WETLAND TRANSECTS 



The individual components of the New Jersey salt marsh occupy zones consistent with other 

 East Coast areas (reviewed in Nixon 1982). The major zones differentiated in our study are high, 

 low, and transitional marsh. S. altemiflora is frequently dominant in terms of plants per square 

 meter. In transects for this study, the plant occurred in three growth forms: tall, medium, and 

 short. The tall plants occur as the dominant low marsh species, usually as a fringe along the 

 outer periphery of the high marsh. Short S. altemiflora is often the dominant plant in the high 

 marsh, and the less common medium 5. altemiflora is found in the low marsh, or in high marsh 

 with adequate water circulation. The distinction between medium and short S. altemiflora and 

 other growth sizes is imprecise, but was made in the field to add more insight into zonation. 



The dominant high-marsh species in the Tuckerton transects (in decreasing order of 

 abundance) were short S. altemiflora, Spartina patens, medium 5. altemiflora, and Distichlis 

 spicata. In the Great Bay Boulevard marsh where tide range is higher, short S. altemiflora was 

 again dominant with Limonium carolinianum and Salicomia spp. next in importance. Although 

 less than 20 cm (7.9 in) in height, short S. altemiflora is a mature plant capable of producing 

 abundant seeds. It was often codominant with 5. patens, which was at slightly higher elevations. 

 While pure stands of windblown 5. patens were common, it is decreasing in abundance because 

 of manmade (Gosselink and Baumann 1980) and natural causes (Niering and Warren 1980) and 

 is often being replaced by short S. altemiflora. Distichlis spicata and Salicomia spp. were 

 commonly associated with either high-marsh species— the former more frequently with S. patens 

 and the transition zone, and the latter with short S. altemiflora. Due to its salinity tolerance, 

 Salicomia spp. was common throughout the study area as well as in shallow pannes where it grew 

 in association with a mat of Cyanophycean algae. 



Transitional species occur in zones between high marsh and terrestrial vegetation, between 

 high and low marsh, and between low marsh and water. Panicum spp., Iva fmtescens, Pluchea 

 purpurescens, Juncus gerardi, and Phragmites communis occur at the upper limit, or transition 

 zone, of high marsh. The last species is less salt-tolerant and grows at lower elevations only in 

 brackish and freshwater areas. Iva fmtescens is a conspicuous plant found wherever adequate 

 elevation exists, whether on the upper high marsh or on elevated areas produced by spoil. No 

 other plant is as common in both elevated situations, and it was also the only woody plant found 

 in the transects. Other plants in the upper high-marsh transition zone were Panicum spp. 

 (usually P. amamm and P. virgatum). The plants formed belts on the highest elevated marsh 

 areas, frequently as roadside vegetation. Pluchea purpurascens appeared at moderate elevations, 

 frequently with Iva fmtescens and Distichlis spicata. Juncus gerardi was uncommon in the 

 transects, usually occurring in the upper zone of high marsh. Phragmites communis was found at 

 the upper elevation of high marsh, frequently along the roadside, when in coastal areas. However, 

 in coastal rivers, it was often dominant in the low marsh, where it formed dense stands. 



Cyanophycean algae were the principal submerged plants in the high marsh where they 

 existed as thick mats in pannes and low-lying areas. The seagrass, Ruppia maritima, was 

 common in deeper potholes of the high marsh. The dominant plants at the outer margin of the 

 low marsh were the Chlorophycean alga, Enteromorpha spp. and Ulva spp., and the 

 Phaeophycean alga, Fucus spp. These were submerged at high tide and were attached to rocks 

 and shells. 



Composite Transects 



Because of the complexity and varied tidal ranges of the intertidal wetlands in the New 

 Jersey study area, we developed two typical transects to model the scenarios of future sea level 

 rise. The approach we used was similar to the approach used for Charleston (Kana, Baca, and 

 Williams 1986). We used the weighted average percentage of transects covered by each species 



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