Meet the Species “In the Grass”

The species on this page are typical of a north Florida salt marsh.  Dr. Randall Hughes is conducting an NSF funded study on biodiversity in salt marshes, and included in the descriptions are links to blog posts related to that study.

Foundation Species

Smooth Cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora)
Cordgrass is often the dominant species of the coastal salt marsh. Click to Expand

Cordgrass is often the dominant species of the coastal salt marsh. It is the “foundation species” of a salt marsh, creating the habitat and offering shelter (in the Florida Gulf) to periwinkle snails, blue crabs, fiddler crabs, crown conch, and young mullet, among others. Spartina accumulates sediment, solidifying and expanding landmass along the coast.  It also acts as a filter for nutrients carried by rainwater to coastal waters.

Spartina reproduces in two ways.  Its rhizomes can split apart, with each segment becoming a different individual with identical genetic composition.  This is clonal reproduction.  They also produce flowers and seeds towards the end of summer.

Cordgrass Consumers

Periwinkle snails (Littoraria irrotata)
Periwinkles climb cordgrass (Spartina) to evade their predators, which include crown conchs and blue crabs.  Click to expand

Grasshopper (suborder Caelifera of the order Orthoptera)
As anyone with a backyard garden is aware, grasshoppers are prodigious consumers of plants. Click to expand.

 Main Predators

Crown Conch (Melongena corona)
The crown conch is a main predator of the Gulf Coast salt marsh, feeding on periwinkle snails.  Click to expand

The crown conch is a main predator of the Gulf Coast salt marsh, feeding on periwinkle snails. Crown conchs play a role on oyster reefs as well, consuming oysters by inserting their proboscis between an oyster’s valves.

By feeding on and scaring these periwinkle snails, does the crown conch benefit or harm the marsh? Find the video here.

Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus)
A popular delicacy (for humans) in this habitat is the blue crab, which is the crab used to make Maryland crab cakes. Click to Expand

 Other Animals of the Marsh

Fiddler Crab (Uca pugilator or Uca panacea, locally)
Fiddlers are so named for the male’s “fiddle claw”. Click to expand.

Fiddlers are so named for the male’s “fiddle claw,” their oversized claw. If the crab loses the fiddle claw, the opposite claw grows into the fiddle the next time they molt. Fiddlers are also popular pets.  Their main importance in a salt marsh comes from the burrows in which they live. Scattered throughout the salt marsh, these holes allow oxygen to reach the cordgrass root system. By providing this oxygen, they ensure that the cordgrass that gives them shelter from predators.

Pinfish (Lagodon rhomboides)
The pinfish gets its name from the sharp spines in its dorsal fin.  Click to expand

Ribbed Mussel (Geukensia demissa)
Mussels have a mutually beneficial relationship with Spartina.  Click to expand

Striped Mullet (Mugil cephalus)
Striped mullet is an international fish, found along coastlines of every continent except Antarctica. Click to expand

 Other Plants of the Marsh

Needlerush (Juncus roemarianus)
Needlerush is often found further inland in a salt marsh, as it has a lower tolerance to salinity than cordgrass.  Click to expand

Needlerush is often found further inland in a salt marsh, as it has a lower tolerance to salinity than cordgrass. When both cordgrass and needlerush are present, periwinkles will often climb the taller needlerush, though they do not feed on it.

Saltwort (Batis maritima)

Sea Lavendar (Limonium carolinianum)
Sea lavender is an herb that grows among marsh grasses. It blooms in the Summer months (June through August).  Click to expand

Spikegrass (Distichlis spicata)

Woody Glasswort (Salicornia virginica)