Alternative site for the Global ecosystem typology with additional information for ecosystem profiles and indicative maps.
This site is maintained by jrfep
The brackish tidal systems biome are associated with prograding depositional shorelines at the interface of terrestrial, freshwater and marine realms . The relative influences of marine, freshwater and terrestrial processes vary from strongly fluvial deltas to marine -dominated intertidal forests to terrestrial-dominated coastal saltmarshes and. Autochthonous sources of energy, contributed by flowering plants and algae, are supplemented by allochthonous sources delivered by rivers, currents and tides. These sources support high productivity, and complex trophic webs that include highly mobile fish and birds that rely on brackish tidal systems to complete key segments of their life cycle. Standing plants assimilate energy and engineer habitat structure for epifauna and epiflora, as well as nurseries for juvenile fish. They also promote sediment deposition by dampening wave and tidal energy. While terrestrial systems are the ultimate source of most sediment, fluvial and marine processes redistribute it and drive patch dynamics across different temporal and spatial scales. Brackish tidal systems are strongly structured steep local gradients in salinity and tidal exposure. Physiological traits that confer differential fitness and competitive abilities, together with differential predation pressure mediate species turnover along the gradients. Brackish tidal systems are distributed on depositional coastlines throughout the world.