Classification of Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats of the United States
Unconsolidated Shore
Definition. The Class Unconsolidated Shore includes all wetland
habitats having three characteristics: (1) unconsolidated substrates
with less than 75% areal cover of stones, boulders, or bedrock; (2)
less than 30% areal cover of vegetation other than pioneering
plants; and (3) any of the following water regimes: irregularly
exposed, regularly flooded, irregularly flooded, seasonally
flooded, temporarily flooded, intermittently flooded, saturated,
or artificially flooded. Intermittent or intertidal channels of
the Riverine System and intertidal channels of the Estuarine
System are classified as Streambed.
Description. Unconsolidated Shores are characterized by
substrates lacking vegetation except for pioneering plants that
become established during brief periods when growing conditions
are favorable. Erosion and deposition by waves and currents
produce a number of landforms such as beaches, bars, and flats,
all of which are included in this Class. Unconsolidated Shores
are found adjacent to Unconsolidated Bottoms in all Systems; in
the Palustrine and Lacustrine Systems, the Class may occupy the
entire basin. As in Unconsolidated Bottoms, the particle size of
the substrate and the water regime are the important factors
determining the types of plant and animal communities present.
Different substrates usually support characteristic invertebrate
fauna. Faunal distribution is controlled by waves, currents,
interstitial moisture, salinity, and grain size (Hedgpeth 1957;
Ranwell 1972; Riedl and McMahan 1974).
Subclasses and Dominance Types.
- Cobble-Gravel. -- The unconsolidated particles smaller than
stones are predominantly cobble and gravel. Shell fragments, sand,
and silt often fill the spaces between the larger particles.
Stones and boulders may be found scattered on some Cobble-Gravel
Shores. In areas of strong wave and current action these shores
take the form of beaches or bars, but occasionally they form
extensive flats. Examples of Dominance Types in the Marine and
Estuarine Systems are: the acorn barnacle Balanus, the limpet
Patella, the periwinkle Littorina, the rock shell Thais, the
mussels Mytilus and Modiolus, and the Venus clam Saxidomus. In the
Lacustrine, Palustrine, and Riverine Systems examples of Dominance
Types are the freshwater mollusk Elliptio, the snails Lymnaea and
Physa, the toad bug Gelastocoris, the leech Erpodella, and the
springtail Agrenia.
-
Sand. -- The unconsolidated particles smaller than stones are
predominantly sand which may be either calcareous or terrigenous
in origin. They are prominent features of the Marine, Estuarine,
Riverine, and Lacustrine Systems where the substrate material is
exposed to the sorting and washing action of waves. Examples of
Dominance Types in the Marine and Estuarine Systems are the wedge
shell Donax, the soft-shell clam Mya, the quahog Mercenaria, the
olive shell Oliva, the blood worm Euzonus, the beach hopper
Orchestia, the pismo clam Tivela stultorum, the mole crab Emerita,
and the lugworm Arenicola. Examples of Dominance Types in the
Riverine, Lacustrine, and Palustrine Systems are the copepods
Parastenocaris and Phyllognathopus, the oligochaete worm Pristina,
the freshwater mollusks Anodonta and Elliptio, and the fingernail
clams Pisidium and Sphaerium.
-
Mud. -- The unconsolidated particles smaller than stones are
predominantly silt and clay. Anaerobic conditions often exist
below the surface. Mud Shores have a higher organic content than
Cobble-Gravel or Sand Shores. They are typically found in areas of
minor wave action. They tend to have little slope and are
frequently called flats. Mud Shores support diverse populations of
tube-dwelling and burrowing invertebrates that include worms,
clams, and crustaceans (Gray 1974). They are commonly colonized by
algae and diatoms which may form a crust or mat.
Irregularly flooded Mud Shores in the Estuarine System have been
called salt flats, pans, or pannes. They are typically high in
salinity and are usually surrounded by, or lie on the landward
side of, Emergent Wetland (Martin et al. 1953, Type 15). In many
arid areas, Palustrine and Lacustrine Mud Shores are encrusted or
saturated with salt. Martin et al. (1953) called these habitats
inland saline flats (Type 9); they are also called alkali flats,
salt flats, and salt pans. Mud Shores may also result from removal
of vegetation by man, animals, or fire, or from the discharge of
thermal waters or pollutants.
Examples of Dominance Types in the Marine and Estuarine Systems
include the fiddler crab Uca, the ghost shrimp Callianassa, the
mud snails Nassarius and Macoma, the clam worm Nereis, the sea
anemone Cerianthus, and the sea cucumber Thyone. In the
Lacustrine, Palustrine, and Riverine Systems, examples of
Dominance Types are the fingernail clam Pisidium, the snails
Aplexa and Lymaea, the crayfish Procambarus, the harpacticoid
copepods Canthocamptus and Bryocamptus, the fingernail clam
Sphaerium, the freshwater mollusk Elliptio, the shore bug
Saldula, the isopod Asellus, the crayfish Cambarus, and the mayfly
Tortopus.
-
Organic. -- The unconsolidated material smaller than stones is
predominantly organic soils of formerly vegetated wetlands. In the
Marine and Estuarine Systems, Organic Shores are often dominated
by microinvertebrates such as foraminifera, and by Nassarius,
Littorina, Uca, Modiolus, Mya, Nereis, and the false angel wing
Petricola pholadiformis. In the Lacustrine, Palustrine, and
Riverine Systems, examples of Dominance Types are Canthocamptus,
Bryocamptus, Chironomus, and the backswimmer Notonecta.
-
Vegetated. -- Some nontidal shores are exposed for a sufficient
period to be colonized by herbaceous annuals or seedling
herbaceous perennials (pioneer plants). This vegetation, unlike
that of Emergent Wetlands, is usually killed by rising water
levels and may be gone before the beginning of the next growing
season. Many of the pioneer species are not hydrophytes but are
weedy mesophytes that cannot tolerate wet soil or flooding.
Examples of Dominance Types in the Palustrine, Riverine, and
Lacustrine Systems are cocklebur (Xanthium strumarium) and
barnyard grass (Echinochloa crusgalli).
Dominance Types for Unconsolidated Shores in the Marine and
Estuarine Systems were taken primarily from Smith (1964), Morris
(1966), Abbott (1968), Ricketts and Calvin (1968), and Gosner
(1971). Dominance Types for Unconsolidated Shores in the
Lacustrine, Riverine, and Palustrine Systems were taken primarily
from Stehr and Branson (1938), Kenk (1949), Ward and Whipple
(1959), Cummins et al. (1964), Johnson (1970), Ingram (1971),
Clarke (1973), and Hart and Fuller (1974).
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