Northern 

 bluff line 



Approximate Scale 

 Kilometers 



'^incon Bayou 



central Rincon Bayou Site 

 (treatment) 



Figure 6-1: Location of vegetation sampling stations in the upper Nueces Delta. The study design included 

 one reference site and two treatment sites (Tidal Flats and central Rincon Bayou), with one sampling station per site. 



allow to the same meteorological influences as the 

 other two treatment stations. Station II was located in 

 the tidal flats area about 1.2 km downstream from the 

 Reference Station and about 0.5 km downstream from 

 the Rincon Overflow Channel. Freshwater flow 

 through the Rincon Overflow Channel direcdy 

 impacted Station II. Station III was located adjacent to 

 the central Rincon Bayou chamiel about 2.7 km 

 downstream from Station II, 3.1 km from the Rincon 

 Overflow Channel and 5.7 from the Nueces Overflow 

 Channel. Station III was closest to Nueces Bay (about 

 7.4 km via channels). Vegetation at Station III was 

 potentially influenced by fresh water entering the 

 marsh via the Nueces Overflow Channel and was 

 subjected to tidal inundation of saline waters from the 

 bay. 



The vegetation at the three stations was diverse, 

 including both annual and perennial species. Annual 

 plants differed from perermial plants in that they 

 complete their life cycle within one year and reproduce 

 by seeds (sexual reproduction). Perennial plants can 

 live for more than a year and reproduce both sexually 

 by seeds and by asexual vegetative growth {i.e., 

 expansion of above-ground tissues and below-ground 

 rhizomes). The dominant vegetation species at the 

 three stations were the perennial plants Borrichia 

 frutescens^ Bads maritima, Monanthocloe littoralis and 

 Distichlis spicata. The perennial succulent Salkornia 

 virginica was dominant at Station III but was rarely 

 found at the odier two stations. The amiual succulent, 

 Salkornia bigelovii, was periodically present at all three 



Chapter Six ♦ 6-3 



