California coastal salt marsh
Encyclopedia
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.
Typical plant species in this community include (Ornduff 2003):
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.
(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.
Plant communities of California
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
Plant community that occurs sporadically along the Pacific coast from Humboldt Bay to San Diego. This salt marsh
Salt marsh
A salt marsh is an environment in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and salt water or brackish water, it is dominated by dense stands of halophytic plants such as herbs, grasses, or low shrubs. These plants are terrestrial in origin and are essential to the stability of the salt marsh...
type is found in bays, harbors, inlets and other protected areas subject to tidal flooding.
Plant habitat
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 salinaFrankenia salinaThe perennial herb Frankenia salina, often called alkali heath or alkali seaheath, is native to California. It is occasionally found in Nevada and Mexico, but its range is limited...
) - Pickleweed and glasswort (Salicornia spp.)
- CordgrassCordgrassSpartina, commonly known as cordgrass or cord-grass, is a genus of 14 species of grasses in the family Poaceae. They are native to the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean in western and southern Europe, northwest and southern Africa, the Americas and the southern Atlantic Ocean islands; one or two species...
(Spartina foliosa) - Seep weed (Suaeda californicaSuaeda californicaSuaeda californica is a rare species of flowering plant in the amaranth family known by the common name California seablite. It is endemic to San Luis Obispo County, California, where it is known from a few occurrences in the marshes around Morro Bay....
)
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
Cordylanthus maritimus
Cordylanthus maritimus is a rare species of flowering plant in the broomrape family known by the common names salt marsh bird's beak and Point Reyes bird's beak.-Distribution:...
) is an endangered plant species that occurs in this habitat.
Animal habitat
Few terrestrial animals inhabit the coastal salt marsh. One endangered mammal is the Salt Marsh Harvest MouseSalt Marsh Harvest Mouse
The Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse , also known as the Red-bellied Harvest Mouse and some times called by Saltmarsh Harvest Mouse, is an endangered rodent endemic to the San Francisco Bay Area salt marshes in California. There are two distinct subspecies, both endangered and listed together on federal...
(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.
See also
Plant communities of California
- EcologyEcologyEcology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
- Natural environmentNatural environmentThe natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....