Coastal Prairies and Salt Marshes

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from a lecture on coastal prairies and salt marshes, including their ecology, common species, and case studies of restoration efforts.

California coastal prairie

Occurs sporadically along the coast of California, immediately inland from the coastal strand, characterized by grasses, annuals, and herbaceous perennials with an absence of trees and shrubs.

Locations of California coastal prairie

Coastal marine terraces, coastal bluffs, hillsides, and coastal bald hills.

Current state of California coastal prairie

Heavily impacted by cattle grazing and invasive species, with less than 1% remaining, mostly at Point Reyes, originally dominated by herbaceous flowering plants and grasses.

Diversity of California coastal prairie

The highest plant diversity of any grassland in the United States, supporting 80 endemic plant species; 34 vegetation alliances have been described.

Ecology of California coastal prairie

Regarded as a climax vegetation, sustained by disturbances that prevent invasion by shrubs and trees, such as fire, digging, wallowing, and grazing.

Unburned prairie

Impacted by trees and shrubs encroaching onto it

Typical species in the coastal prairie

Iris douglasiana (Douglas iris) and Sisyrinchium bellum (Blue-eyed grass)

Erigeron glaucus (Seaside daisy) and Armeria maritima (California Sea Pink)

Danthonia californica (California oatgrass) and Stipa pulchra (Purple needlegrass).

Coastal salt marsh

Found in estuaries and bays that are subject to tidal influence; the distribution of species is determined by the duration of tidal flooding.

Major coastal salt marsh areas in California

Humboldt Bay, Tomales Bay, San Francisco Bay, Elkhorn Slough, Morro Bay, Carpinteria Salt Marsh, and Ballona Wetlands Salt Marsh.

Abiotic factors in salt marshes

Inundated with salt water by the tidal cycles, soils are usually fine silty-clay, wet, low oxygen content, and salty, creating an extreme environment for plants.

Halophytes

Plants growing in a salt marsh; possess physiological and morphological adaptations to the conditions.

Salt tolerance adaptations

Osmotic adjustment, salt exclusion, salt excretion, and compartmentalization.

Water conservation adaptations

Succulent leaves and a thick waxy layer on leaves.

Adaptation to low oxygen in salt marshes

Aerenchyma tissue.

Diversity of species in salt marshes

Relatively small because so few species have adapted to the difficult conditions, but important ecologically for migratory and shorebirds and as marine nurseries for fish and invertebrates.

Salt marsh zonation

Mudflats, lower marsh, middle marsh, upper marsh, and terrestrial vegetation; zonation is based on elevation and tidal influence.

Typical species in the salt marsh

Frankenia salina (Alkali heath) and Limonium californicum (Sea lavender).

Distichlis spicata (Salt grass) and Grindelia (Gum plant).

Tidal creeks or channels

Caused by tidal action.

Sediment addition at China Camp

Increased the size of the marsh due to sediments washed down from Placer mining activities.

San Francisco Bay salt marsh restoration

Restoration of historical tidal marsh.