Abstract
Data are presented on the vegetation dynamics of two impounded marshes along the Indian River Lagoon, in east-central Florida, USA. Vegetation in one of the marshes (IRC 12) was totally eliminated by overflooding and by hypersaline conditions (salinities over 100 ppt) that developed there in 1979 after the culvert connecting the marsh with the lagoon was closed. Over 20% recovery of the herbaceous halophytesSalicornia virginica, S. bigelovii, andBatis maritima was observed at that site after the culvert was reopened in 1982, but total cover in the marsh remains well below the original 75%. No recovery of mangroves was observed at this site. The second site (SLC 24), while remaining isolated from the lagoon during much of the study, did not suffer the complete elimination of vegetation experienced at the first site. At this location, mangroves increased in cover and frequency with a concomitant decrease in herbaceous halophytes.
Considerable damage to the vegetation was evident at IRC 12 when the impoundment was closed and flooded for mosquito control in 1986. Although the damage was temporary, its occurrence emphasizes the need of planning and constant monitoring and adjustment of management details as conditions within particular marshes change. Storms and hurricanes may be important in promoting a replacement of black mangroves by red mangroves in closed impoundments because the former cannot tolerate pneumatophore submergence for long periods of time.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature Cited
Breen, C. M., and B. J. Hill. 1969. A mass mortality of mangroves in the Kosi estuary.Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa 38:285–303.
Carlson, D. B., and R. R. Vigliano. 1985. The effects of two different water management regimes on flooding and mosquito production in a salt marsh impoundment.Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association 1:203–211.
Carlson, P. R., L. A. Yabro, C. F. Zimmerman, and J. R. Montgomery. 1983. Pore water chemistry of an overwash mangrove island.Florida Scientist 46:239–249.
Chabrek, R. H., and R. E. Condrey. 1979. Common vascular plants of the Louisiana marsh. Louisiana Sea Grant Publication, Baton Rouge, LSU-T-79-003. 116 pp.
Chapman, V. J. 1977. Introduction.In V. J. Chapman (ed.), Ecosystems of the world, vol. 1: wet coastal ecosystems. Elsevier, Amsterdam. 428 pp.
Conover, W. J., and R. J. Iman. 1981. Rank transformations as a bridge between parametric and non-parametric statistics.The American Statistician 35:124–129.
Davis, J. H. 1940. The ecology and geologic role of mangroves in Florida. Carnegie Institute, Washington Publication No. 517. pp. 303–412.
Gaviria-M., J. I., H. R. Schmittou, and J. H. Grover. 1986. Acid sulfate soils, identification, formation and implications for aquaculture. Journal of Aquaculture in the Tropicals 1:99–110.
Gilmore, R. G., D. W. Cooke, and C. J. Donohoe. 1981. A comparison of fish populations and habitat in open and closed salt marsh impoundments in east-central Florida.North East Gulf Science 5:25–37.
Harrington, R. W., and E. S. Harrington. 1961. Food selection among fishes invading a high subtropical salt marsh from the onset of flooding through the progress of a mosquito brood.Ecology 42:642–666.
Harrington, R. W., and E. S. Harrington. 1982. Effects on fishes and their forage organisms of impounding a Florida salt marsh to prevent breeding by salt marsh mosquitoes.Bulletin of Marine Sciences 32:646–666.
Kurz, H., and K. Wagner. 1954. Tidal marshes of the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of northern Florida and Charleston, S.C. Florida State University Studies No. 24. 168 pp.
Lugo, A. E. 1980. Mangrove ecosystems: successional or steady state?Tropical Succession. (Biotropica, Supplement) 65–72.
Mahal, B. E., and R. B. Park. 1967. The ecotone betweenSpartina foliosa Trin. andSalicornia virginica L. in salt marshes of northern San Francisco Bay.Journal of Ecology 64:421–433.
McCoy, E. D. 1979. Ecological control of mosquitoes in Florida's east coast: an overview.Proceedings of the Florida Anti-Mosquito Association 50:20–23.
Morris, J. T. 1980. The nitrogen uptake kinetics ofSpartina alterniflora in culture.Ecology 61:1114–1121.
Naidoo, G. 1985. Effects of waterlogging and salinity on plant water relations and on the accumulation of solutes in three mangrove species.Aquatic Bolany 22:133–143.
Nickerson, N. H., and F. R. Thibodeau. 1985. Association between pore water sulfide concentrations and the distribution of mangroves.Biogeochemistry 1:183–192.
Odum, W. E., and R. E. Johannes. 1975. The response of mangroves to environmental stress. Pages 52–62in E. J. F. Wood and R. E. Johannes (eds.), Tropical marine pollution. Elsevier, Amsterdam.
Patterson-Zucca, C. 1978. The effects of road construction on a mangrove ecosystem. MS thesis. University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. 77 pp.
Provost, M. W. 1974. Salt marsh management in Florida.Proceedings, Tall Timbers Conference on Animal Control by Habitat Management 5:5–17.
Purer, E. A. 1942. Plant ecology of the coastal marshlands of San Diego County, California.Ecological Monographs 121:81–111.
Reimold, R. J. 1977. Mangals and salt marshes of eastern United States. Pages 157–164in V. J. Chapman (ed.), Ecosystems of the world, vol. 1: wet coastal ecosystems. Elsevier, Amsterdam.
Rey, J. R., R. A. Crossman, T. R. Kain, and D. S. Taylor. 1986. An overview of impounded mangrove forests along a subtropical lagoon in east-central Florida, U.S.A. Pages 341–350in L. J. Bhosale (exec. ed.), The mangroves: Proceedings, Indian national symposium on biology conservation and utilization of mangroves, Kolhapur, India.
Smart, R. M., and J. W. Barko. 1978. Influence of sediment salinity and nutrients on the physiological ecology of selected salt marsh plants.Estuarine and Coastal Marine Science 7:487–495.
Zedler, J. B. 1982. The ecology of southern California coastal salt marshes: a community profile. US Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Biological Services, Washington, DC. FWS/OBS-81/54.
Zedler, J. B., T. Wienfield, and P. Williams. 1980. Salt marsh productivity with natural and altered tidal circulation.Oecologia 44:236–240.
Zedler, J. B., J. Covin, C. Nordby, P. Williams, and J. Boland. 1986. Catastrophic events reveal the dynamic nature of salt marsh vegetation in southern California.Estuaries 9:75–80.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
University of Florida-IFAS Journal Series R-00521.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rey, J.R., Crossman, R.A. & Kain, T.R. Vegetation dynamics in impounded marshes along the Indian River Lagoon, Florida, USA. Environmental Management 14, 397–409 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02394208
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02394208