Open AccessRate of establishment and seasonal immersion of Spartina in Mariager Fjord, Denmark
Author(s) -
Christiansen Christian,
Møller Jens Tyge
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
ecography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.973
H-Index - 128
eISSN - 1600-0587
pISSN - 0906-7590
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0587.1983.tb01095.x
Subject(s) - fjord , spartina , vegetation (pathology) , environmental science , ecology , spartina alterniflora , oceanography , biology , physical geography , hydrology (agriculture) , geology , marsh , geography , wetland , medicine , pathology , geotechnical engineering
Spartina (Sp. × townsendii H. & J. Groves and Sp. anglica Hubbard) was introduced in Mariager Fjord in 1948. The present study of a 154 ha sample area is based partly on topographic mapping and partly on photogrammetric plotting. The total area covered with vegetation was almost constant 1.0 × 10 5 m 2 from 1945 to 1959. Spartina was planted in the study area in 1959, and spread rapidly. In 1978 the vegetation covered an area of 2.1 × 10 5 m 2 . It is suggested that this very high rate of establishment could be due to seasonal fluctuations in water levels. As the sea level is often low in spring, the sample area can be dry for up to 9 d at a stretch. This allows the roots to become anchored in the sand.