Connecticut Water Trails Program

Estuaries

What Types Of Plants And Animals Live In Estuaries ?

Estuaries are some of the most productive ecosystems in the world.

Estuaries can have many different types of habitat. Some common estuarine habitats are: the water column, oyster reefs, coral reefs, kelp and other macroalgae, rocky shores and bottoms, soft shores and bottom, submerged aquatic vegetation, coastal marshes, mangroves, deepwater swamps and riverine forests. 

Estuaries can also be divided into tidal zones (supratidal, intertidal and subtidal zone) subject to changing water levels, temperature, oxygen content and levels of light.

Energy is cycled through the estuarine food web from producers and auto-trophs to consumers and decomposers.

Invasive Species are those that do not naturally live in an estuary, but were introduced, often accidentally, by humans. Invasive species compete with native plants and animals for shelter and food and weaken the ecosystem

A Place To Call Home

There are lots of different types of habitats in and near estuaries. Freshwater and salt marshes, sandy beaches, mud and sand flats, mangrove forests, river deltas, tidal pools and swamps can all be part of the estuary.

Estuarine Habitats

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