. The ecology of delta marshes of coastal Louisiana : a community profile. Marsh ecology -- Louisiana; Wetlands -- Louisiana. ^â. S*2J**^^^Ii^' ^.V^. Figure 36. A deltaic plain brackish marsh. Note the "hunmocky" appearance wh typical of Spartina patens stands. The birds with black-tipped wings are pelicans, the smaller ones ducks, mostly teal (Photograph by Robert Abernathy) . '«^ ich is white The roles of chance and competition in marsh plant distribution have not been extensively studied in the delta marshes. We usually assume that seed sources are abundant so that a supply of pr
. The ecology of delta marshes of coastal Louisiana : a community profile. Marsh ecology -- Louisiana; Wetlands -- Louisiana. ^â. S*2J**^^^Ii^' ^.V^. Figure 36. A deltaic plain brackish marsh. Note the "hunmocky" appearance wh typical of Spartina patens stands. The birds with black-tipped wings are pelicans, the smaller ones ducks, mostly teal (Photograph by Robert Abernathy) . '«^ ich is white The roles of chance and competition in marsh plant distribution have not been extensively studied in the delta marshes. We usually assume that seed sources are abundant so that a supply of propagules does not limit invasion by a species and the presence of one species does not prevent another adapted species from invading. In fact, competition is probably a very strong distribution factor. With the exception of a few true obligate halophytes (represented on the gulf coast by Batis maritima and several species of Salicornia), the salt-tolerant species will all grow well in fresh or nearly fresh substrates. Since these species are not found in salt-free areas, presumably they are confined to saline areas because they cannot compete well with fresh marsh species in a fresh environment. Another example of competition is the observation that the thick layer of dead vegetation covering a stand of the perennial grass ^. patens excludes S_. olneyi and annual grasses. It is common to burn S_. patens stands to encourage these other species which are nore desirable as food for ducks and muskrats (Hoffpauir 1968). In early literature on delta marsh plants it was assumed that the vegetation modified the landscape so that the envi- ronment was changed, allowing other spe- cies to invade. For example,Penfound and Hathaway (1938) outlined a successional sequence fran saline through fresh marshes to upland forests. The sequence was based on the idea that marsh plants, by produc- ing peat, could elevate the sites they grew on until upland species could invade and survive there. T
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