Salt Marshes Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Salt Marshes - Term Paper Example In the global view, salt marshes are common in all latitudes, and when they have grown for many decades, the mangrove forests replace the marshes. The mangrove takes over from the marshes because they thrive well in the salty aquatic environment (Biodiversity and Garden 351). For a marsh to form, it goes through a series of biological processes. It takes time for the angiosperms to accumulate so as to form the marshes. There are types of marshes that can cover the terrestrial habitats while others can extend and expand through trapping more sediments and colonization of the sediments (Pennings and Bertness 289). However, both habitats of salt marshes can be occupied by other organisms like birds, insects, mammals and marine living organisms. There are living organisms that survive well in salty environments while others thrive well in non-salty conditions, the freshwater aquatic animals (Charton and Facts on File 276). Salt marshes are an interesting part of the ecosystem because it involves the interaction of the physical and biological factors and how they form a natural environment that can be inhabited by other living organisms. The article on Coastal Eutrophication as a Driver of Salt Marsh loss says that the salt marshes are important in the ecosystem because they help to protect the coastal cities from storms and strong waves (Deegan, et al. 1). In the recent years, the salt marshes have been seen to be decreasing in sizes and some areas along the coastal line have no marshes.