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Saltmarshes

  • Reference work entry
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Encyclopedia of Estuaries

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

Definition

The coastal saltmarsh ecosystem is defined by both habitat and biota. It is intertidal, occurring on soft shores, and the plant communities are comprised of herbaceous flowering plants, both monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous, and small shrubs. The ecosystem can be distinguished from mangroves which are dominated by trees and in which herbaceous understory is absent or rare (Janzen, 1985) and from sea grass communities which are predominantly subtidal or, if intertidal, occur lower on the shore than saltmarsh (see Mangroves ).

Introduction

Saltmarshes are conspicuous features of many estuaries and are one of the most intensively studied ecosystems in the world (Chapman, 1960; Ranwell, 1972; Long and Mason, 1983; Adam, 1990; Pennings and Bertness, 2001; Perillo et al., 2009; Saintilan, 2009a) (see Coastal Wetlands ).

Coastal saltmarsh is found on low-energy coasts, predominantly in estuaries, but also in the shelter of barriers or where wave energy is dissipated before...

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  1. School of Biological Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia

    Paul Adam

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    Michael J. Kennish

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Adam, P. (2016). Saltmarshes. In: Kennish, M.J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Estuaries. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8801-4_320

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