Synecology of a Virginia salt marsh

Abstract

In the spring and summer of 1964 a salt marsh in Gloucester County, Virginia, was analyzed using random quadrat sampling. Synthetic treatments were employed to evaluate data and were correlated with observed differences in elevation. Floristic data indicate the Virginia salt marshes show closer similarity to marshes north of Chesapeake Bay than those south of Chesapeake Bay. Correlation of floristic data with observed differences in elevation indicates that zonation in the marsh is dependent upon differences in elevation or some environmental factor correlated with elevation differences. Observations of sedimentation and erosion in localized areas indicate that the marsh is in a constant state of change, with extensive areas undergoing both succession and regression.