Acadian Coastal Salt and Estuary Marsh

Home , Bidens eatonii, Bidens hyperborea, Brackish marsh, Estuary

Macrogroup: Tidal Marsh your State Natural Heritage Ecologist for more information about this habitat. this about information more for Ecologist Heritage State Natural your Contact based inventory. field for substitute a not data is and current based on distribution a mapmodeled is This

Description: A saltwater and brackish marsh that occurs along the immediate ocean shore and estuary mouths of the Gulf of Maine. Sometimes called "salt meadows," these marshes display strong graminoid dominance, with patchy forbs. Salt hay and smooth cordgrass are the major dominants. For the purposes of mapping, these include the uncommon salt ponds sometimes found behind barrier beaches, and the marshes found along brackish estuaries of the Gulf of Maine. In brackish occurrences, dominance ranges from extensive bulrush beds and tall grasses and sedges to sparsely vegetated mudflat. Where the coastal topography becomes more dissected, they are commonly seen as a State Distribution: ME fairly narrow fringe along tidal shorelines.

Total Habitat Acreage: 30,065 Ecological Setting and Natural Processes: Percent Conserved: 23.8% These marshes may be extensive where the local State State GAP 1&2 GAP 3 Unsecured topography allows; however, they are generally not State Habitat % Acreage (acres) (acres) (acres) associated with sand beach and dune systems, being more ME 100% 30,065 2,613 4,540 22,912 characteristic of the primarily rocky portions of the Gulf of Maine coast.

Similar Habitat Types: Typically less extensive than the marshes southward along the Atlantic Coast from New Hampshire down to Chesapeake Bay; the vegetation also differs floristically somewhat from salt marshes to the south.

Crosswalk to State Wildlife Action Plans: Crosswalk to State Name Examples: Estuarine Emergent Saltmarsh (ME) Spartina Saltmarsh (ME) Places to Visit this Habitat: Habitat Patch Distribution Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge | ME 14,000 Popham Beach | ME 12,000 R. Waldo Tyler Wildlife Management Area | ME 10,000 8,000 Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge | ME 6,000 Scarborough Wildlife Management Area | ME Acres 4,000 2,000 0

Associated Species: Appendix lists scientific names 0 to 1 1 to 5 5 to 10 1000+ BIRDS: black-crowned night-heron, glossy ibis, laughing gull, 10 to 100 least bittern, nelson's sparrow, northern harrier, saltmarsh 100 to 1000 sparrow, seaside sparrow Patch Size Classes

The average patch size for this habitat is 4 acres and the largest single patch is 832 HERPTILES: brownsnake acres. This chart shows the proportion of the habitat that is in each patch-size class.

INSECTS: big bluet, spot-winged glider Age Class Distribution PLANTS: Annual Saltmarsh Aster (Symphyotrichum 50 subulatum), Beaked Spikerush (Eleocharis rostellata), Dwarf 40 Glasswort (Salicornia bigelovii), Horned Pondweed (Zannichellia 30 palustris), Mudwort (Limosella australis), Saltmarsh Aster 20 (Symphyotrichum subulatum), Saltmarsh Bulrush 10 (Schoenoplectus maritimus), Saltmarsh False Foxglove (Agalinis 0 maritima), Salt-marsh Sedge (Carex recta), Sea-beach Sedge Percent of Habitat (Carex silicea), Slender Blue Flag (Iris prismatica), Water 1 to 20 20 to 40 40 to 60 60 to 80 Pimpernel (Samolus valerandi ssp. parviflorus), Water 80 to 100100 to 140 Pygmyweed (Crassula aquatica) Age (Years)

This chart shows the average age of trees associated with this habitat based on forest Inventory data. For non-forested systems or small habitats the average age is Species of Concern (G1-G4): Appendix lists scientific names influenced by the surroundings. BIRDS: roseate tern, short-eared owl Predicted Habitat Loss to Development MAMMALS: new england cottontail 28,500 PLANTS: Beach Plum (Prunus maritima), Eaton's Beggarticks 28,000 (Bidens eatonii), Estuary Beggarticks (Bidens hyperborea), 27,500 Estuary Monkeyflower (Mimulus ringens var. colpophilus),

Acreage 27,000 Gaspe Peninsula Arrow-grass (Triglochin gaspensis), Herbaceous Seepweed (Suaeda maritima), Long's Bittercress 26,500 (Cardamine longii), Parker's Pipewort (Eriocaulon parkeri) 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 2060 Decade

This chart shows the predicted loss of habitat over the next five decades (911 acres) if loss continues at the same rate as 1990-2000. The average rate of loss is 18 acres per year.

Habitat Connectedness Index

60 40 20 0 Percent of Habitat

0 to 25 25 to 50 50 to 75 75 to 100 Degree of Fragmentation (0=Highly Fragmented & 100= Highly Connected)

This metric measures how connected or fragmented the land directly surrounding (18 © Maine Natural Areas Program square miles) the habitat is, this the chart shows the proportion of the habitat in each connectedness class.

Acadian Coastal Salt and Estuary Marsh http://nature.ly/HabitatGuide