• myGriffith
    • Staff portal
    • Contact Us⌄
      • Future student enquiries 1800 677 728
      • Current student enquiries 1800 154 055
      • International enquiries +61 7 3735 6425
      • General enquiries 07 3735 7111
      • Online enquiries
      • Staff phonebook
    View Item 
    •   Home
    • Griffith Research Online
    • Journal articles
    • View Item
    • Home
    • Griffith Research Online
    • Journal articles
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Browse

  • All of Griffith Research Online
    • Communities & Collections
    • Authors
    • By Issue Date
    • Titles
  • This Collection
    • Authors
    • By Issue Date
    • Titles
  • Statistics

  • Most Popular Items
  • Statistics by Country
  • Most Popular Authors
  • Support

  • Contact us
  • FAQs
  • Admin login

  • Login
  • Hydrodynamic regulation of salt marsh contributions to aquatic food webs

    Thumbnail
    View/Open
    91889_1.pdf (585.0Kb)
    Author(s)
    Baker, R
    Fry, B
    Rozas, LP
    Minello, TJ
    Griffith University Author(s)
    Fry, Brian D.
    Year published
    2013
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Abstract
    Vegetated salt marsh habitats are widely considered critical for supporting many species of nekton, yet direct evidence of the processes controlling marsh habitat use for most species remains elusive. We related salt marsh flooding patterns and nekton trophic dynamics among 14 sites spanning 2500 km across the northern Gulf of Mexico (GoM) and southern Atlantic coasts of the USA. Functional access for nekton to marsh vegetation (edge flooded to =5 cm depth) ranged from <40% of the time at some central GoM sites to >90% access in the western GoM and Pamlico Sound. Food web mixing models based on stable isotope analysis show ...
    View more >
    Vegetated salt marsh habitats are widely considered critical for supporting many species of nekton, yet direct evidence of the processes controlling marsh habitat use for most species remains elusive. We related salt marsh flooding patterns and nekton trophic dynamics among 14 sites spanning 2500 km across the northern Gulf of Mexico (GoM) and southern Atlantic coasts of the USA. Functional access for nekton to marsh vegetation (edge flooded to =5 cm depth) ranged from <40% of the time at some central GoM sites to >90% access in the western GoM and Pamlico Sound. Food web mixing models based on stable isotope analysis show that the importance of Spartina trophic support for common nekton may be regulated by the duration of marsh surface flooding. In particular, the potential contribution of Spartina production was positively related to indices of marsh surface flooding for brown shrimp Farfantepenaeus aztecus, white shrimp Litopenaeus setiferus, small (=60 mm carapace width) blue crabs Callinectes sapidus, grass shrimp Palaemonetes pugio, and killifish Fundulus heteroclitus/grandis. The value of Spartina salt marsh production to several common species of nekton appears to depend, at least in part, on direct access to the vegetated marsh surface, which is regulated by hydrodynamics. Hence, the substantial geographic and temporal variability in marsh flooding regulates the functional roles and value of these tidal wetlands for aquatic organisms.
    View less >
    Journal Title
    Marine Ecology Progress Series
    Volume
    490
    DOI
    https://doi.org/10.3354/meps10442
    Copyright Statement
    © 2013 Inter Research. The attached file is reproduced here in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher. Please refer to the journal's website for access to the definitive, published version.
    Subject
    Oceanography
    Ecosystem function
    Ecology
    Zoology
    Publication URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/10072/58454
    Collection
    • Journal articles

    Footer

    Disclaimer

    • Privacy policy
    • Copyright matters
    • CRICOS Provider - 00233E

    Tagline

    • Gold Coast
    • Logan
    • Brisbane - Queensland, Australia
    First Peoples of Australia
    • Aboriginal
    • Torres Strait Islander