the growing season and the increase in dead material during the growing 



season. The marsh was found to produce 445 grams at a rate of 



5.32 g dry wt/m /day. Production was found to vary over the surface 



of the marsh and was associated with drainage conditions. (Author's 



summary) 



Keywords: salt marshes, productivity, marsh plants, plant litter, 

 Delaware 



II-B-31 



Good, R.E. 1965. Salt marsh vegetation. Cape May, New Jersey. Bulletin 

 of the New Jersey Academy of Science 10(1):1-11. 



A study was made of Goshen Creek salt marsh in Cape May County, 

 New Jersey, during the summers of 1963 and 1964. The objectives of 

 the study were to investigate the vegetational and environmental patterns 

 and determine relationships among them; to obtain an estimate of 

 productivity for the salt marsh; and to evaluate the methods used. 

 Forty-nine stands were sampled by the point-centered quarter method, 

 which was modified to obtain an estimate of standing crops by a 

 collection of the plants measured at the points. 



The stands were compared by coefficient of community techniques and 

 then arranged along an axis by means of ordination techniques. 

 Determinations were made for the environmental factors of salinity 

 and depth of flooding. The greater part of the area was dominated 

 by Spartina alterni flora . Spartina patens and Distichlis spicata 

 were the next most important species. 



The lack of a continual change in composition of the stands along 

 the ordination axis suggests that distinct communities exist of 

 which Spartina alterniflora and S_. patens make up almost pure stands. 

 They clearly stand out in the ordination diagram and can be considered 

 as distinctive associations. Examination of other stands of the 

 ordination also suggested that there was little validity in applying 

 the continuum concept to salt-marsh vegetation. 



The point-centered quarter method provides accurate information 

 for density and standing crop only for species that are randomly 

 dispersed ( Spartina alterniflora ). Results indicated that certain 

 stands dominated by Spartina alterniflora gave the highest estimates 

 of standing crop (maximum of 532 grams/m^ and an average of 

 300 grams/m^). These values were similar to values for a Delaware 

 salt marsh, but lower than values for Georgia salt marshes. 



The results further indicated that high estimates of standing crop 

 (which occurred primarily along the creeks) were associated with 

 frequent fl codings and moderate salinities, while low estimates of 



57 



