Dawson, E. Yale

English

Aquatic Commons

l'>fARINE AND :MARSH VEGETATION 
B:r E. YALE DAWSON 
The dominantly shallow, mn<l~Bat character of the entire Bahia San 
Quinlin eFtuary provides for it!~ dominant vegetation characteristics whieh 
are of two kinrls: l, A marine flora consistiug of extcnsin:: bed~ of 
Zostera marina covering many acres of mud flat~ that arc oaly slightly 
suhmcrged at low tide; 2, a salt marsh Hnra of exten~ive dt>veloprnent along 
nearly half of the luw·lj'ing margins o{ the bay suhj~:'ct to tidal Jlonding. 
Some oi the fealures oJ thes;e two vegetations whieh are seldom contiguous, 
but usually separated by broader or narrower Lamh; of harren, Sfmdy or 
muddy flats expo~Pd at lo-w water. will he taken up in turn. 
The Salt :Marsh 
As shown in Figure 1~ the areas of tidal sa)t marsh are most extl'nsin~ 
along !h~ northern and ea:<tern margins nf the east arm of the Lay. This 
area consists largdr of very low sand hiUs and flats with almost no rocky 
outctop;s. The cenlra1 and wc::;tem purLs of Lhe hay, on the other hand, 
border rough lava Ilows from four extinet volcanos, and salt mari"Ju~s 
oecur only in four re1at.isely small, Hat shore areas hetween these prom~ 
inences. 
The mm;t ex.LL'H:>ive marsh is that at the north end of the easl: arm. and 
it was hfTC that collections and nu•a.•;urcm<.,~nts were made. Ohscrvntions 
showed, howe-YCL that all o[ the mar."th an:as around the hay are essentially 
identieai in composition, and. thus, cnmparahle Lo the one studied in more 
detnil. 
The luwe'3t parts of the marslws in almost all areas consi~t of a 
hand of Spar#na jolio.~a\ standing in shallm;· water at low tide. Ahm'to 
the Sparlina helL the dominnnt marsh cove-r consi!"ls oi Salicorni(l. vir· 
ginica with occasional jmre sU.uHis ot· :::lihdomimmt mixtures o£ Berti:; 
marithna mal Suaeda culifornica. Scatterf'd plant~ or mixtures of Frartft:. 
••niu grnndiflora, Limonimn Cfllijornicum var. me:.ricanwn nnd illonanllw" 
elm~ liUoralis occur thmugh thiH low~ (requcntlr flooded arra, lmt one is 
irnpn:s::.ed hy the o;;envhdming dominance of Salicomia which con•r . , an 
area nf approximately 2112 :-quare miles around the uppermost lohc nf the 
en:"it arm of the bay alone. A sample of: this Salicornia mar5h was taken 
for wPighing hy scraping oU lo ground len:I the vegetation within u 
mea.;urt2'd square yard. The weight o( this fresh sample lakcn April 22~ 
1Idcntifications of the marsh plants were made hy Dr. Robert F. Hoover, California 
Polytechnic College, San Luis Obispo, 
276 PACIFIC ~ATG!C\LIST VoL. 3, No. 7 
1960 was 3500 gram>; (3 l!Js. 11 oz. drr weight nl room lemperature1 
Santa Ynez. Jum~ 10, 1960 l. This givt'5 an approximate figure of 
27.104,000 kilograms of Salicornia marsh growth in this small area~ 
exclusive of tlw rool material which, according to washing~ made by 
Barnard Irnm post-hole digger samples. \see preceding paper) is roughly 
l~qua! lo the weight of the ahm·e·grnund portions of the plant;:;. 
The lower flats han· numerous small mf'andNintr tidal channels run-
nin,u; through the martoh. and the muddv bottoms of these nt low ·water 
"'lw~~· frl'qtt~nt colonie:' of hlue-e;n't::n tllga~'" and the wiflespn•~:ul green alga 
En!t'romorplw growing on the mud. apparently ser\'ing in consi(lerahlc 
part u:;; food for the ;:xceedingly uhundant gastropods (Cerirhidca) 
inhabiting theRe wntl'rway,.;.. 
The SaUcarnia- mur:;:h gn:ule_s rather ahruptly in most areas i11lo the 
urifl serub Yt•gt•talion of higher ground. This narrow transition zone is 
oeeupied for the most purl hy three spl'cics of marsh plant;; not eharucler-
istic of those urea:< thal are rf'gulurly flooded~ ilul suhjt•et to inundation 
only at highest ti(le:o: o[ winter und f:'nnmwr high wut('r ~prings: Salicomia 
subtt'Tminalis, DistichUs spicala, Frankenia pal men:. 
Marine Vegetation 
Over 95j+ of thl' marine vegctutlon of Bahfa Sun Quintin eon~ists of 
the Eel Gras:-:. Zw;teru muritw. This plant Iorms broad~ den:::e stands 
oetnpying that gr{'ater part of tlw muddy bottom of the hay which is neither 
expo,;ed at Jnwesl tide levels. nor suhrnerged to dcptlli;: exceNling 10 fel"l 
at high \Vater (Flg. 1, 2), The bc;st dewlnpcd beds occur in the middle 
parts of lhL' bay on Hats which earry l-:1 feel ol water nl lowe5t tidl•. 
!Many of the beds were ohservcd to he in malnre, flowering condition in 
Aprii, 1960. Ex:lensive windrmvs of ca.;::t Zosh•m frngmcuts were noted along 
the entire middl(~ cast shon~ oi tJ1e buy to which the wind drives dislodged 
and hrokt·n matl~riols from the beds. The del'P channels in the hay arc 
uniformly Ire(~ of Zo$f,era which quite :o:lrklly horders their steep sidPs, 
Tb~ uppl'L east arm of the bay seems to support only sealtNed patclus of 
depauperate plants which in Aprll \ren: only S-10 inches long. These 
scaltt•rPd patcht•n were the only ones ob:3ened on mm1 flats exposed ut low 
~Entnphysali.s deusla. E. conferta. Micmcolcus cht.lwnoplastcs nnd Calothris 
crus!•JCV(l (deL Fnmcis Drouet). 
li'ig. 1. Bahlo San Quintin showing Zostera beds as obsenred nnd photographed 
nt low water level, April 1960. The deep channels of the bo.r ore outlined h.Y 
bmken lines. These represerlt depths of more than -~ feet nt hw wnh:r. All other 
depths are less than ·I· feet at lmv water, <md a 1orge part of the shnllows on the 
shon:wvurd sides of the Zostera beds are exposed or neurlr so at lowest low water 
springs. 
The Iigures 1-3 represent the principal rocky shore localities withi11 the bay 
nt ·which nwrirw algal collections were mnde. Approximate extent of tbe tidr~l 
rl1Rrshes are outlined along the murgins of the bay. 
~-· 
~3:~~~1 
' 
' 
DISTRIBUTION OF 
APR I 
0 
NAUTICAL ~.-'1LES 
BEDS 
27:1 PACJFJC NATURALIS'l' VoL. 3, l'io. i 
tide. lVIore extensive palchrs of this plant wen·, however, oh~erv~rl in this 
orea in Decernht->r 19rJ9. Zostera wa;; heavily Ppiphitized in April by lletcr· 
or/erma mirwt-ula. 
Compared tu lhc prt>ponderam•e of Zo . .;tnra, the algal n·gelalinn oi the 
hay h.; inconspieumJs. Ncverthe-lPss. several spccil's occur in moderate 
abunflmwP. and the general composition ami seasonal nature of the algal 
flora j;:, of intpresl in estahiishing the JH'P~ent charaetl'r of tlw vegetation 
for fultll'l' eompnriBon with conditions here- and l'lsewhcn• along llw 
Pacific CoasL 
The ulgal flora ut a gh·en time con:::.ists of hetwcen 19 and 24 spt'dcs, 
cxelusivP of Cp:mophy!n ami other mlerolc'copic forms. Twt"nly lhrt't~ 
~pt.·dt":" wen• fnund in April, 1960~ ninetr·en specif':'\ in Aug-ust, 1960, ami 
twPnly·fonr speeie~ in December, ]9,19. In euch cllEe E-ix: kiml::- of g:n•PJI 
algae were found. from none to thn~e SflL'eies o( hrown alp;tW~ and from 
thirtf'en to sixteen ~pt•cies of red algae. The following is t\ Jist of those 
plants:: that howe heen identified to datt'. Tin• asterisks arL' explained below. 
Green Algae 
U lvu h~eluca L. Cluwlomorpha sp aff. C. cmrnr1binu 
Ulm latissima L. {Areoch.) Kjellm. 
Enteramorplza inlestinalis L. Cladophora IJiicmcladioidt•s Coll. 
Entaomorpha uctmthcplwra Kiitz. Codium magrwm Dnw. 
EnlCI'O!IW!pha compres.m (L,) Grev, Dcrbcsia marina (Lyug.) Kiellm. 
Rrmrn Algaf' 
Ectocarpus 
C. Ag. 
Rnlfsia sp. 
gmnu!osus ( Smilh) Colpomenia sinuo.m (Ro!h) D. & S. 
• Scytosiphon lomcnturia (Lynghye) 
J. Ag. 
Hed Algne 
Gclitlium jolmstunii S. & G. 
l-letercdemw minutula (FosL) 
F osl. on Zostera 
Lithotlwmnium lenunmmdii 
(An•sch.) Fosl, 
Comllina piruwtifoh'n (:\1unzn) Daw. 
Lithothri:r aspcrgillwn J, E. Gray 
Flypnca ccrpfcornis 1. Ag, 
Gmcilariopsis sp. 
Gracilaria subsccundata S. & G. 
Gigartinu f_'tmnlicufalu H<u·Y. 
GiJ.;artina tepida HoHenherg 
Lomcll/aria lw!oodatcnsis Yendo 
The collection±' t111d oh,o:en'ation;.:; 
gt•nt>ralities alJOut lhi.o:; flora: 
• Ccntmceras clavulawm (Ag.) Mont 
Cr•ramium crttulatum S, & G. 
Cemmimn !rn·lnrii Dnvvron 
Ceramium pe.rsonatum S" & G. 
Spyridia {ilrmwntosa ("VVulL) Hon·. 
Griflithsin tcuuis C. A g. 
Griffit!Jsill multiraliiOSll (S. & G.) 
TnyL 
Drv.ya sp. 
l-l:rpoglns.mm atterwalwn 
fJolrsiplumia mollis Hook. 
Clumdria S]1. 
Laurcncin sp. 
Gnrdner 
& Han', 
to datp reveal u number of definitive 
L Exr:Ppt for u very few t•piphytPs rm the Zoslcra1 mrrerosropk1 
lwnlhie algae are largely cnnfiued ln the rocky shorc:5 nlong lilt' eC'ntral 
pf'oin&.tilu ln~lween the two urrn::: -of the t1ay. 
2. FirlPt>n nf llw thirty idPnliii('fi spt•dt>R an• of coamopolitan nr 
wide~prend tli3trilmlion in the w<~.rm-lemperate northPrn lwmisphen· anti 
Hff' io he expected in ulmosl uny sw:h eonfh1ed hndy of \Vater a:;; Bahia 
San Quintin (marketl by a:-lt•risks). 

280 PACIFIC ~Al'GHALlST VoL. d~ No. 7 
3. AU but six of the rpet'ies detected in the florn thus far are known 
lo occur in other similar; shallow bays or protected situations along the 
Baja California and southern California coast to the north. 
·L A few specie:J~ notahly Gelidium jolwstottii: Jlyptwa cervicornis1 
Gracilaria su.b.'iecundata, Ceramium persona-tum, Lomentaria !wlwdat.ensis 
und /Jypoglo,~.mm rrlf.t~wwttun, dutractcriFtic inhabitants of the GuH of 
Ca1Hornia1 appear to he oul of their normal runge n.nd to reach here in this 
proteetPd e~tuary a J10rtbern distributional limit on the Pucifie Coas:t. 
5. A marked ~easonai development is eYidcnt in which mo.s:t uf the 
plants arc in juv-enile or Hl-de;:eloped stages 1luring the l:'pring (April) hut 
~how rleh devdopmcut during summer (August) and maturity or decline 
l1y late full ( No .. 'emher~Oecernbt-r). ThiF i:;; espeeially true of Codiwn 
magntun, Spyritlia filumenlosa, Polysiphonia molli:>~ Grtj/ilhsia tcnuis? 
G. mult.irmnosa, Glgartina lt:pida and flypoglm,mm attenuatum. 
6, Corliwn nwgrwm i;;; a unique1 massive piuntt the largest member 
of tht• gf'nus on record, and unknown dsewhNc on t1le coast. 
Three algal cnllt~ding an•us were found lo he clislinetive along: the 
central pt>nin:;;uia and are iiHlil:aled on Fig. l as numben.: L 2 and :1. 
Station 1 exhibited a purlieularly ·marked seasonaJ devt>lopment. 
Scarcely any macroscopic algae we-re evident, f'xecpt for Enteromorplwt 
during thC' period of our April observations. Only a Sew hits of Sprridia 
and Codium wen" fnunrl, all in very young stages. By Augu~t, howe\'er, 
the Sprridia had beeome dominaut und in good growth. llypnea, Cenfro-
ceras, Clumdria and Derhe/;ia Wt>re present. and liH:' Codimn had reached 
moderate sizt'. By ~owmlwr the Codiwn was massJve and alnH)Rt past 
mnlurity (as it hud bef·n found nlsn in late Deccmher~ 19:19) and the 
SjiJridia 'WUS even more nbuntlanl than in August. 
Station 2 il' located h1 nn urea of mueb heUer circulation than station 
1 and is suhjecl to slight lapping surf from Lhe l1road expanne of the bay to 
the E>outh. Again, the !lora during April was found to l1e largely of juvenHe 
plunl'S t~xeepl fnr ocea:oionai good colonie;; of Enterumorplm. By August, 
howp\·er~ lhe tdgal flora pron~d lo hun~ udmneed greally tnwurd maturity. 
l.urge massL-z;: of Ulvrr~ Gracllada~ Polrsiplronlu a11d Codium were preseut 
ulm;g with a Jarge. plant-like colonial hydroid. Gigarthw crmaliculatu~ 
rharaeteristical1y a plant of open, surfy shores, was promiueut on the mo~t 
exposed rocks on thiF< point. By Novemher the Gracilaria and Cndium had 
passed maturity and were on the wu.ne, hut Polysiplwnia and Ulvu remained 
and were accompanied hy abundant red dumps of Grijjilhsia lt!fmiB uml 
G. mulltramo.wr, mueh of 'Wh-ich was drifting: in from its place of grm~r·th on 
the shallnw hottmn and on Eel Grass a short distance oH shore. 
Station 3 wn~ not ohsern~d during April~ hut hy Augnst showed a 
lwavy deve-lopment or Polysiplwnia mol/is, Codiurn magnum, Hypnea 
cervlcorni,~. Griffitluda tmuds~ Centroc<•ras chwulatmn, Gracilaria, subsecun-
data nnd Lonwnuuia bailenma. B\· NovernLer several of the..<:e hatl dC'clinvd 
aml only Ulvu, Corlium a~d Cent'ruceras were uhundant and con~picuous. 


Marine and marsh vegetation

http://aquaticcommons.org/11198/1/Pac_Nat_3_No_7.pdf

Marine and marsh vegetation

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Aquatic Commons