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Food , protection , and frequency of tidal flooding appear to be the
dominant ecological controls of the distribution , density , and activity
of invertebrates in salt marshes.
The most productive region of saltwater wetlands is the low marsh . The
annual primary production of S. alterniflora ranges between 800 and
2600 grams of organic matter per square meter .Almost none of this
plant growth is grazed by animals .
Mangrove Swamps :
The dominant intertidal plants of the tropics and subtropics are several
species of mangrove. These distinctive plant communities , rainforests
by the sea , occupy more than 20 million hectares of coastal land .
Mangrove swamps support an abundant and diverse fauna , inluding
molluscs , crabs , fish , birds , lizards , turtles and manatees.
The distribution , density and species composition of mangrove forests
depend on water and air temperatures during the winter , exposure to
wave attack and tidal currents , the range of the tide , the type of
substrate , and the chemistry of seawater. Hurricanes can be particularly
damaging.
The detritus food chain is the principal pathway for the flow of energy
and matter between the trophic levels of food webs of mangrove forests.
Leaf fall occurs throughout the year , but at a rate faster during the
summer than during other times, because rain during short but intense
downpours batters the canopy, dislodging leaves from the branches.
About 60 percent of this dead-leaf biomass is consumed by detritivores ;
a mere 1 to 2 percent is lost as peat. The remaining 38 to 39 percent is
flushed out by tidal currents into nearby bays , lagoons and estuaries.
Large sea mammals like manatees also inhibit the tidal creeks of
mangrove forests. They are enormous creatures, the larger males
weighing more than one-and- a half tons. However , despite their huge
size , thay are gentle , solitray animals that feed primarily on aquatic
plants.
Mangroves are a vital natural ressource that help reduce the erosional
impact and serve as breeding and feeding grounds for juvenile fish ,
Food , protection , and frequency of tidal flooding appear to be the
dominant ecological controls of the distribution , density , and activity
of invertebrates in salt marshes.
The most productive region of saltwater wetlands is the low marsh . The
annual primary production of S. alterniflora ranges between 800 and
2600 grams of organic matter per square meter .Almost none of this
plant growth is grazed by animals .
Mangrove Swamps :
The dominant intertidal plants of the tropics and subtropics are several
species of mangrove. These distinctive plant communities , rainforests
by the sea , occupy more than 20 million hectares of coastal land .
Mangrove swamps support an abundant and diverse fauna , inluding
molluscs , crabs , fish , birds , lizards , turtles and manatees.
The distribution , density and species composition of mangrove forests
depend on water and air temperatures during the winter , exposure to
wave attack and tidal currents , the range of the tide , the type of
substrate , and the chemistry of seawater. Hurricanes can be particularly
damaging.
The detritus food chain is the principal pathway for the flow of energy
and matter between the trophic levels of food webs of mangrove forests.
Leaf fall occurs throughout the year , but at a rate faster during the
summer than during other times, because rain during short but intense
downpours batters the canopy, dislodging leaves from the branches.
About 60 percent of this dead-leaf biomass is consumed by detritivores ;
a mere 1 to 2 percent is lost as peat. The remaining 38 to 39 percent is
flushed out by tidal currents into nearby bays , lagoons and estuaries.
Large sea mammals like manatees also inhibit the tidal creeks of
mangrove forests. They are enormous creatures, the larger males
weighing more than one-and- a half tons. However , despite their huge
size , thay are gentle , solitray animals that feed primarily on aquatic
plants.
Mangroves are a vital natural ressource that help reduce the erosional
impact and serve as breeding and feeding grounds for juvenile fish ,
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