The Salt Marsh
 “There’s nothing like a Spring salt marsh,” remarked Harriett.

“The first thing you should know about our salt marsh is that it is self sustaining.”

Marine life in salt marshes is incredibly diverse and abundant. Salt marsh species rely on the decay of marsh plants to supply a steady source of food in the form organic material, or detritus, resulting from the decomposition of plants and animals.

Most marsh plants flourish in the spring and summer, growing taller and more abundant. In the fall, they begin to decay and are distributed in the marsh where they become the first level of the food chain.

Bacteria, algae, and fungi decompose the Detritus resulting from salt marsh plants. These microorganisms and the remaining decomposing plant material become an ideal source of food for bottom-dwellers like worms, fishes, crabs, and shrimps.

Detritus
noun, de·tri·tus
1. any disintegrated material; debris.