Print Report
CEGL004450 Ruppia maritima Louisianian Zone Aquatic Vegetation
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Widgeongrass Louisianian Zone Aquatic Vegetation
Colloquial Name: Gulf Coast Widgeongrass Bed
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association represents estuarine non-emergent aquatic beds dominated by Ruppia maritima in the Gulf of Mexico. Although Ruppia maritima is widely distributed along the Atlantic Coast of North America, it attains its greatest abundance in the northern Gulf of Mexico from Florida to Texas where it is found in shallow waters from a few inches to 3 feet deep along muddy shores of shallow bays, sounds, and bayous, as well as in low salinity lagoons and ponds on barrier islands. Ruppia maritima is the only seagrass capable of growing in freshwater and is therefore often found in the oligohaline to mesohaline upper reaches of estuaries and lower reaches of tidal creeks, bayous and rivers. Because it often behaves as an annual, the distribution and abundance of Ruppia maritima is often shifting both spatially and temporally. This vegetation is patchily distributed along the upper and middle Texas coast, where Ruppia maritima often occurs mixed with Halodule wrightii.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Ruppia beds occur along the eastern shorelines (especially along the northern portions) of Lake Pontchartrain (Montz 1978). There is some suggestion that the extent of this type has expanded in the Mississippi Sound since the late 1960s, when it may have been uncommon due to the effects of Hurricane Camille (Eleuterius and Miller 1976). No recent estimates of area occupied by this type in the Mississippi Sound are available. The range of this type is consistent with the "Louisianian Province" of Cowardin et al. (1979).
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This association is dominated by Ruppia maritima. Other characteristic species may include Vallisneria americana, Halodule wrightii, and Stuckenia pectinata, depending on salinity and other environmental characteristics. These seagrass beds are often also associated with an abundance of macrophytic algae.
Dynamics: Ruppia maritima is the only marine seagrass capable of growing in freshwater, and vegetation dominated by it is often found in the oligohaline to mesohaline upper reaches of estuaries and lower reaches of tidal creeks, bayous and rivers. There is some evidence that in lower salinities, Ruppia maritima behaves as an annual, and in higher salinities, it behaves as a perennial (Kantrud 1991). Because it often behaves as an annual, the distribution and abundance of Ruppia maritima is often shifting both temporally and spatially. In addition, as a result of natural climatic perturbations, such as tropical storms and hurricanes and human-induced disturbances, seagrass beds are often dynamic in their composition and size. Ruppia maritima is considered a poor competitor and therefore may dominate areas where both fresh and marine water obligates are stressed (Kantrud 1991). Though Ruppia maritima can tolerate brief intervals of increased turbidity, most evidence suggests that it will not persist in areas of poor light penetration and high turbidity (Kantrud 1991). It also shows some tolerance for higher temperatures than other seagrasses (Kantrud 1991). "Adult plants can tolerate much harsher conditions than those required for germination or early growth and genetically different populations, able to reproduce in local, highly stressful environments, may have evolved." (Kantrud 1991). Ruppia maritima is a favored food of many species of ducks.
Environmental Description: Ruppia maritima is the only seagrass capable of growing in freshwater, and therefore vegetation dominated by it is often found in the oligohaline to mesohaline upper reaches of estuaries and lower reaches of tidal creeks, bayous and rivers. This species was found along river mouths in the Big Bend region of northwest Florida (Zieman and Zieman 1989). Because it often behaves as an annual, the distribution and abundance of Ruppia maritima is often shifting both spatially and temporally. Montz (1978) suggests that in the usually oligohaline waters of Lake Pontchartrain, "loam type soils, in general, tend to support abundant submersed vegetation, whereas clay or sand did not." Eleuterius (1971) describes Ruppia along "muddy shores" of the Mississippi Sound. According to Wieland (1994a), Ruppia prefers low salinity waters in Mississippi, but may also survive in euryhaline waters of Texas and Florida. Ruppia maritima was the most tolerant of all five seagrasses found along the Texas Gulf Coast to a wide range of salinities (McMillan and Moseley 1967) and is often found in brackish to oligohaline ponds in the near-shore mainland and barrier islands. This type may be found in ".large areas of shallow bays and bayous where the water is from a few inches to 3 feet in depth" (Eleuterius 1971), as well as in low salinity lagoons and ponds of barrier islands (Horn and Cat islands) (Eleuterius 1973). Though Ruppia maritima can tolerate brief intervals of increased turbidity, most evidence suggests that it will not persist in areas of poor light penetration and high turbidity (Kantrud 1991). It also shows some tolerance for higher temperatures than other seagrasses (Kantrud 1991).
Geographic Range: This association is found along the Gulf Coast of the United States from Florida to Texas.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: AL?, FL, LA, MS, TX
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.685310
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G4G5
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 5 Aquatic Vegetation Class | C05 | 5 |
| Subclass | 5.A Saltwater Aquatic Vegetation Subclass | S09 | 5.A |
| Formation | 5.A.3 Benthic Vascular Saltwater Vegetation Formation | F054 | 5.A.3 |
| Division | 5.A.3.Wf Temperate Estuarine & Inland Brackish Aquatic Vegetation Division | D065 | 5.A.3.Wf |
| Macrogroup | 5.A.3.Wf.1 Widgeongrass - Horned Pondweed Saline Aquatic Vegetation Macrogroup | M186 | 5.A.3.Wf.1 |
| Group | 5.A.3.Wf.1.b Widgeongrass - Horned Pondweed Seagrass Bed Group | G383 | 5.A.3.Wf.1.b |
| Alliance | A1769 Widgeongrass Western Atlantic Seagrass Alliance | A1769 | 5.A.3.Wf.1.b |
| Association | CEGL004450 Widgeongrass Louisianian Zone Aquatic Vegetation | CEGL004450 | 5.A.3.Wf.1.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Widgeon Grass Bed (Wieland 1994a)
- Adair, S. E., J. L. Moore, and C. P. Onuf. 1994. Distribution and status of submerged vegetation in estuaries of the upper Texas coast. Wetlands 14:110-121.
- Cowardin, L. M., V. Carter, F. C. Golet, and E. T. LaRoe. 1979. Classification of wetlands and deepwater habitats of the United States. FWS/OBS-79/31. USDI Fish & Wildlife Service, Office of Biological Services, Washington, DC. 103 pp.
- EPA [Environmental Protection Agency]. 1999. Ecological condition of estuaries in the Gulf of Mexico. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Gulf Ecology Division. EPA 620-R-98-004. Gulf Breeze, FL.
- Eleuterius, L. N. 1971. Submerged plant distribution in Mississippi sound and adjacent waters. Journal of the Mississippi Academy of Science 17:9-14.
- Eleuterius, L. N. 1973. The distribution of certain submerged plants in Mississippi Sound and adjacent waters. Pages 191-197 in: J. Y. Christmas, editor. Cooperative Gulf of Mexico estuarine inventory and study, Mississippi. Phase IV, biology. Gulf Coast Research Lab, Ocean Springs.
- Eleuterius, L. N., and G. J. Miller. 1976. Observations on seagrasses and seaweeds in Mississippi Sound since Hurricane Camille. Journal of the Mississippi Academy of Science Supplement 21:58-63.
- Handley, L. R. 1995. Seagrass distribution in the northern Gulf of Mexico. In: E. T. LaRoe, G. S. Farris, C. E. Puckett, P. D. Doran, and M. J. Mac, editors. 1995. Our living resources: A report to the nation on the distribution, abundance, and health of U.S. plants, animals, and ecosystems. USDI National Biological Service, Washington, DC. 530 pp.
- Kantrud, H. A. 1991. Wigeongrass (Ruppia maritima L.): A literature review. USDI Fish and Wildlife Service, Fish and Wildlife Research 10. Jamestown, ND. Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Home Page. [http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/literatr/ruppia/ruppia.htm] (version 16 July 1997).
- MSNHP [Mississippi Natural Heritage Program]. 2006. Ecological communities of Mississippi. Museum of Natural Science, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, Jackson, MS. 9 pp.
- McAlister, W. H., and M. K. McAlister. 1995. A naturalist''s guide: Aransas. University of Texas Press, Austin. 354 pp.
- McMillan, C., and F. N. Moseley. 1967. Salinity tolerances of five marine spermatophytes of Redfish Bay, Texas. Ecology 48:503-506.
- Montz, G. N. 1978. The submerged vegetation of Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana. Castanea 43:115-128.
- Onuf, C. P. 1995. Seagrass meadows of the Laguna Madre of Texas. In: E. T. LaRoe, G. S. Farris, C. E. Puckett, P. D. Doran, and M. J. Mac, editors. 1995. Our living resources: A report to the nation on the distribution, abundance, and health of U.S. plants, animals, and ecosystems. USDI National Biological Service, Washington DC. 530 pp.
- Pulich, W. M., Jr., and W. A. White. 1997. Current status and historical trends of seagrasses in the Corpus Christi Bay National Estuary Program Study Area. Publication CCBNEP-20.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.
- TPWD [Texas Parks and Wildlife Department], GLO [Texas General Land Office], and TNRCC [Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission]. 1998. Seagrass Conservation Plan for Texas. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/conserve/coastal/seegrass/mainfr ame.htm (Version October 1998).
- Wieland, R. G. 1994a. Marine and estuarine habitat types and associated ecological communities of the Mississippi Coast. Museum Technical Report 25. Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, Museum of Natural Science, Jackson, MS. 270 pp.
- Zieman, J. C., and R. T. Zieman. 1989. The ecology of the seagrass meadows of the west coast of Florida: A community profile. USDI Fish & Wildlife Service. Biological Report 85(7.25). Washington, DC. 155 pp.