Salt Marshes

1
Salt Marshes Mangroves

• Env312 Wetland Ecology Management
• 5 November 2007
• Michael Osland
• Note- many of these slides were adapted from
  presentations created by Curtis Richardson and
  James Pahl

2
Group Activity

• Form groups of 3 or 4
• Discuss/answer questions on the handout
• Well cover and discuss the answers during the
  lecture
• Lecture will start at 305

3
Outline

• Distribution definitions
• Tides salinity
• Salt marsh
• Salinity gradients vegetation
• Primary production
• Odums big three tidal subsidy, outwelling and
  detritus-based food chains

4
Outline (continued)

• Mangroves
• Diversity
• Zonation
• Primary production

5
Question 1

• Where are mangroves located in relation to salt
  marshes? Why?

6
Global distribution of salt marshes versus
mangroves
Mangrove YouTube Tour click here
7
DEFINITION Salt Marsh

• natural or semi-natural halophytic grassland
  and dwarf brushwood on the alluvial sediments
  bordering saline water bodies whose water level
  fluctuates either tidally or non-tidally.
• Beeftink, 1977
• halo- relating to salt
• phytic- like a plant

8
DEFINITION Mangrove Swamp

• an association of halophytic trees, shrubs, and
  other plants growing in brackish to saline tidal
  waters of tropical and subtropical coastlines.
  Mitsch Gosslink 2000

http//ambergriscaye.com/wallpaper/art/mangrove2.j
pg
9
Question 2

• In the U.S., which coastlines have the largest
  salt marsh areas? Why?

10
Distribution of salt marshes in the U.S. Canada
FROM MITSCH AND GOSSELINK (1993)
11
Questions 3a and b

• 3. Tides
• What causes tides?
• In a given month, when are the highest and lowest
  tides?

12
Spring and Neap Tides
http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tide
13
Questions 3c, d, and e

• On the NC coast, how many high tides occur each
  day?
• On the Gulf coast, how many high tides occur each
  day?
• Rank the following locations according to tidal
  range (1 smallest, 3 largest)
• Padre Island, TX
• Emerald Isle, NC
• Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia

14
http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tide
15
Global distribution of tidal phases
http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tide
16
Tides

• Hudson River Tide Cycle (YouTube) Click here
• Maine Tidal Cycle (YouTube) Click here

17
Question 4

• Whats in seawater? What are the major
  constituents?

18
SALINITY

• DEFINITION
• THE MASS (IN GRAMS) OF SOLIDS THAT CAN BE
  OBTAINED FROM 1 KG OF SEAWATER WHEN ALL THE
  CARBONATE HAS BEEN CONVERTED TO OXIDE, THE
  BROMINE AND IODINE REPLACED BY CHLORIDE, ALL
  ORGANIC MATTER OXIDIZED AND THE RESIDUE DRIED AT
  480ºC TO A CONSTANT MASS

FROM SEGAR (1998)
19
Question 5

• In salt marshes and mangroves, what kind of
  filters/stresses are present?

FROM van der Valk (1981)