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Salt Marsh Fucoid Algae: Overlooked Ecosystem Engineers of North Temperate Salt Marshes

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Abstract

Salt marsh fucoid algae are a conspicuous component of north temperate marshes, yet comparatively little research has been conducted to examine their ecological effects. We examined the influence of salt marsh fucoids on physical conditions and the biotic community in a manipulative experiment conducted in a southern Maine back-barrier salt marsh. The biomass of salt marsh fucoids was higher than that of aboveground Spartina alterniflora in the zone where we conducted the experiment. Average daytime temperatures at the sediment surface were significantly reduced by the presence of salt marsh fucoids. Density and biomass of standing-dead S. alterniflora was significantly higher when salt marsh fucoids were removed. In contrast, the abundance of various species of epifauna and infauna were significantly enhanced by the presence of salt marsh fucoids. A regional survey indicated that results from the study site may be conservative because the biomass of salt marsh fucoids was lowest among other back-barrier marshes. Salt marsh fucoids are little studied ecosystem engineers whose presence affects the microclimate and biotic community, especially the animals that constitute the basal components of the salt marsh trophic relay.

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Acknowledgments

We thank J. Edgerly, M. Junco, J. Miller, and M. Haas of the Wells NERR for their assistance. Funding for SAE was provided by the Laudholm Trust. Funding for MCT was provided by the Ford Postdoctoral fellowship to the Wells NERR.

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Correspondence to Megan C. Tyrrell.

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All authors have full control of all primary data and agree to allow Estuaries and Coasts to review our data if so requested. There are no conflicts of interest with this research and the financial institutions that provided support. All authors were employed by the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve at the time the manipulative experiment was conducted.

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Tyrrell, M.C., Dionne, M. & Eberhardt, S.A. Salt Marsh Fucoid Algae: Overlooked Ecosystem Engineers of North Temperate Salt Marshes. Estuaries and Coasts 35, 754–762 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-011-9472-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-011-9472-9

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