Wetlands, Volume 7(1987), 71-84
VEGETATION OF RIVER-INFLUENCED COASTAL MARSHES OF THE SOUTHWESTERN END OF
JAMES BAY, ONTARIO
WALTER A. GLOOSCHENKO1 and I. PETER MARTINI2
1National Water Research Institute P.O. Box 5050, Burlington, Ontario,
Canada L7R 4A6
2Department of Land Resource Science University of Guelph. Guelph,
Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1
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A study was made of the vegetation of four river-influenced coastal marshes
located between the Moose River and Harricanaw River in southern James Bay. Six
major grouping of species were found. These include: 1. a salt marsh dominated
by Puccinellia phryganodes, P. lucida, Hippuris tetraphylla,
and Scirpus maritimus; 2. saline ponds with Senecio congestus; 3.
a saline/brackish meadow marsh with Carex paleacea; 4. an intertidal
estuarine marsh with Eleocharis palustris; 5. freshwater ponds with Potamogeton
filiformis; and 6. a freshwater marsh/fen.
Major environmental
factors controlling the distribution of these groups include substrate salinity,
river flow patterns, storm surges and tidal range. These marshes are unique in
species composition in James Bay and similar to marshes described in the Gulf of
Bothnia.
