Tropical Birding's Habitats of the World
'A Supplementary Website for Princeton's Habitats of the World: A Field Guide for Birders, Naturalists and Ecologists'
Nearctic Sedge and Grassland Marshes - Code: Ne11B
Habitat in a Nutshell
A freshwater wetland habitat dominated by short dense stands of grass and sedges, usually seasonally dry. Global Habitat Affinities: Continental Habitat Affinities: None. Species Overlap: Mixed Grass Prairie, Central American Savanna and Grassland, Nearctic Reedbed Marshes, Eastern Glades and Barrens, Tallgrass Prairie, Nearctic Open Water.
Description of Habitat
Nearctic Sedge and Grassland Marshes are widely distributed across the continent, especially in the northern Great Plains and se. United States. Most of these wetlands are shallow and seasonal, rarely having standing water year-round. These wetlands are most often inundated in late spring and early summer, following snowmelt or spring rains. Like NEARCTIC REEDBED MARSHES, these wetlands frequently occur around the margins of lakes and ponds, as well as bogs and in low-lying areas of grasslands. Unlike reedbed marshes, the vegetation here is usually short (>3ft/1m) and provides little cover for larger birds and animals.
Nearctic Sedge and Grassland Marshes are botanically diverse and dominated by gramminoid plants. While the dominant species vary throughout the range, sedges (Carex spp.) are almost always an important component. Widespread sedges found in this habitat include Tussock sedge (Carex stricta), Beaked sedge (Carex utriculata) and Bladder sedge (Carex vesicaria). Bluejoint grasses (Calamagrostris spp.), Prairie cordgrass (Spartina pectinata), and woolgrass (Scirpus spp.) are also relatively common. During dry years, this habitat is often invaded by grasses from nearby upland habitats. There are rarely any shrubs present in this habitat. When shrubs are present they are typically small willows (Salix spp.).
Sawgrass Marsh is a unique type of sedge and grassland marsh that is restricted to southern Florida. Unlike most other sedge and grassland marshes, the habitat here is dominated by a single species, Sawgrass (Cladium mariscus). Sawgrass is not a true grass but instead a member of the sedge family. Unlike most sedges in other sedge and grassland marshes, sawgrass can reach towering heights, often over 10ft (3m) in height. Sawgrass marshes are inundated for most of the year with soil exposed only for a few months at a time. Fire is important for the maintenance of sawgrass marshes and succession by maples (Acer spp.) and willows (Salix spp.) occurs in its absence.
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