Studies in Salt Marsh Ecology with Special Reference to the Genus Limonium

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Abstract
Floristic data were collected from 230 salt marsh sites around the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland. These data were analysed and compared on the basis of the presence or absence of Limonium vulgare and L. humile. The behaviour of the various salt marsh species was used to compare the nature of groups of sites and to indicate the behaviour of Limonium itself. The data also illustrate the nature of the salt marsh community all around the coast. The distribution of individuals within the salt marsh community was often shown to be distinctive and was attributed to intrinsic, environmental, interspecific, or historical factors. An intensive study was made in a small area of Scolt Head Island where four different methods were used and the results compared. Permanent quadrats at Scolt Head Island were set up to examine the long term changes in the salt marsh community. The ratio of flowering to non-flowering shoots of L. vulgare was also observed. Transplant experiments were made with three species of Limonium. The results suggested that mature plants were more tolerant of adverse conditions when moved out of their normal zone, suggesting that the seedling stage was the critical one in determining the ecological amplitude of a species. The effect of water level on the growth of seedlings and mature plants was also investigated. This showed that both immersion and salinity seriously affected plant growth. Studies of the seasonal changes in the salt marsh community showed that the interrelations of the different species varied throughout the season. The ecology of L. humile and L. vulgare was compared. It was shown that L. humile in Ireland occupied a similar niche to L. vulgare in Great Britain. Both species were plants of the middle and upper salt marsh and plants of open habitats, sensitive to competition and to grazing. Where they occurred together the differences were noticeable. In eastern England L. humile was a much rarer plant than L. vulgare and was restricted to a narrow zone in the middle of the range of the latter.

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