The Ecology of Tidal Freshwater Marshes of the - USGS National ...

PREFACEThis report is part of a series of community profiles produced by theFish and Wildlife Service to provide up-to-date information on coastalecological communities of the tidal freshwater marsh community along theAtlantic coast from southern New England to northern Florida.Tidal freshwater marshes occupy the uppermost portion of the estuarybetween the 01 igohal ine or low salinity zone and nontidal freshwater wetlands.By combining the physical process of tidal flushing with the biota of thefreshwater marsh, a dynamic, diverse, and distinct estuarine community hasbeen created. The profile covers all structural and functional aspects of thecommunity: its geology, hydro1 ogy, biotic components, and energy, nutrientand biomass cycl i ng .A major purpose of the community profile series is to gather andsynthesize the diverse bits of ecological information existing on eachcommunity and, further, to condense this information into a coherent andpractical habitat guide. The following discussion has been a true syntheticeffort on the part of the authors. Their careful compilation and analysis ofavail abl e data represent an extensive compendium of know1 edge of thisimportant natural resource and wil dl ife habitat.Questions or comments concerning this publication or others in theprofile series should be directed to:Information Transfer Special istNational Coastal Ecosystems TeamU.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceWSA-S1 idel 1 Computer Compl ex1010 Gause Boul evardSl idel 1 , LA 70458iii