![]() ![]() Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) sprouts very early in the spring, melting the surrounding snow. Tidal marshes also provide vital food and habitat for clams, crabs and juvenile fish, as well as offering shelter and nesting sites for several species of migratory waterfowl. They buffer stormy seas, slow shoreline erosion and are able to absorb excess nutrients before they reach oceans and estuaries. Tidal marshes serve many important functions. Saline marshes support a highly specialized set of life adapted for saline conditions. The saline marsh is covered by water only sporadically and is characterized by Short Smooth Cordgrass, Spike Grass and Saltmeadow Rush ( Juncus gerardii). It is predominantly covered by the tall form of Smooth Cordgrass ( Spartina alterniflora). In saline tidal marshes, the lower marsh is normally covered and exposed daily by the tide. Tidal marshes are normally categorized into two distinct zones, the lower or intertidal marsh and the upper or high marsh. Some are freshwater marshes, others are brackish (somewhat salty), and still others are saline (salty), but they are all influenced by the motion of ocean tides. They are most prevalent in the United States on the eastern coast from Maine to Florida and continuing on to Louisiana and Texas along the Gulf of Mexico. Tidal marshes can be found along protected coastlines in middle and high latitudes worldwide. ![]() The Clapper Rail of the saltmarshes, which is more commonly heard than seen. In addition to their considerable habitat value, non-tidal marshes serve to mitigate flood damage and filter excess nutrients from surface runoff. As a result, marshes sustain a diversity of life that is disproportionate with their size. They can sustain a vast array of plant communities that in turn support a wide variety of wildlife within this vital wetland ecosystem. Functions & ValuesÄue to their high levels of nutrients, freshwater marshes are one of the most productive ecosystems on earth. Examples of non-tidal marshes are: Prairie potholes, playa lakes, vernal pools and wet meadows. Highly organic, mineral rich soils of sand, silt, and clay underlie these wetlands, while lily pads, cattails (see photo), reeds and bulrushes provide excellent habitat for waterfowl and other small mammals, such as Red-winged Blackbirds, Great Blue Herons, otters and muskrats. Water levels in these wetlands generally vary from a few inches to two or three feet, and some marshes, like prairie potholes, may periodically dry out completely. ![]() They frequently occur along streams in poorly drained depressions and in the shallow water along the boundaries of lakes, ponds and rivers. ![]() They are mostly freshwater marshes, although some are brackish or alkaline. Non-tidal marshes are the most prevalent and widely distributed wetlands in North America. Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) next to its house in a cattail-dominated marsh. The hydrogeomorphic (HGM) includes five major wetland types: riverine, slope depressional, flat and fringe. precipitation, groundwater or surface water) and hydrodynamics. As the title implies, wetlands are classified by their geomorphic setting, dominant water source (e.g. Army Corps of Engineers, was developed by Brinson and is described in A Hydrogeomorphic Classification for Wetlands. Army Corps of EngineersĪnother common wetland classification system, used by the U.S. The Cowardin system includes five major wetland types: marine, estuarine, lacustrine, palustrine and riverine. In this system, wetlands are classified by landscape position, vegetation cover and hydrologic regime. Fish and Wildlife Service for the National Wetlands Inventory. One commonly used classification system for wetlands was developed by Cowardin and is described in Classification of Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats of the United States. ![]()
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