Key elements Bare mud Litter accumulations Ponds, creeks and springs Ecotones Large-scale mosaic COASTAL SALTMARSH 29 priority species are associated with coastal saltmarsh in England. These are dominated by vascular plants, invertebrates and birds. 60% of the species are associated with the upper saltmarsh, the zone that receives the fewest tidal inundations annually. Half the species require some bare mud. Click on image to view landscape, and then select some key elements Management guides for this habitat

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Bare mud Bare wet silt is an important resource in a saltmarsh. It is readily used by a series of birds that feed within and on it. Perhaps the most important aspect of this resource is its size, with large expansive areas of bare mud and silt being used by feeding birds. Key determining factors: Disturbance – tidal action is critical in defining this and other elements of the saltmarsh habitat. Management usually takes the form of non-intervention. Go to example species Photograph: Peter Wakely RETURN TO STARTGO TO LANDSCAPE

Bare mud – associated priority species Over half of priority species on saltmarsh are associated with bare mud. Examples, with their requirements, are: Pedunculate sea-purslane – bare mud; upper saltmarsh; poached margins on brackish ditches. Saltmarsh short-spur beetle – bare mud; saline lagoon margins; ephemeral seepage lagoons; borrow- pit margins; other transitional habitats. Black-tailed godwit - damp tussocky pastures (nesting); damp peaty soils in summer (foraging ); well- timed flood events; large wetland size; lack of ground disturbance in nesting period; open extensive landscape; bare mud. Return to Bare mud RETURN TO STARTGO TO LANDSCAPE

Litter accumulations Lines of plant litter and other natural debris that accumulate in a saltmarsh are very important features. They provide a habitat for a series of invertebrates, which in turn are eaten by birds and other species. Photograph: Tony Robinson RETURN TO START Key determining factors: Disturbance - caused by the natural tidal cycle and best left in situ. Go to example species GO TO LANDSCAPE

Litter accumulations – associated priority species RETURN TO START Two priority species on saltmarsh are associated with litter accumulations. These, with their requirements, are: Arctosa fulvolineata, a wolf spider - deep litter; upper saltmarsh. Baryphyma duffeyi, a money spider - wet mud under tidal litter (phragmites etc); upper saltmarsh. Return to Litter accumulation GO TO LANDSCAPE

Ponds, creeks and springs Ponds within saltmarshes, even if seasonal or very shallow, are of importance for a number of species. The same can be said about the natural creeks that weave their way through the saltmarsh and provide a different habitat for species to utilise. RETURN TO START Freshwater springs that open up onto a saltmarsh often support interesting species. Such springs should be left unmanaged. All these features also produce natural, sheltered, depressions. Key determining factors: Disturbance – created by the interaction of tides and freshwater flowing onto the saltmarsh. Go to example species Photograph: Tony Robinson GO TO LANDSCAPE

Ponds, creeks and springs – associated priority species RETURN TO START About 18% of priority species on saltmarsh are associated with pools. Others are associated with creeks and springs. Examples, with their requirements, are: Saldula setulosa, a shore bug - restricted to one site, a strip of sandy-silt, with sparse Spartina at top of littoral zone; submerged at high spring tides; extremely vulnerable. Yellow pogonus beetle - sandy saline seepage; lagoon margins; bare mud; pools. Saltmarsh short-spur beetle – bare mud; saline lagoon margins; ephemeral seepage lagoons; borrow-pit margins; other transitional habitats. Return to Ponds, creeks and springs GO TO LANDSCAPE

Ecotones Saltmarsh transition zones are critical. Uninterrupted saltmarsh transitions are not very common, but where they do occur they often support a high number of species of conservation importance. Photograph: Tony Robinson RETURN TO STARTGO TO LANDSCAPE Of particular interest are freshwater-saltwater transitions, where brackish conditions arise and specialist species occur. This upper saltmarsh is also important for terrestrial species that retreat back up the saltmarsh as the tide comes in. Key determining factors: Succession Disturbance (management) - All efforts should be made to conserve and extend saltmarsh ecotones. Sea defences present large problems. Go to example species

Ecotones – associated priority species Many priority species on saltmarsh are associated with ecotones. Examples, with their requirements, are: Odynerus simillimus, a mason wasp - bare ground; aquatic umbellifers in a herb-rich mosaic (not dominated by reedbed); ecotone between saltmarsh and terrestrial. Saltmarsh short-spur beetle – bare mud; saline lagoon margins; ephemeral seepage lagoons; borrow- pit margins; other transitional habitats. Narrow-mouthed whorl snail - transition zone between saltmarsh and heathland/dune; in grassland communities and those with short herbs, mosses and iris; occassional flooding; moist soils. Return to Ecotones RETURN TO STARTGO TO LANDSCAPE

Large-scale mosaic This refers to the juxtaposition of different habitats within a landscape. Of particular note are areas close to brackish and fresh water, such as grazing marsh. Saltmarshes have, however, invariably become disconnected from their backing floodplain. Photograph: Tony Robinson Large-scale mosaics are largely required by highly-mobile terrestrial species, and can include both priority and non-priority habitats. Key determining factors: Scale Go to example species RETURN TO STARTGO TO LANDSCAPE

Large-scale mosaic – associated priority species RETURN TO START All priority bird species on saltmarsh are associated with large-scale mosaics that include other habitats. Examples, with their requirements, are: European greater white-fronted goose - remote areas - sandbanks, saltmarsh, grazing marsh with no disturbance (roosting); cattle-grazed pasture, other grassland and arable (feeding); open areas - no scrub. Linnet - scrub (nesting); high-density seed resource from suitable habitats, including arable, saltmarsh, grassland (feeding). Curlew - mosaic of tall-herb vegetation, rushes (nesting) and short vegetation (feeding); extensive open habitats; damp soils; plentiful invertebrates; intertidal mudflats and saltmarsh creeks (winter feeding). Return to Large-scale mosaic GO TO LANDSCAPE

Saltmarsh management manualSaltmarsh management manual [4MB] The saltmarsh creation handbook: a project manager’s guide to the creation of saltmarsh and intertidal mudflat Managing priority habitats for invertebrates – coastal saltmarsh RETURN TO START Management guides GO TO LANDSCAPE