are dependent to a larqe degree on water- 

 shed runoff, flood plain toooqraphic 

 relief, and drainage characteristics. 



b. Marshes . Most of the intertidal 

 areas around the estuarv are surrounded by 

 freshwater, brackish, and saltwater 

 marshes (Figure 19). The freshwater and 

 brackish-water marshes are characterized 

 by bull rushes ( Scripus spp.), cattails 

 ( Tvpha spp.), saw grasses ( Cladium spo.), 

 cordgrass ( Spartina spp.), and needlerush 

 ( Juncus roemerianus ) . Salt marshes of the 

 region are represented by black needle- 

 rush, cordgrass, Distichl is spicata , and 

 Sal i corn i a spp. Maior marsh develooment 

 is found along the lower flood plain and 

 areas adjacent to East Bay. These marshes 

 are dominated by mixed freshwater soecies. 

 Similar marsh associations are found in 

 the New River and Ochlochonee River 

 drainages to the east. Narrow stands of 

 brackish water marshes occur 

 intermittently along the lagoonal 

 interface of the Alligator Point peninsula 

 (at the extreme east end of the system; 



Figure 3) and along the bayside portion of 

 the barrier islands. Limited marshes are 

 located along the mainland east and west 

 of the Aoalachicola River mouth. The East 

 Bay marshes dominate the system by area 

 (Table 1) with lesser marsh development 

 along St. Vincent Sound and along the 

 lagoonal oortions of St. George Island and 

 Dog Island. The marshes in the entire bay 

 system comorise approximately l^% of the 

 total water surface. 



The Apalachicola marshes are 

 significant feeding and reproductive zones 

 for various aquatic and terrestrial 

 species (Livingston lQR3c). Vertical and 

 lateral stratification of this habitat has 

 provided conditions that house and feed 

 some of the most important species 

 (ecologically and commercially) in the 

 river- bay system. 



?.S.?. 



Seagrass Beds 



Grassbeds in the Apalachicola estuary 

 (Figure 19) account for about 10% of the 



"=#^ : 



:^»^Mt>'* 



Figure 19. Distribution of the marshes and submer'^ent vegetation in the Apalachicola 

 estuary (data compiled from aerial photographs and ground-truth observations by divers) 

 (see Livingston 1980a). 



24 



