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Coastal Ecosystems

Salt Marshes

Basic Information

Florida salt marsh habitat

Salt marsh habitats are coastal wetlands that are periodically flooded and drained by saltwater via tidal movement, and tend to occur along low energy shorelines, at river mouths, and along bayous and sounds in the state of Florida. These coastal regions provide many ecosystem services and are considered an important breeding ground and nursery for many Florida native species. Furthermore, salt marshes are composed of a variety of grasses, sedges, and rushes, all of which have extensive root systems and therefore aid in buffering impacts on upland regions by mitigating wave actions, trapping sediments, and absorbing pollutants. These plants also compose the base of the food web and are a direct source of food for many organisms.

Geographical Range

In Florida, salt marshes are most abundant in coastal regions above the winter freeze line where competition with mangrove wetlands is less frequent. Salt marshes are the most common form of coastal vegetation from Apalachicola Bay south to Tampa Bay, with The Big Bend region of Florida containing the largest salt marsh habitat acreage in the state. On the Atlantic coast of Florida, salt marshes can also be found from Daytona Beach northward.

Species Composition

Salt marshes are an essential habitat for a variety of vegetation and wildlife. However, due to the periodic flooding and extremely saline environmental conditions, vegetative species diversity is fairly low. Four plant species dominate Florida's salt marshes; black needle rush (Juncus roemerianus), a grayish rush that typically is found along higher marsh areas, saltmeadow cord grass (Spartina patens), a grass typically found in inundated regions, smooth cord grass (Spartina alterniflora), a grass found in low regions, and sawgrass (Cladium jamaicense), a freshwater plant that grows around upper edges of salt marshes. Salt marshes provide habitat for numerous invertebrate species, some of the must abundant include crustaceans, gastropods, fish, and filter feeders. Furthermore, over 60 species of year-round resident and migratory birds utilize salt marsh habitats on the Gulf coast of Florida.

Threats

Human impacts threaten Florida salt marsh habitats, with a 10% overall salt marsh loss observed in 2018. Highly urbanized regions, such as Tampa Bay, have lost more than 40 percent of the area's original salt marsh acreage. Degradation of these habitats began after Florida's post-1930's population surge after new technologies to prevent mosquito breeding cycles were practiced, allowing for salt marsh regions to be more habitable for humans. Salt marshes have also been depleted by dredging and filling practices to create intracoastal waterways, shipping channels, and coastal land development. These threats have negative consequences on the salt marsh ecosystems, which can in turn impact Florida economy through depletion of commercial and recreational fisheries. State regulations have been enacted to combat these impacts, specifically with the Warren B Henderson Wetlands Act of 1984.

Mangroves

Basic Information

Florida mangrove habitat in Dunedin, Fl

Mangroves consist of woody tree or shrub species located along marine coastlines and can be found in both subtropic and tropic latitudes, from roughly 25 degrees north and 25 degrees south . These regions are also characterized by being extremely saline and low in oxygen. The term "mangrove" refers to the specific salt tolerant species that thrive in harsh coastal regions, apposed to an entire botanical relation. Mangroves are considered a critical constituent of the marine and estuarine environment, and provide many ecosystems services and important ecological functions. These services include providing a major food chain base, nesting sites and foraging grounds, protecting nursery regions, and commercial fishing. Mangroves also recycle nutrients and critically maintain nutrient mass balance of surrounding ecosystems.

Geographical Range

Mangrove species can be found on all Florida coasts, with the highest concentration being in the southern region of the state. This protected area is now Everglades National Park, which encompasses two million acres and is the largest wetland region in the northern hemisphere.

Species Composition

Three species of Mangrove inhabit Florida coastlines; Red Mangrove, Black Mangrove, and White Mangrove. Red Mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) grow in the harshest conditions, and possess prop roots which are reddish in color. This species typically grows to an average of 6 meters in Florida, and are geographically limited by temperature. Red Mangrove are most concentrated in Cedar Key and Daytona Beach, spanning through the Keys to the south. Black Mangrove (Avicennia germinans) are identified by long, horizontal pneumatophores with dark scaly bark and reach an average height of 15 meters in Florida. This species grows further north than Red Mangroves, and ranges from the Keys to Cedar Key on the Gulf side, and to St. Augustine on the Atlantic. White Mangroves (Laguncularia racemosa) contain no visible aerial roots, but can develop peg roots during extremely harsh conditions and occupy the highest elevation of the mangrove species in Florida. This species is also the least cold-tolerant, and can grow to 15 meters. White Mangrove inhabit regions southward of Levy County in Florida.

Threats

Human impacts pose a major threat to Mangroves in Florida. These environmental impacts include dredging, which causes flooding and limits oxygen availability, water pollution, where herbicides and oil spills can coat roots and lead to death, and urban development, which is rampant in Florida's coast and has led to total destruction and increased erosion of Mangrove habitats. Invasive species, such as the Burmese Python, have also become of threat to Florida Mangrove habitats and the native species which utilize Mangroves. Some restoration work has been done to conserve Florida Mangroves, specifically the Everglades, with The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. This plan focuses mostly on capturing and redirecting freshwater to regions that need it to maintain healthy estuarine mangrove habitats.