PRISTINE MIRE LANDSCAPES 47 Introduction The BOGLAND project, funded by the Environmental Protection Agency under the ERTDI programme, is being undertaken to allow the development of a protocol for the sustainable management of Irish peatlands (see Renou- Wilson, this volume; Bullock et al., this volume). Under the environmental brief, research is being undertaken on the little known aspects of peatland ecology such as the open- water bodies, where it is aimed to characterise them in terms of hydrochemistry and invertebrate communities. The work is being carried out on eight sites, two from each peatland category (according to the Irish classification): fens, Atlantic blanket bogs, mountain blanket bogs and raised bogs. All the sites are considered to be intact or minimally impacted by human activity. The present paper presents preliminary results from two contrasting peatlands: Owenirragh Bog and Scragh Bog. Despite the importance of peatlands in Ireland, there is a paucity of research on their aquatic biota. A number of studies have attempted to use floral composition and water chemistry to classify the different mire (wetland with at least some peat) types (Bellamy, 1966;Wells, 1996). In the 1960s Boatman (1960) studied the plant communities of blanket bogs in Galway. Proctor (1992) investigated regional and local variation in the chemical composition of bog water in 39 ombrogenous bogs in Britain and Ireland. The aquatic macroinvertebrates have received less attention apart from the production of checklists for some groups in a limited number of sites (Dowling and Murray, 1981; Higgins, 1984; Reynolds, 1984; Good, 1985; Reynolds et al., 1998). Internationally, a greater volume of data exists and some studies have attempted to relate community composition to environmental factors such as pool features (Downie et al., 1998), land-use effects (Standen, 1999) and restoration approaches (Van Duinen et al., 2003). Indeed the successful protection of intact peatland habitats or assessment of the effectiveness of restoration efforts requires linkages to be made between community composition and environmental factors (Van Duinen et al., 2004). This is one of the challenges for the BOGLAND project. Materials and methods Study sites Owenirragh (54° 16’N, 9° 37’W) is an Atlantic blanket bog located on the western seaboard in County Mayo. Owenirragh Bog receives an average precipitation of ap- proximately 1400 mm per year. In contrast, Scragh Bog (53°34’N, 7° 21’W) is a minerotrophic fen located in County Westmeath, in the Irish midlands. It receives a lower average precipitation of 934 mm. Habitat classification The open-water habitats in each site were initially defined by the characterisation set out by Lindsay (1988, 1995). These pools were then further divided into categories based on their surface area (Larson and House, 1990). Owenirragh Bog had small (10m² - 100m², referred to as the B-class), and large (> 100m², referred to as the A-class) pools and Sphagnum hollows. Scragh Bog only had small pools (10m² - 100m²) and Sphagnum hollows. A preliminary investigation of the macroinvertebrate communities of open-water habitats in two contrasting peatlands Edel Hannigan and Mary Kelly-Quinn Freshwater Ecology and Research Group, School of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Science Centre West, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland Phone: +353 (0)1 716 2339, e-mail edel.hannigan@ucd.ie, mary.kelly-quinn@ucd.ie Summary The present study is part of a national project developing a protocol for sustainable peatland management. Hydro- chemical and biological characteristics of open-water habitats in Irish peatlands are being examined. This paper presents preliminary findings for two study sites, Scragh Bog (Co. Westmeath) and Owenirragh Bog (Co. Mayo), from samples collected during spring 2006. The hydrochemical results showed Scragh Bog to be more minerotrophic than Owenirragh Bog with higher pH, alkalinity and calcium concentrations. However, Owenirragh Bog had elevated levels of sodium, chloride and sulphate which indicate a marine influence. These differences are also reflected in the macroinvertebrate communities, with Scragh Bog hosting a higher diversity and abundance of macroinvertebrate taxa. Key index words: hydrochemistry, bogs, fens, macroinvertebrate communities