Print Report
CEGL004634 Vallisneria americana Estuarine Bayou Aquatic Vegetation
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: American Eel-grass Estuarine Bayou Aquatic Vegetation
Colloquial Name: Gulf of Mexico American Eel-grass Aquatic Bed
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association consists of submersed beds of aquatic vegetation dominated by Vallisneria americana in fresh or oligohaline subtidal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Vallisneria may be intermixed with other aquatic species, especially Ruppia maritima and Zannichellia palustris, as well as Myriophyllum sp. and Najas guadalupensis. This community is found in the upper reaches of most estuarine bayous and creeks flowing into Pascagoula Bay, Biloxi Bay, and St. Louis Bay; it occurs in tributaries of the Pascagoula, as well as in the main channel. It is also found in Graveline and Bangs Bayou in Jackson County, Mississippi. In Louisiana, this species is reported as occurring with Najas guadalupensis and Ruppia in Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Catharine, and Lake Salvador. Vallisneria beds are also reported as occurring in Apalachicola Bay, Florida, under similar environmental conditions as those cited for Mississippi. Myriophyllum sp. may also be a component of this type. In Texas, Vallisneria americana is reported occurring with Ruppia maritima and Najas guadalupensis in fresh oligohaline waters of the upper reaches of Trinity Bay.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: In Louisiana, Ruppia maritima is important enough to be used as a nominal.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This association consists of submersed beds of aquatic vegetation dominated by Vallisneria americana in fresh or oligohaline subtidal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Vallisneria may be intermixed with other aquatic species, especially Ruppia maritima and Zannichellia palustris, as well as Myriophyllum sp. and Najas guadalupensis. In Louisiana, this species is reported as occurring with Najas guadalupensis and Ruppia in Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Catharine, and Lake Salvador (Garafalo 1982). Vallisneria beds are also reported as occurring in Apalachicola Bay, Florida, under similar environmental conditions as those cited for Mississippi. Myriophyllum sp. may also be a component of this type. In Texas, Vallisneria americana is reported occurring with Ruppia maritima and Najas guadalupensis in fresh oligohaline waters of the upper reaches of Trinity Bay.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: Compared to other seagrass beds, this association is the least tolerant of salinity. Montz (1978) suggests that in Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana, "loam type soils, in general, tend to support abundant submersed vegetation, whereas clay or sand did not." In Lake Pontchartrain submersed vegetation occurs primarily along the north shore (Perret et al. 1971, Montz 1978) and less frequently along the southeastern shore (Montz 1978). Montz (1978) found both Ruppia and Vallisneria in approximately the same locations and abundance around the lake, but noted that "Vallisneria was abundant between depths of 1 foot to 2.5 feet, while Ruppia was abundant closer to the shoreline between depths of 0.5 to 1.5 feet." Vallisneria beds are also reported as occurring in Apalachicola Bay, Florida, under similar environmental conditions as those cited for Mississippi (Livingston 1984). Adair et al. (1994) found Vallisneria americana only in the subtidal zone of Trinity Bay, while Najas guadalupensis and Ruppia maritima occupied the lower intertidal and upper subtidal zones. In Trinity Bay, Vallisneria americana was typically found on muddy substrates and achieved its greatest biomass in waters between 25 and 45 cm deep.
Geographic Range: This association is known from the upper reaches of coastal estuaries and the lower reaches of rivers, streams and creeks where they enter estuaries along the Gulf Coast from the Florida Panhandle to Texas. This community is found in the upper reaches of most estuarine bayous and creeks flowing into Pascagoula Bay, Biloxi Bay, and St. Louis Bay; it occurs in tributaries of the Pascagoula, as well as in the main channel. It is also found in Graveline and Bangs Bayou in Jackson County, Mississippi.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: AL, FL, LA, MS, TX
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688610
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3G5
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 | CEGL004634 American Eel-grass Estuarine Bayou Aquatic Vegetation | CEGL004634 | 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: = Vallisneria americana (Montz 1978)
- 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.
- Garofalo, D. 1982. Mississippi Deltaic Plain region ecological characterization: An ecological atlas. Map narratives. USDI Bureau of Land Management and Fish and Wildlife Service, Biological Services Program, FWS/OBS-81/16. Washington, DC. 96 pp.
- LNHP [Louisiana Natural Heritage Program]. 2009. Natural communities of Louisiana. Louisiana Natural Heritage Program, Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries, Baton Rouge. 46 pp. [http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/page_wildlife/6776-Rare%20Natural%20Communities/LA_NAT_COM.pdf]
- Livingston, R. J. 1984. The ecology of the Apalachicola Bay system: An estuarine profile. USDI Fish & Wildlife Service. FWS/OBS 82/05. 148 pp.
- 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.
- Montz, G. N. 1978. The submerged vegetation of Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana. Castanea 43:115-128.
- NatureServe Ecology - Southeastern United States. No date. Unpublished data. NatureServe, Durham, NC.
- Perret, W., B. Barrett, W. Latapie, J. Pollard, W. Mock, G. Adkins, W. Gaidry, and C. White. 1971. Cooperative Gulf of Mexico Estuarine Inventory and Study, Louisiana, Phase 1, Area Description. Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, New Orleans.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.
- 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.