CONTENTS 



Page 



PREFACE ill 



FIGURES vii 



TABLES viii 



ACKNOWLEGMENTS ix 



INTRODUCTION TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COASTAL MARSHES 1 



CHAPTER 1. THE PHYSIOGRAPHIC SETTING 'i 



1.1 Geological History *< 



1.2 Tidal Circulation 5 



1.3 Climate and Weather 5 



1 .4 Lagoon Closure 9 



1.5 Intertidal Soil Salinity 10 



1.6 Summary of Chapter 1 T* 



CHAPTER 2. VASCULAR PLANT VEGETATION 15 



2.1 Composition and Intertidal Position 15 



2.2 Common Species 22 



2.3 Transitional Habitats 33 



2.4 Similarities with Other Pacific Coastal Salt marshes .... 33 



2.5 Effects of Disturbance on Marsh Community Structure .... 34 



2.6 A Conceptual Model of Marsh Community Development 38 



2.T' Vascular Plant Productivity 38 



2.8 Productivity Following Freshwater Input 40 



2.9 Decomposition of Vascular Plants 42 



2.10 Summary of Chapter 2 ^2 



CHAPTER 3. ALGAL MATS ON THE MARSH SOILS 44 



3.1 Algal Community Structure 44 



3.2 Algal Mat Productivity '^7 



3.3 Summary of Chapter 3 '*8 



CHAPTER 4. COMPARATIVE ROLES OF VASCULAR PLANTS AND ALGAL MATS .... 49 



4.1 Relative Primary Productivity 49 



4.2 Relative Food Quality 51 



4.3 Conceptual Models of Energy Flow 52 



4.4 Flux of Organic Carbon and the Function of Marsh Plants as 

 Nutrient Traps 52 



4.5 Summary of Chapter 4 56 



