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| | Marshes of the Lowcountry -- South Carolina |
 | | Spartina grass species (cord grass, salt marsh cord grass, and marram) are by far the dominant plant life in salt water marshes (which are wetlands, like swamps; in swamps, trees and bushes are most common, however). |
 | | Using photosynthesis, marsh grasses convert vast amounts of solar energy into plant tissue; as the grasses die, large nutrient loads are released into adjacent estuarine waters." These organic nutrients (ten tons per year) go on to feed perhaps 95% of the fish, shrimp and shellfish harvested in our ocean sounds and high seas. |
 | | Other elements in the "bouquet" of marsh air are saltwater (a mixture of simple table salt, magnesium, epsom, calcium, potassium, and lime), chlorophyll from the marsh grass, and decaying plants and animals. |
| www.co.beaufort.sc.us /bftlib/marshes.htm (777 words) |
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