Seasonal Stem Loss and Self-thinning in Low Marsh Spartina alterniflora in a New England Tidal Marsh

Factors Influencing Stem Density of Creekbank Spartina alterniflora in a New England Salt Marsh

Stem density patterns for smooth cordgrass, Spartina alterniflora, are highly variable both among years and within the growing season. These variations can have consequences for the overall primary productivity of the salt marsh system, as well as its ability to provide essential ecosystem functions. In this study, I explored factors that could be driving observed variations in four tidal creek...

Ribbed Mussels and Spartina Alterniflora Production in a New England Salt Marsh

The ribbed mussel, Geukensia demissa, is commonly found associated with the salt marsh cordgrass, Spartina alterniflora. Mussels attach to the basal portion of S. alterniflora stems with strong proteinaceous byssal threads and deposit fecal material on the surrounding sediment as a byproduct of their filter-feeding activity. Here I demonstrate by manipulating mussel densities in the field that ...

DECOMPOSITION AND NUTRIENT DYNAMICS IN A Spartina alterniflora MARSH OF THE BAHIA BLANCA ESTUARY, ARGENTINA

A specialist detritivore links Spartina alterniflora to salt marsh food webs

Because most plant production is subject to senescence and is eventually consumed by detritivores, the factors that drive detritivore diet choice are pivotal to the flow of energy and materials through food webs. Here, we investigated the common salt marsh amphipod Gammarus palustris, which is a habitat specialist that feeds specifically on the dead leaves of its living host plant, salt marsh c...

Benthic metabolism and sulfur cycling along an inundation gradient in a tidal Spartina anglica salt marsh

Central aspects of carbon and sulfur biogeochemistry were studied along a transect extending from an unvegetated mudflat into a Spartina anglica salt marsh. Conditions along the transect differed with respect to tidal elevation, sediment characteristics, vegetation coverage, and benthic macrofauna abundance. Dark sediment O2 uptake and CO2 emission at the highly bioturbated mudflat were low and...