Salt Marsh Research Paper

An area of coastal wetland that is regularly flooded and drained by seawater is known as a salt marsh. Salt marshes are extremely important to many species as it serves as their habitat, and also saves them from potential predators as only certain species are able to live in the environment of a salt marsh. The salt marsh is mostly shallow and brackish, and consists of mostly saltwater. Salt marshes often develop amid marine and terrestrial environments, which results in biologically diverse communities adapted for harsh environmental settings including dryness, flooding, and extreme temperature fluctuations (Hill, "Salt Marsh Habitats"). High marsh takes place in areas above the mean high water mark and is not usually flooded by tides (Montague & Wiegert 1990). High marshes are often dominated by Spartina, transitioning to large Juncus populations toward the Homestead region (Montague & Wiegert 1990). …show more content…
This animal was discovered to be related to 10 species of marsh phanerogams, occurring with three plant species more than half of the time; these plants were Distichlis spicata, Spartina patens, and Spartina alterniflora (Kerwin). Another common species in the Salt Marsh Community is Abanus nigrovittatus, it also known as the greenhead horse fly. It is a species of biting horse-fly that lay eggs frequently. The Atlantic sand fiddler, Uca pugilator, is most abundant in muddy areas of salt marshes (Hill). They also live in many Sandy beaches in large groups. These crabs are very important in the salt marsh environment because they have many predators that depend on them as a primary food source such as such as blue crab, rails, and