Do Tides Affect Coastal Insect Communities?

Abstract

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org. ABSTRACT: Clip-quadrat samples taken prior to, during and after inundating tides in Salicornia and Spartina salt marshes during 1 year revealed that periodic tidal inundation had little effect upon the number of adult species or their vertical stratification within the marsh vegeta-tion. Possible explanations for the insects' remaining in the marsh during inundation are considered. Sorensen's Quotient of Similarity demon-strated little alteration in species composition, and a trophic analysis showed no change in the relative proportion of herbivores, saprovores or predators as a result of inundation. The possibility that salt-marsh insects remaining in place on the vegetation during inundating tides may be a result of early morning sampling is considered. These findings sup-port previous conclusions that salt-marsh insect populations are regulated primarily by biological rather than physical factors.