The Seaside sparrow, its biology and management : proceedings of a symposium held at Raleigh, North Carolina 1-2 October 1981

Abstract

Salt marshes are stands dominated by grasses and rushes rooted in the intertidal zone, which are alternately flooded and exposed by the tide. Generally three zones can be recognized in a salt marsh: a zone regularly flooded by the tide, a zone above normal high tide irregularly flooded by tides, and a zone at the edge of the upland. In the range of the Seaside Sparrow, there are five types of salt marsh. Marshes from New England to New Jersey typically have a broad zone of Spartina patens (Ait.) Muhl. above the normal tide line where peat accumulates, a zone of Spartina alterniflora Loisel. of variable width, and luncus gerardi Loisel. at higher elevations. A similar pattern occurs between New jersey and northern North Carolina except that lun¬ cus roemerianus Scheele, Spartina cynosuroides (L.) Roth, and Scirpus robustus Pursh, all southern species, occur here. Along the southeastern Atlantic Coast vast stands of Spartina alterniflora occur on soft, silty sedi¬ ments in the extensive intertidal zone, luncus roemerianus, Spartina patens, and Distichlis spicata (L.) Greene dominate the zone above normal high tide. In Florida, mangroves and several other southern species occur as far north as St. Augustine. Extensive bodies of dry salt marsh occur throughout Florida and in the Everglades. Along the Gulf Coast, species composition is similar to that along the southeastern Atlantic Coast. However, luncus roemerianus occurs in larger pure stands. Salt marshes disappear in southwest Texas where high temperatures and low rainfall produce hypersaline conditions. Salt marshes are generally considered to be important contributors, through the export of organic matter, to the high productivity of estuarine systems. This phenomenon is thought to be a major cause of high production of fish and shellfish in East and Gulf Coast estuaries and near-shore ocean waters, a view that has recently been questioned. Man has numerous impacts on salt marshes. The most detrimental of these stem from dredging and filling and Salt-marsh Mosquito control.