Where in North America are salt marshes common?
In North America salt marshes are common along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts, because they typically have gently sloping shorelines. 41. Describe the dominant organisms in salt marshes. Grasses and other marsh plants dominate salt marshes. Bacteria in the mud decompose dead plant material and contribute a large portion of the detritus in the estuary. 42. Describe mangrove forests in estuaries. Although mangrove forests are not limited to estuaries, they are basically the tropical and subtropical equivalents of salt marshes. Various species of mangroves have different tolerances to immersion by high tide. The Indo-Pacific region has the world’s most extensive mangrove forests and the largest number of mangrove species. In North America, the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Gulf of California, and Caribbean coasts have mangrove forests. 43. Review: What are mangroves? Mangroves are flowering land plants adapted to live in the intertidal. 44. Describe sea grass beds. The muddy bottoms o
