Teal: Most of the loss is probably in the form of detritus. That is, 



very small particles, 1 don't think we lose much in the way of 

 big pieces . 



Redfield: Don't you ever find rafts of it floating around? 



Ragotzkie: The rafts are primarily stems and the leaves are probably either 



decomposed by bacteria or mechanically broken up and take their 

 place in the detritus which then merely become suspended mat- 

 erial. It is very impressive to see the rafts. They appear as 

 far as 10 miles to sea, but the nutrient value of these rafts is 

 probably quite small because it is mostly cellulose stems. 



Redfield: I think it would be more interesting to work on the losses into the 



mud. I gather that half of the vegetation is roots and that certain- 

 ly doesn't wash away very fast but it will accumulate. If you knew 

 the rate of growth of the marsh, then I would think that the contri- 

 bution to peat would be a very small proportion of the free living 

 plant. 



Andrews: In Virginia we seem to get cycles of four good seasons for oysters, 



that is, for plankton, which is apparently related to a heavy runoff 

 of water. Is there any mechanism by which the marshes might be 

 built up in dry years and destroyed by storms ? Do you know any- 

 thing about the energy changes over a period of years rather than 

 just a single year ? 



Teal: No. 



Wagner: Do you find much of a problem with manatee grass or turtle grass 



and some of those things washing in and piling in windrows on the 

 marshes adding, I would think, considerable detritus from an out- 

 side source ? 



Teal: I have never seen it here. 



Ragotzkie: I want to ask Al Smalley if he will comment on that annual varia- 



tion of production by Spartina. Don't we have some information 

 on that ? 



Smalley: I have some information on the high marsh but I think that by the 



time you consider that the production there is low and then you 

 consider the production over the whole marsh this becomes small. 



Ragotzkie: But it does vary. 



Smalley: Oh yes, there is variation. 



Russell: In your curve between July and October you have an increase in 



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