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M183 Zostera marina Submersed Temperate Vegetation Macrogroup
Type Concept Sentence: This macrogroup encompasses submersed herbaceous vegetation which occurs in the world''s temperate coastal waters. Zostera marina is dominant and occurs in nearly pure stands, which are rooted in the substrate in shallow, mostly brackish waters.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Seawrack Submersed Temperate Vegetation Macrogroup
Colloquial Name: Temperate Eel-grass Vegetation
Hierarchy Level: Macrogroup
Type Concept: This macrogroup encompasses submersed herbaceous vegetation which occurs in the world''s temperate coastal waters. Zostera marina is dominant and occurs in nearly pure stands, which are rooted in the substrate in shallow brackish to oligohaline waters. The depth of the beds is determined by low tide level at the upper end and light penetration at the lower end, the latter being a function of water depth and turbidity. This vegetation is threatened by eutrophication, turbidity, and dredging.
Diagnostic Characteristics: This macrogroup encompasses submersed herbaceous vegetation which occurs in coastal areas. Zostera marina is dominant and occurs in nearly pure stands. It occurs in temperate waters.
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: One macrogroup is described for the Zostera marina submersed tidal vegetation of the temperate zone of the world.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: Submersed herbaceous vegetation which occurs in tidal coastal areas.
Floristics: Zostera marina is dominant and occurs in nearly pure stands. Ruppia maritima can also occur in areas which are brackish such as tidal rivers and creeks.
Dynamics: During the 1930s, wasting disease caused very large declines of Zostera marina. Eutrophication causes algal blooms, which decrease the amount of light that reaches seagrasses. Seagrasses are vulnerable to dredging, including damage from clam, oyster and scallop dredging (Koch and Orth 2003, Grech et al. 2012).
Environmental Description: Water salinity ranges from oligohaline at the mouths of tidal rivers to brackish mesohaline waters. The depth of the beds is determined by low tide level at the upper end and light penetration at the lower end, the latter being a function of water depth and turbidity. The beds generally occur in areas with only moderate wave action where salinity fluctuations are minor. Eel-grass beds tend to stabilize and enrich substrate and provide habitat for epiphytes and other marine organisms.
Geographic Range: This macrogroup occurs in temperate estuaries and coastal waters of North America, Europe, North Africa, China, Korea, and Japan (Green and Short 2003).
Nations: BG,CA,CN,DE,DK,DZ,EE,ES,FI,FR,GB,GL,GR,IE,IS,IT,JP,KP,KR,LT,LV,LY,MA,MX,NL,NO,PL,PT,RO,RU,SE,TN,TR,UA,US
States/Provinces: BC, CA, CT, LB, MA, MB, MD, ME, NB, NC, NF, NH, NJ, NS, NU, NY, ON, OR, PE, QC, RI, VA, WA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.860438
Confidence Level: Low
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.We Temperate Seagrass Aquatic Vegetation Division | D064 | 5.A.3.We |
| Macrogroup | 5.A.3.We.3 Seawrack Submersed Temperate Vegetation Macrogroup | M183 | 5.A.3.We.3 |
| Group | 5.A.3.We.3.a North Atlantic Seagrass Bed Group | G380 | 5.A.3.We.3.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Zostera marina Herbaceous Vegetation (Biotic Community) Unique Identifier: 1047 (FGDC 2012)
> Eelgrass Meadows (Thayer et al. 1984)
= Order A Zosteretalia Béguinot 1941 emend. Den Hartog (Den Hartog 2003)
> Eelgrass Meadows (Thayer et al. 1984)
= Order A Zosteretalia Béguinot 1941 emend. Den Hartog (Den Hartog 2003)
- Den Hartog, C. 2003. Phytosociological classification of seagrass communities. Phytocoenologia 33(2-3):203-229.
- FGDC [Federal Geographic Data Committee]. 2012. Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (Version 4.0). FGDC-STD-018-2012. Federal Geographic Data Committee, FGDC Secretariat, U.S. Geological Survey. Reston, VA. 246 pp. plus appendices.
- 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]
- Grech, A., K. Chartrand-Miller, P. Erftemeijer, M. Fonseca, L. McKenzie, M. Rasheed, H. Taylor, and R. Coles. 2012. A comparison of threats, vulnerabilities and management approaches in global seagrass bioregions. Environmental Research Letters 7:024006. 8 pp. [http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/7/2/024006/pdf/1748-9326_7_2_024006.pdf?origin=publication_detail]
- Green, E. P., and F. T. Short, editors. 2003. World atlas of seagrasses. Prepared by the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre. University of California Press, Berkeley.
- Koch, E. W., and R. J. Orth. 2003. The seagrasses of the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. Pages 216-223 in: E. P. Green and F. T. Short, editors. World Atlas of Seagrasses. University of California Press, Berkeley.
- Thayer, G. W., W. J. Kenworthy, and M. S. Fonseca. 1984. The ecology of eelgrass meadows of the Atlantic Coast: A community profile. USDI Fish & Wildlife Service, Office of Biological Service. FWS/OBS-84/02. 147 pp.