Abstract
A small, naturally defined saltmarsh in Chesapeake Bay (USA) was repeatedly dosed with a No. 2 fuel oil. The production, decay rates, physical characteristics and hydrocarbon content of the dominant grass species present in the marsh were routinely monitored. Spartina alterniflora was the only grass species displaying effects of the oil dosing; this is attributed to the grass's location in the marsh. A substantial portion of the S. alterniflora in the marsh was killed by the oil dosing; the remaining portion evidenced sublethal effects including delayed development in the spring, increased density, and reduced mean weight per stem. The second annual cohort of shoots, usually produced in late summer and early fall, was suppressed almost entirely. Decay rates of S. alterniflora in the oiled marsh were higher and peaked later than decay rates in a control marsh. Oil which entered the roots and rhizomes of dead S. alterniflora was retained in a relatively undergraded state for at least 7 months after dosing stopped.
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Communicated by I. Morris, West Boothbay Harbor
Virginia Institute of Marine Science Contribution No. 945
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Hershner, C., Lake, J. Effects of chronic oil pollution on a salt-marsh grass community. Mar. Biol. 56, 163–173 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00397133
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00397133