Lecture E Estuaries and Salt Marshes

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Lecture EEstuaries and Salt Marshes

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Tidal Creek (Also known as Tidal Channels,
Mangrove Creeks, Macrotidal Mud Flats)

• River or creek that feeds the salt marsh

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Low marshSaltmeadow Cordgrass (Spartina patens)

• As you drive the causeway out to Chincoteague,
  and again as you move along the Assateague road
  by Toms Cove (map), you're sure to notice the
  unpleasant odor of decaying cordgrass coming from
  the mud of the salt marshes. Saltmeadow
  cordgrass, the shorter, wiry-looking grass of the
  marshes, is usually found on the higher flats of
  the marsh flooded only by the high tides.
  Saltmeadow cordgrass serves as a nesting area for
  some of the marsh birds.

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Spartina patens

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Low MarshSaltmarsh Cordgrass (Spartina
alterniflora)

• Taller than saltmeadow cordgrass and with flat,
  smooth blades, saltmarsh cordgrass grows along
  the sides of guts (marsh creeks) and in places
  flooded by the tides. Cordgrasses are able to
  survive in areas flooded by salt water because of
  the regulatory system they have developed that
  excretes unneeded salt on the leaf edges.
• The root system of saltmarsh cordgrass helps
  stabilize the marsh mud. Besides securing a
  habitat for other plants and animals, cordgrass
  is a major component in the diet of the island's
  ponies and deer.

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Saltmarsh Cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora)

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High MarshBlack NeedlerushJunctus roemeroamus

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Salt Marshes

• Found in tidal flats of estuaries
• On landward shores of barrier islands
• In bays lagoons
• Can withstand limited submergence
• No trees

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Floods

• A tidal creek floods marsh
• Flushes marsh
• Carrying out great quantities of nutrients

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Ecosystem Producers

• dense Spartina
• dense Juncus,
• much algae (phytoplankton)

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Primary consumers

• mollusks,
• sandworms,
• arthropods (beach hoppers, insects)
• herbaceous birds and mammals

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Secondary consumers

• Birds
• Osprey Hawk
• Mammals
• Oyster drills
• Fish
• anchovy, croakers, weakfish, skates

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Food Pyramid