Marshes What are marshes, and are there different types?

What is a marsh? A marsh is a “low-lying wet land with grassy vegetation; usually is a transition zone between land and water 1 ” Two main types of marshlands: – Fresh Water Marsh – Brackish / Saltwater Marsh

Fresh Water Marsh Water in wetland is fresh, no salt present Found near rivers and lakes Water is usually from one to six feet deep Rich in minerals High species diversity All information found from 4

Estuary Area between land and sea 2 Water is slightly salty (brackish) – More salty than a lake – Less salty than the ocean Salinity is often variable – Tides (high and low) – Amount of river flow

Brackish / Salt Marsh Found in estuaries and along the coast Low number of plant and animal species (low diversity) Although few species, high weight (biomass) of animals and plants Very productive system

Animal Diversity in Marshes Many kinds of animals live in marshes e.g. Freshwater MarshBrackish / Salt Marsh Freshwater musselBlue Mussel Raccoon MinkMuskrat BullfrogCommon Egret Belted kingfisherOsprey Snapping turtleDiamondback Terrapin

Plant Diversity in Marshes Many kinds of plants grow in marshes too FreshwaterBrackish / Salt Marsh Marsh MallowSalt-meadow cordgrass (Spartina sp.) CattailBayberry Tickseed Sunflower Black rush Blue Flag IrisSeashore goldenrod Phragmites

References 1 wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwnwordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn 2 overy.pdf overy.pdf