Development • Types • Distribution • Ecosystems

Ecology is that branch of biology which deals with the interactions between plants and animals and their environment; saltmarshes have proved to be excellent places to study such interactions. This is partly because saltmarsh ecosystems are relatively simple, characterised by a limited number of different species and an environment that is largely dominated by abiotic, largely physical, forces. These processes control the numbers and distribution of plants and animals that can be studied on saltmarshes. Understanding these processes is the first step towards being able to manage saltmarshes to ensure that their function is maintained.

The figure below shows the complete interactions that occurs in the saltmarsh ecosystem

A conceptual model of a tidal salt marsh (from Mitsch & Gosselink, 2000)

Saltmarshes provide a good illustration of the process of primary succession. This can be defined as a sequential change in plant species (and the animals associated with them) on a land surface which has not been vegetated before (or at least not in the recent past) and which initially contains no plant propagules. Saltmarshes can be observed forming from initial bare intertidal mud and, in the course of time, developing an increasingly complex community of plants and associated animals. Mature saltmarshes also respond to the ongoing physical processes within estuaries.

Click on the links above for further information on Saltmarsh Ecology