Journal: Environmental Contaminants Reviews (ECR)
Author: Mohasin Meah , Prabal Barua

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

Doi:10.26480/ecr.02.2020.71.76

ABSTRACT
Salt marsh ecosystems are among the most productive environments on earth. Salt marsh grass is the most abundant salt-tolerant plant in most of the estuarine environment of Bangladesh and responsible for much of the marsh productivity. Growth of salt marsh Porteresia coarctata and effect of different ecological parameters especially organic content on growth at two stations in South-Eastern coastal salt marsh was determined. In addition, temporal and spatial variation of growth and physico-chemical parameters such as soil organic matter, soil pH, sediment deposition, temperature, salinity, NO2-N, PO4-P, SiO3-Si, sediment type etc. were analyzed. Growth of salt marsh P. coarctata ranged from 1.48±0.46– 14.08±1.48 cm. Organic content had insignificant positive relationship on the growth of salt marsh and salinity level, alkalinity, Nitrate Nitrogen and level of Silicate-Silicon. The variation of morphological parameters of P. coarctata between the sampling stations attributed to difference in habitat, soil organic matter and tidal action i.e. wave and current between the stations. Both sampling sites are in threat through various anthropogenic processes so it is the time to concentrate on salt marsh protection in the South-eastern coastal areas of Bangladesh.

KEYWORDS
Salt marsh, Porteresia coarctata, South-Eastern coast, Organic content