Chesapeake Salt Marsh Food Web
Wetland
Mid-Atlantic United States — Chesapeake Bay region
Description
Atlantic salt marshes along the US East Coast are among the most productive ecosystems per unit area on Earth. Cordgrass marshes export organic detritus to adjacent estuaries, fueling offshore food webs. Blue crabs, ribbed mussels, and fiddler crabs are keystone species that process enormous quantities of organic matter.
Trophic Pyramid
Level 5
Decomposers
Sulfur-reducing bacteria
Marsh fungi
Detritivorous worms
3 species
Level 4
Tertiary Consumers
Great blue heron
Osprey
Northern harrier
3 species
Level 3
Secondary Consumers
Blue crab
Diamondback terrapin
Clapper rail
3 species
Level 2
Primary Consumers
Ribbed mussel
Fiddler crab
Periwinkle snail
3 species
Level 1
Producers
Smooth cordgrass
Salt marsh hay
Benthic microalgae
3 species
Apex Predators
Tertiary Consumers
Secondary Consumers
Primary Consumers
Producers
Key Interactions
- Cordgrass detritus is exported to estuaries, supporting offshore fish and shrimp
- Ribbed mussels filter water and stabilize marsh sediment with byssal threads
- Fiddler crabs aerate marsh soil through burrowing, enhancing cordgrass growth
- Periwinkle snails can overgraze cordgrass, converting marsh to mudflat if unchecked