Vegetation patterns in James Bay coastal marshes. I. Environmental factors on the south coast

Abstract

Coastal wetlands of the Hudson Bay Lowlands along southern James Bay are generated by a positive water balance, low relief, and a rising land surface. Marshes, dominated by sedges and grasses, and separated by beach ridges, occur between unvegetated intertidal flats and the inland boreal forest. Bay waters, affected by currents, shallow depths, and large freshwater inputs from major rivers in the Hudson Bay drainage, are brackish. Off the coast at the Harricanaw River, surface salinity in the bay is <4 ppt while soil water salinities in the adjacent marsh are higher. Standing water and tidal water in contact with vegetation often measure 0 ppt salinity. Plant communities adapted to brackish water have developed. Using two-way indicator species analysis classification, twelve widespread community types were recognized. Ordination using detrended correspondence analysis revealed gradients of salinity, elevation, drainage, vegetation development, complexity, and peat formation, and separated coastal from estuarine communities. An inverse salinity gradient, which has been reported elsewhere in James Bay, was not found; explanations are proposed for isolated areas of high salinity.