KUCHLER TYPE DESCRIPTION
Kuchler Type: Tule marshes


PHYSIOGRAPHY : 
The Central Valley of California is characterized by flat and gently
rolling terrain between the Coast Ranges and Sierra Nevada.  Elevations
rise as high as 2,500 feet (762 m) at its eastern limit [9].  The
marshes of the Great Salt Lake occur on the northeastern shores of the
lake, where water levels are shallow and salt flats are present.  Some
diking has been built to maintain water levels and retain fresh water
[10].


CLIMATE : 
Average annual rainfall in the Central Valley is 50 inches (1,250 mm) [4].
Others report that average annual rainfall is 8 to 13 inches (200-330 mm)
[9].  Most of the ground moisture is maintained by runoff from
surrounding mountains [4].  Precipitation falls mostly as winter rain.
Temperatures can range from below freezing in winter to more than 100
degrees Fahrenheit (>38 deg C) in summer.  Average winter temperature is
55 degrees Fahrenheit (12.8 deg C), and average summer temperature is 75
degrees Fahrenheit (23.9 deg C) [9].

The Great Salt Lake region is arid.  Average annual precipitation is 12
inches (30.4 cm).  Average July temperature is 77 degrees Fahrenheit (25
deg C).  Average January temperature is 9 degrees Fahrenheit (-13 deg C)
[10].


SOILS : 
Soils in the Great Salt Lake region are dense and fine grained below an
organic layer that is typically 4 to 8 inches (10-20 cm) thick [10].


VEGETATION : 
Dominant vegetation as listed by Kuchler [5] includes hardstem bulrush
(Scirpus acutus), California bulrush (S. californicus), American bulrush
(S. olneyi), softstem bulrush (S. validus), southern cattail (Typha
domingensis), and common cattail (T. latifolia).  Other important
species include narrowleaved cattail (T. angustifolia), slough sedge
(Carex obnupta), swamp sedge (C. senta), and common spikerush
(Eleocharis palustris).

Citations listing Scirpus and Typha species as part of a plant community
classification in California are as follows:

Plant communities of southern California [6].  
A vegetation classification system applied to southern California [9].


WILDLIFE : 
Central Valley and Great Salt Lake marshes support many species of
waterfowl including geese, swans, ducks, white pelicans, and cranes.
Other wildlife includes muskrat, fish, turtles, and invertebrates
[1,14].  Tule elk, a rare subspecies of elk native to California and
named for the marshes they once inhabited, are now confined to Tupman
Reserve near Bakersfield [1].


ECOLOGICAL RELATIONSHIPS : 
In California either cattails or bulrush can colonize flooded sites
first.  Cattail is usually followed by bulrush.  Both species establish
in shallow water and may migrate to deeper water through creeping
rhizomes.  As of yet, there have been no reports of seed germination in
deep water.  Once established in deep water, however, cattail and
bulrush stands tend to be more stable than in shallower water.  Cattail
and bulrush rhizomes can rapidly fill in shallow water sites,
eliminating the marsh [7].

Dominant emergents in the marshes of Great Salt Lake after diking are
saltgrass (Distichlis spicata), cattails, bulrush, and common reed
(Phragmites austalis) [10].

Succession has been described following draining, burning, and flooding
during September in a Great Salt Lake marsh.  Shade tolerance was an
important factor in succession.  Shade tolerant species included
cattails, bulrush, duckpotato arrowhead (Sagittaria cuneata), and
creeping spikerush (Eleocharis palustris).  All of these species were
present the summer after burning, in addition to saltgrass, sego
pondweed (Potamogeton pectinatus), and horned pondweed (Zannichellia
palustris) [12].

Seedbank studies in Great Salt Lake marshes show that cattail and
bulrush germinate in higher densities in moist soil conditions than
under submerged conditions [11].  For more information refer to
individual species writeups in the FEIS database.

Related categories for Kuchler Type: Tule marshes