Introduction: organisms, sediments, and water movements
Abstract During winter, the intertidal mudflats of the Chesapeake Bay, a large estuarine system on the east coast of North America, are crowded with wading birds. Dunlin (Calidris alpma), dowitchers (Limnodromus spp.), and oystercatchers (Haematopus spp.) accumulate in large feeding flocks. Meanwhil...
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| Format: | Book Part |
| Language: | unknown |
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Oxford University PressOxford
2000
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| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198504276.003.0001 https://academic.oup.com/book/chapter-pdf/52320489/isbn-9780198504276-book-part-1.pdf |
| Summary: | Abstract During winter, the intertidal mudflats of the Chesapeake Bay, a large estuarine system on the east coast of North America, are crowded with wading birds. Dunlin (Calidris alpma), dowitchers (Limnodromus spp.), and oystercatchers (Haematopus spp.) accumulate in large feeding flocks. Meanwhile, mudflats in the Severn estuary, in southwest England, are visited by up to 2000 curlew (Numenius arcata), 2000 redshank (Tringa totanus), and 50 000 dunlin. As well as these mobile armies, the richness of the habitats is emphasized by the extensive fringing salt marshes, where cordgrasses (Spartina spp.) dominate meadows that are flooded by sea water at high spring tides. These salt marshes are some of the most productive areas in the world, vying with tropical rain forests and coral reefs for the highest rates at which carbon is fixed. |
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