Ecology of tidal freshwater marshes of the United States east coast: a community profile

Technical Report · Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1984

OSTI ID:6870405

Odum, W E; Smith, III, T J; Hoover, J K; McIvor, C C

Tidal freshwater marshes are a distinctive type of estuarine ecosystem located upstream from tidal saline marshes and downstream from non-tidal freshwater marshes. They are characterized by freshwater or nearly freshwater conditions most of the time, flora and fauna dominated by freshwater species, and daily lunar tidal flushing. This report examines the ecology of this community as it occurs along the Atlantic seaboard from southern New England to northern Florida. This marsh community is heavily influenced by river flow, which maintains freshwater conditions and deposits sediments high in silt and clay. The plant assemblage in tidal freshwater marshes is diverse both in numbers of species and structural plant types. Plant community structure is markedly diverse spatially and seasonally, and reflects the dynamic processing of energy and biomass in the marsh through high productivity, rapid decomposition and seasonal nutrient cycling. The diverse niches in this heterogeneous environment are exploited by a very diverse animal community of as many as 125 species of fish, 102 species of amphibians and reptiles, 280 species of birds, and 46 species of mammals over the community's broad range. Although fewer species are permanent residents or marsh breeders, use of his community for food and cover is high. This use, coupled with the marshes' capacity to be natural buffers and water filters, argue for their high value as natural resources. 349 references, 31 figures, 24 tables.

• Research Organization: Virginia Univ., Charlottesville (USA). Dept. of Environmental Sciences
• OSTI ID: 6870405
• Report Number(s): FWS/OBS-83/17; ON: TI84901374
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
MARSHES
ECOLOGY
AMPHIBIANS
BIRDS
COMMUNITIES
ENERGY BUDGETS
FISHES
FRESH WATER
HABITAT
INVERTEBRATES
LAND USE
MAMMALS
MINERAL CYCLING
PLANTS
REPTILES
SHORES
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
ECOSYSTEMS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
VERTEBRATES
WATER
WETLANDS
520100* - Environment
Aquatic- Basic Studies- (-1989)