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Elevation and Plant Community Distribution in a Microtidal Salt Marsh of the Western Gulf of Mexico

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Abstract

The relationship between elevation and the natural occurrence of several species of emergent vascular plants was examined in a microtidal deltaic marsh system near Corpus Christi, on the southwestern Texas coast. Vegetation percent cover was estimated quarterly from November 2003 to November 2006 in 374 permanent plots located in 9 sites. Soil elevation was measured in each plot using sub-centimeter real-time kinematic GPS. Cluster analyses determined that there were two significantly (P < 0.05) different sets of co-occurring species, one comprising Borrichia frutescens, Salicornia virginica and Distichlis spicata and the other including Batis maritima, Salicornia bigelovii and Lycium carolinianum. Analysis of species groupings across an elevation gradient using non-metric multi-dimensional scaling and hierarchal cluster analysis indicated that these assemblages represent a low marsh assemblage (25–50 cm NAVD88) and a high marsh assemblage (50–65 cm NAVD88), respectively. The strong relationship between elevation and species distribution suggests that abiotic factors play a key role in determining plant distribution in this ecosystem, and indicate that even apparently small differences in elevation can be important in a microtidal system.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the City of Corpus Christi, Project Number 3007 and would not have been possible without considerable field and laboratory assistance from Kim Jackson, Tami Beyer, Craig Aumack, Troy Mutchler, Summer Martin, Susan Schonberg, Maggie Forbes, Lauren Hutchinson, Faye Berens, Kelly Fellows, and others. Greg Hauger provided information and clarification regarding tidal information from the Texas Height Modernization program. Chris Wilson and several anonymous peer reviewers provided feedback that improved the clarity and quality of the manuscript. Connie Murphy provided technical editing and Nancy Buskey artwork that contributed to the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Texas Marine Science Institute, 750 Channel View Drive, Port Aransas, TX, 78373, USA

    Michael K. Rasser & Kenneth H. Dunton

  2. U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, 381 Elden Street, Herndon, VA, 20170, USA

    Michael K. Rasser

  3. Section of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX, 78712, USA

    Norma L. Fowler

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  1. Michael K. Rasser
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  2. Norma L. Fowler
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  3. Kenneth H. Dunton
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Correspondence to Michael K. Rasser.

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Rasser, M.K., Fowler, N.L. & Dunton, K.H. Elevation and Plant Community Distribution in a Microtidal Salt Marsh of the Western Gulf of Mexico. Wetlands 33, 575–583 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-013-0398-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-013-0398-9

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