PREFACE 



The coastal marshes of the United States are viewed herein as an eco- 

 system, even though many of the articles listed in this bibliography are 

 specific to only a narrow aspect of the ecosystem. The value of the marshes 

 is shown in many ways: habitat for wildlife species, producer of nutrients, 

 nursery areas, and protected rearinn areas for juveniles. 



The report consists of an introduction prepared primarily by Dr. Armando 

 A. de la Cruz and a bibliography compiled by Gulf South Research Institute. 

 The bibliography consists of five major sections: Marshes and Marsh Vegeta- 

 tion; Primary Productivity of Marsh Plants; Detritus in the Food Chain; 

 Marsh Estuaries as Fish Havens and; Marshes as Habitat and Feeding Grounds 

 for Wildlife. Each of the major sections is divided into subsections that 

 fall into a logical pattern so that a reader may work his way progressively 

 through the materials, seeing a story unfold. 



References were obtained by utilizing the abundant resources of 

 Louisiana State University. In each case the relevant article or book was 

 obtained and an abstract was written in terms of the specific interests of 

 the study. As much pertinent substance as was practical was abstracted 

 from each source with the goal that the bibliography would contain infor- 

 mation, rather than serving merely as a reference source. 



The literature survey, abstracting, and report preparation were con- 

 ducted by the Resources Planning and Management Division of Gulf South 

 Research Institute, under contract with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

 The project leader was Jacques D. Bagur. Working under his direction 

 were Gene A. Stephens, Harriet A. Davis, Barbara L. Woods, and Larry M. 

 Hubbard. The initials of the person responsible for each annotation 

 are desianated in parentheses at the end of the abstract. In those cases, 

 where the author's abstract suited the purpose of the biblior^raphy, the 

 reader will find the abbreviation "A. A." in parentheses. 



Comments concerning the bibliography and requests for copies may 

 be addressed to: 



Information Transfer Specialist 

 National Coastal Ecosystem: Team 

 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

 National Space Technology Laboratories 

 NSTL Station, Mississippi 39529 



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