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The Development of a Tidal Marsh: Upland and Oceanic Influences
Author(s) -
Clark James S.,
Patterson William A.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
ecological monographs
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.254
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1557-7015
pISSN - 0012-9615
DOI - 10.2307/1942557
Subject(s) - macrofossil , marsh , pollen , ecology , salt marsh , vegetation (pathology) , geology , sea level , intertidal zone , physical geography , oceanography , wetland , geography , biology , medicine , pathology
A stratigraphic study was undertaken to determine the historic role of watershed and sea—level changes on the development of Fresh Pond Marsh on Long Island's north shore. Pollen analytic, radiometric, and macrofossil techniques were aimed at differentiating among marsh, watershed, and regional changes over the last 1000 yr. A study of surface pollen distribution was conducted to determine pollen source and tidal influences on pollen deposition and to evaluate comparability of fossil pollen records from various intertidal environments. Regional and local inputs along a transect that included several tidal regimes were identified. Pollen counts from these different environments were comparable and proved useful for marsh reconstructions. Pollen analyses from the coastal marsh and a nearby lake distinguished changes in upland vegetation and cultural patterns within the watershed from those occurring regionally. Records of local pollen, foraminifera, macrofossils, rhizomes, and lithology indicated that the history of Fresh Pond Marsh has included periods of both tidal and freshwater conditions. Close dating control provided by 2 1 0 Pb measurements and historically documented changes in indicator pollen taxa identified marsh responses to external influences, including dynamics of a baymouth bar, land clearing, agriculture, mosquito ditching, and sea—level fluctuations. Results showed that (1) tidal marsh sections can provide sensitive records of both upland and marsh vegetation histories, (2) pollen and macrofossil records can be closely linked to tide—gauge records and are responsive to short—term changes in sea level with a high degree of temporal resolution, and (3) upland influences can play an important role in determining the course of plant succession in the intertidal environment. Pollen provides the most sensitive record of marsh and upland development, as long as pollen source is accounted for.