Ecology of Tidal Marshes of the Pacific Northwest Coast: A Community Profile

摘要

Tidal marshes of the Pacific Northwest develop (1) on the fringes of estuaries of rivers which empty more or less directly into the ocean or Puget Sound and (2) behind baymouth bars which form between adjacent headlands on the rocky coast. Primary productivity ranges widely as do rates of plant decomposition. A conceptual model of functional groups within the marsh, and a model depicting interactions between the marshes and adjacent ecosystems are presented. To date fewer quantitative ecological studies have been done on these wetlands than on those in parts of California or the gulf and Atlantic coasts. This situation is rapidly changing and the emerging picture is that Pacific Northwest marshes are similar in function to those more intensively studied. Organisms and relative magnitudes of the fluxes are different, but processes are the same.