Definition: The marine salt marsh biome comprises marshes that are transitional intertidals between land and salty or brackish marine water (e.g.: sloughs, bays, estuaries). It is dominated by halophytic (salt tolerant) herbaceous plants. The daily tidal surges bring in nutrients, which tend to settle in roots of the plants within the salt marsh. The natural chemical activity of salty (or brackish) water and the tendency of algae to bloom in the shallow unshaded water also allow for great biodiversity.
Definition: A heterotrophic organism that feeds by ingesting particulate organic material (living or dead organisms), which are then digested within the body.
