Ecology of San Francisco Bay tidal marshes: a community profile
San Francisco Bay, the largest estuary on the Pacific coast, historically contained an extensive contiguous system of salt and brackish tidal marshes. Urbanization has decreased tidal marshes by 95% and created a patchwork of remnant tidal marshes highly impacted by human activity. This document compiles available published and unpublished scientific literature to describe the current status and ecology of these remaining marshes. Variation in river inflow (strongly seasonal) and individual species salinity tolerances result in gradual and overlapping distributional ranges. Saline marshes are usually dominated by two halophytes: Pacific cordgrass and pickleweed and brackish marshes by bulrushes: Scirpus spp and cattails. Animals are distributed in relation to their salinity tolerances, vegetational habitat requirements, and tidal elevation within the marsh. Distribution of native species is complicated by competitive interactions and frequent dominance by introduced species. Preservation of remaining marshes requires careful management. Habitat requirements for selected species can be incorporated into management practices as well as carefully planned and executed restoration projects. 211 references, 45 figures, 29 tables.
- Research Organization:
- San Francisco State Univ., Tiburon, CA (USA). Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies
- OSTI ID:
- 6808432
- Report Number(s):
- FWS/OBS-83/23; ON: TI84901129
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
Aquatic-- Basic Studies-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
CLIMATES
COMMUNITIES
DATA
DATA COMPILATION
DISTRIBUTION
DOCUMENT TYPES
ECOLOGY
ECOSYSTEMS
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
INFORMATION
LAND USE
MANAGEMENT
MARSHES
NUMERICAL DATA
PACIFIC OCEAN
PLANTS
PRODUCTIVITY
REVIEWS
SAN FRANCISCO BAY
SEAS
SHORES
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION
SURFACE WATERS
TIDE
URBAN AREAS
WETLANDS