California coastal salt marsh

California coastal salt marsh

California's coastal salt marsh is a wetland plant community that occurs sporadically along the Pacific coast from Humboldt Bay to San Diego. This salt marsh type is found in bays, harbors, inlets and other protected areas subject to tidal flooding.

Plant species in this community are halophytes adapted to the saline conditions and low oxygen content typically found in the water-saturated soils. As a result of the demanding conditions, species diversity is relatively low.

Typical plant species in this community include (Ornduff 2003):

*Salt grass ("Distichlis spicata")
*Franconia ("Frankenia salina")
*Pickleweed and glasswort ("Salicornia" spp.)
*Cordgrass ("Spartina foliosa")
*Seep weed ("Suaeda californica")

Plants occur in bands that are determined by the amount of submergence a species can tolerate. Most tolerant of submergence is cordgrass which has a hollow stem that allows oxygen to reach its roots . Further inland pickleweeds and glassworts are predominant where their roots are flooded only during the highest tides. The Salt-marsh Bird’s-beak ("Cordylanthus maritimus") is an endangered plant species that occurs in this habitat.

Few terrestrial animals inhabit the coastal salt marsh. One endangered mammal is the Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse ("Reithrodontomys raviventris") which occurs in the San Francisco Bay region. Likewise, only five species of birds are resident in this habitat and four are considered rare or endangered.

References

*Ornduff, Robert. (2003) "Introduction to California Plant Life". Revised by Phyllis M. Faber and Todd Keeler-Wolf. University of California Press.
*Schoenherr, Allan A. (1992) "A Natural History of California". University of California Press.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • California Coastal Conservancy — The California Coastal Conservancy is a state agency in California established in 1976 to enhance coastal resources and access. GoalsThe agency s official goals are to: *Protect and improve coastal wetlands, streams and watersheds *Help people… …   Wikipedia

  • California Floristic Province — The California Floristic Province (CFP) is a floristic province with mediterranean climate located on the Pacific Coast of North America with a distinctive flora that bears similarities to floras found in other regions experiencing a winter… …   Wikipedia

  • California — For other uses, see California (disambiguation). State of California …   Wikipedia

  • Coastal erosion — Many stretches of the East Anglia, England coastline are prone to heavy levels of erosion, such as this, the collapsed section of cliffs at Hunstanton, Norfolk. Coastal erosion is the wearing away of land and the removal of beach or dune… …   Wikipedia

  • Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation — The Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation (CERF) is a private, nonprofit organization that was created in 1971. At that time, the members of two regionally based organizations, the Atlantic Estuarine Research Society (AERS) and the New… …   Wikipedia

  • California State Route 1 — For other uses, see CA1 (disambiguation). State Route 1 Route information …   Wikipedia

  • Coastal fish — Schooling threadfin, a coastal species Coastal fish, also called offshore fish or neritic fish, are fish that inhabit the sea between the shoreline and the edge of the continental shelf. Since the continental shelf is usually less than 200 metres …   Wikipedia

  • Angel Island (California) — Angel Island Angel Island Geography Location San Francisco Bay Coordinates …   Wikipedia

  • Gulf of California — For the book by John Steinbeck, see The Log from the Sea of Cortez. Coordinates: 28°0′N 112°0′W / 28°N 112°W / 28; 1 …   Wikipedia

  • Bodie, California — Bodie   Ghost town   …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”