vegetation 

 without a subsequent pocosin development, as indicated 

 by charcoal layers sandwiched within forest peat pro- 

 files. Otte reports that water flow patterns are the 

 major difference between swamp forest sites and poco- 

 sin sites. 



In swamp forests the water flows primarily 

 into and through the system, whereas, in poco- 

 sins the major direction of flow is out of the 

 system. Thus, for pocosins, the only major 

 source of water is precipitation, whereas for 

 swamp forests, besides precipitation, a large 

 amount of water comes in from the surrounding 

 higher ground [or adjacent through- flowing 

 streams] (Otte, 1981). 



Daniel (1981) , discussing flow sources and relation- 

 ships in peatlands , makes supporting observations of the 

 correlation between vegetation types and the predominant 

 direction and source of water movements. He links the 

 swamp forest vegetation type directly with relatively 

 nutrient-rich groundwater, stream and surface flows into 

 peatlands which are topographically situated to receive 

 such flows; while interstream peatlands elevated above 

 the surrounding terrain receive water only from nutrient- 

 poor precipitation. Otte (pers. comm. , 1982), based on 

 field surveys and laboratory peat analyses conducted on 

 the Alligator River peat deposits, feels that the swamp 

 forests occupy locations which are and have been subject 

 to flooding by sediment-laden waters backing up the Al- 

 ligator River during major flooding events in the Albe- 

 marle Sound/Roanoke River system, with the resulting sedi- 

 ment and nutrient input maintaining the swamp forest system 

 as predicted by his and Daniel's hypothesis. Otte's data 

 demonstrate that the mineral content in peat is greatest 

 close to the river, an expected pattern if river flooding 

 provides sediment to the system. The topographic arrange- 

 ment of the Hyde County peatlands is consistent with Otte's 

 view. Many of the thick peat deposits are not domed, but 

 instead are associated with the Alligator River and its 

 tributaries (Otte and Ingram, 1980); Ingram and Otte, 1982); 

 where they are theoretically exposed to flooding from the river. 



One question which may be asked is whether the Alligator 

 River swamp forests might be correctly considered alluvial in 

 light of Otte's convincing argument that flood-transported sedi- 

 ment so strongly influences the vegetation. An additional 

 point of interest is whether the land-clearing activities of 

 man have in the past three centuries tended to favor swamp 

 forests locally on peats by increasing stream sediment loads 



22 



