Print Report
G383 Ruppia maritima - Zannichellia palustris Seagrass Bed Group
Type Concept Sentence: This submerged aquatic vegetation is usually dominated by Ruppia maritima or Zannichellia palustris and Stuckenia pectinata which occur in tidal tropical and temperate brackish (oligohaline to mesohaline) estuarine waters, and in subtidal freshwater situations, such as on the bottoms of tidal creeks along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, from New England to Texas, including the West Indies and subtropical Florida.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Widgeongrass - Horned Pondweed Seagrass Bed Group
Colloquial Name: Widgeongrass Bed
Hierarchy Level: Group
Type Concept: This group occurs in tropical and temperate brackish estuarine waters. In the western Atlantic Ocean, this widely distributed group includes estuarine and marine beds of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, from New England to Texas and Florida. Ruppia maritima is the only seagrass capable of growing in freshwater and is therefore often found in the oligohaline to mesohaline (i.e., brackish) 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. Other species characteristic of the brackish to fresh estuarine waters include Zannichellia palustris and Stuckenia pectinata. Rarely, some salt-tolerant species of otherwise freshwater genera may occur.
Diagnostic Characteristics: This group occurs in tropical and temperate brackish (oligohaline to mesohaline) estuarine waters, usually dominated by Ruppia maritima. Zannichellia palustris- and Stuckenia pectinata-dominated vegetation may occur in subtidal freshwater situations, such as the bottoms of tidal creeks.
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Includes Ruppia maritima submerged aquatic vegetation of the western Atlantic, including estuarine and marine beds of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States, from New England to Texas and Florida.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: Submerged aquatic vegetation, herbaceous plants with long narrow leaves. Ruppia maritima is an annual, completing its life cycle in the spring.
Floristics: Ruppia maritima is the dominant species in oligohaline to mesohaline (i.e., brackish) conditions. Other species, characteristic of the brackish to fresh estuarine waters include Zannichellia palustris, Potamogeton perfoliatus, and Stuckenia pectinata.
Dynamics: Because it often behaves as an annual, the distribution and abundance of Ruppia maritima is often shifting both spatially and temporally. It is tolerant of freshwater, so can grow in the oligohaline conditions that other seagrasses cannot tolerate. Zannichellia palustris is an annual plant that completes its life cycle in the spring and early summer. In some areas it can complete a second life cycle in the fall.
Environmental Description: Climate: This group occurs in tropical and temperate brackish estuarine waters. Soil/substrate/hydrology: This submerged vegetation is found in upper reaches of estuaries and lower reaches of tidal creeks, bayous and rivers.
Geographic Range: In the western Atlantic Ocean, this widely distributed group includes estuarine and marine beds of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, from New England to Texas and Florida.
Nations: CA,MX,US
States/Provinces: AL, CT, DE, FL, GA?, LA, MA, MD, ME, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, RI, SC?, TX, VA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.837433
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNR
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 |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: >< Ruppia-Najas Alliance (Lindsay and Horwith 1997)
>< Ruppion maritimae (Braun-Blanquet 1932)
? Class 7 Ruppietea J. Tüxen 1960 emend. Den Hartog & Segal 1964, Order A Zannichellio-Ruppietalia J. Tüxen 1960 emend. Den Hartog 1981, Alliance 2 Ruppion americanae Den Hartog 1981 (Den Hartog 2003)
>< Ruppion maritimae (Braun-Blanquet 1932)
? Class 7 Ruppietea J. Tüxen 1960 emend. Den Hartog & Segal 1964, Order A Zannichellio-Ruppietalia J. Tüxen 1960 emend. Den Hartog 1981, Alliance 2 Ruppion americanae Den Hartog 1981 (Den Hartog 2003)
- Braun-Blanquet, J. 1932. Plant sociology: The study of plant communities (English translation). McGraw-Hill Publishers, New York. 439 pp.
- Den Hartog, C. 2003. Phytosociological classification of seagrass communities. Phytocoenologia 33(2-3):203-229.
- Faber-Langendoen, D., J. Drake, S. Gawler, M. Hall, C. Josse, G. Kittel, S. Menard, C. Nordman, M. Pyne, M. Reid, L. Sneddon, K. Schulz, J. Teague, M. Russo, K. Snow, and P. Comer, editors. 2010-2019a. Divisions, Macrogroups and Groups for the Revised U.S. National Vegetation Classification. NatureServe, Arlington, VA. plus appendices. [in preparation]
- Lindsay, K., and B. Horwith. 1997. A vegetation classification of Antigua-Barbuda-Redonda: Implications for conservation. Eastern Caribbean Biodiversity Programme, Biodiversity Publication 2. 61 pp.
- Swain, P. C., and J. B. Kearsley. 2001. Classification of natural communities of Massachusetts. September 2001 draft. Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, Westborough, MA.
- 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.