FRINGE 

 along shorel ines, 

 well developed 

 prop roots, zona- 

 tion as in (a) 

 above , 



BASIN 

 poorly flushed on peaty 

 marl, occasional hyper- 

 sal Inity, black, white 

 and red mangrove distri- 

 buted in relation to 

 tidal/freshwater influence 



RIVERINE 



straight boled R. mangle 



dominant, max. height 

 60' , well flushed on 

 peat soils along 

 f loodplains 



SCRUB 



stunted forests on marl 

 tree height 1.5 m, al 1 

 species present, may be 



nutrient limited 



OVERWASH 

 uniform forest structure 

 washed clean by dai ly 

 tides, no litter 

 accumu lat ion 



GULf 



a' 

 UExiCO 



Figure 49b. Mangrove community 

 associations and for- 

 est types along the 

 southwest coast of 

 Florida (adapted from 

 Lugo and Snedaker 

 1974). 



salt or freshwater marshes or marl 

 prairies. Along northern Florida 

 Bay these flats are often found more 

 intricately interspersed within a 

 broad zone of basin type mangroves 

 (Davis 1940, Russell et al. 1980). 

 Dominant species in the more open 

 prairies are the succulent saltwort 

 ( Batis maritima ) and glasswort 

 ( Salicornia perennis ), with some 

 cordgrass ( Spartina sp.) and needle- 

 rush ( Juncus roemerianus ) (Davis 

 1940, Russell et al. 1980). 



Extensive salt marshes are gen- 

 erally found upland of the mangroves 

 and salt prairies, particularly 



between major estuaries (Craighead 

 1971) and in association with open 

 ponds and black mangroves (Davis 

 1940). Large areas of Juncus marsh 

 dotted with numerous ponds exist 

 along the interior margins of the 

 Buttonwood levee and interior Cape 

 Sable. They are also found on the 

 interior of some of the larger man- 

 grove islands. Spartina dominated 

 marshes, particularly Spartina 



spartinae (prickly cordgrass) are 

 also found in similar settings be- 

 coming especially dominant from 

 Broad River to the north. 



Often, upland of the marsh and 

 mangrove vegetation, an ecotonal 

 mixture of trees and shrubs known as 

 the "Conocarpus transition associes" 

 occurs (Davis 1940). Hilsenbeck 



et al. (1979) describe a similar 

 association in the lower Taylor 

 Slough area as follows: 



"This community represents an 

 upland successional formation that 

 is roughly intermediate between man- 

 grove forests and hardwood hammock 

 forests. These forests, also called 

 "low hammocks, " occupy relatively 

 deep peat soils that have a very 

 brief or no effective hydroperiod. 

 They are floristically guite di- 

 verse, particularly in regard to the 

 tree species composition, but are 

 sufficiently similar so that they 

 can be regarded as one forest type. 



"In the typical stand, mangrove 

 vegetation dominates the forest mar- 

 gins and rarely a low marginal pond 

 region when present. A diverse and 

 highly variable assemblage of tropi- 

 cal hardwood tree species comprises 

 the majority of the forest canopy 

 that is closed, often excluding more 

 than 80 percent of the ambient sun- 

 light. This creates beneath the 

 canopy a stable microclimate that is 

 suited for several of the native 

 bromeliad species. Several tree 

 species contribute to the canopy on 



148 



