II-B-3 



Mall, R.E. 1969. Soil -water-salt relationships of waterfowl food plants 



in the Suisun Marsh of California. California Department of Fish and 



Game, Wildlife Bulletin No. 1. 39 pp. 



This is one of the few studies of the productivity of Pacific Coast 

 marshes. It found a mean value of 722 g m"^ for Salicornia virqinica , 

 with a reduction to 276 g m"^ on highly saline soils. The study also 

 discusses the marsh environment, plant use and selection by waterfowl, 

 and the impact of habitat degradation on waterfowl resources. (J.B.) 



Keywords: soil -water-salt relationships, waterfowl, food plants, 

 coastal marsh, California 



II-B-4 



Kirby, C.J., and J.G. Gosselink. 1976. Primary production in a Louisiana 

 gulf coast Spartina alterniflora marsh. Ecology 57:1052-1059. 



Live and dead aboveground biomass of Spartina alterniflora Loisel 

 in a south Louisiana salt marsh in the Barataria Bay estuarine system 

 was determined monthly over an annual cycle. The productivity of 

 streamside and inland marsh areas are compared. This is the first 

 published report of saline marsh production in this vast marsh area 

 and is of interest because of the nearly subtropical conditions and 

 low tidal energy that distinguish gulf coast marshes from Atlantic 

 coast marshes. 



Litter bags were used to determine loss rates of particulate vegetation 

 from the marsh surface. Net aboveground primary production estimates 

 ranged from 750 to 2,600gm~^yr"' , depending on how data were handled. 

 Analysis of these results suggested that true net production was probably 

 much closer to the highest estimate than to the lowest. Annual production 

 of an average gulf coast salt marsh was calculated to be l,176g/m2. 

 CA.A. and B.W.) 



Keywords: Spartina , primary production, biomass, coastal marshes, 

 Louisiana, U.S. Gulf coast 



II-B-5 



Kirby, C.J. 1971. The annual net primary production and decomposition 

 of the salt marsh grass Spartina alterniflora Loisel. in the Barataria 

 Bay estuary of Louisiana. Ph.D. Thesis. Louisiana State University, 

 Baton Rouge. 73 pp. 



The annual net primary production of Spartina alterniflora was 

 determined for both inland and streamside marsh. Production was 

 initially calculated by summation of the monthly changes in standing 



35 



