Elmer W H, Useman S, Schneider R W, Marra R E, LaMondia J A, Mendelssohn I A, Jiménez-Gasco M M, Caruso F L
The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven.
Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge.
Plant Dis. 2013 Apr;97(4):436-445. doi: 10.1094/PDIS-09-12-0871-FE.
Salt marshes rank as the most productive ecosystems on the planet. Biomass production can be greater than 3 kg dry matter/m/year, which is 40% more biomass than tropical rainforests produce. Salt marshes provide multiple benefits to mankind. For example, coastal communities receive protection from storm surges and wave erosion. Salt marshes absorb excess nitrogen and phosphorus from sewage and fertilizer run-off into rivers, which, in turn, prevents algal blooms and hypoxia in coastal waters. In addition, these unique ecosystems provide habitat and shelter for many hundreds of species of shellfish, finfish, migratory and sedentary birds, and other marine animals. Despite the richness in animal species, the intertidal marshes of the salt marsh ecosystem are dominated by only a few plant species. Of these, the most prevalent plant species in a marsh are the tall and short forms of smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora). The first recorded account of a dieback in a U.S. salt marsh was in the early 1990s in the Florida panhandle where patches of Sp. alterniflora as large as 1 ha died. This article explores possible causes of Sudden Vegetation Dieback.
盐沼是地球上生产力最高的生态系统之一。生物量产量可达每年每平方米3千克干物质以上，比热带雨林的生物量高出40%。盐沼为人类带来诸多益处。例如，沿海社区能免受风暴潮和海浪侵蚀的影响。盐沼吸收污水和化肥径流中流入河流的过量氮和磷，进而防止沿海水域出现藻华和缺氧现象。此外，这些独特的生态系统为数百种贝类、有鳍鱼类、候鸟和留鸟以及其他海洋动物提供了栖息地和庇护所。尽管盐沼生态系统中的动物种类丰富，但潮间带沼泽仅由少数几种植物主导。其中，盐沼中最常见的植物种类是高杆和矮杆的互花米草（Spartina alterniflora）。美国盐沼首次有衰退记录是在20世纪90年代初的佛罗里达狭长地带，那里面积达1公顷的互花米草斑块死亡。本文探讨了植被突然衰退的可能原因。
