Iran shrimp research center/Iranian fisheries research organization
Abstract
Salt marshes are halophytic wetlands that found in the middle and high latitudes along coastlines. These habitats are intermediate between the two land and water ecosystems with a lot of animal and plants species such as insects, birds and mammals that capable of bearing a wide range of ecological factors, including salinity, temperature and humidity. Also Spartina grass and species of Juncus and salicornia are dominant in these habitats. Salt marshes provide a large portion of the primary and secondary products that can be used in neighboring ecosystems. Studies have shown that these habitats, with stabilization of a high proportion of nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon, can play a significant role in modulating environmental problems, including red tide and global warming. Coastal shrubs provide a good condition for biological treatment of oil pollution, heavy metals and insecticides. Seeds of Salicornia are considered to be the most important oily seeds due to the storage of unsaturated fatty acids. The cultivation of these plants is very important in most countries of South America under the limitation of agriculture with freshwater. However Persian Gulf face to some environmental problems such as nutrient increasing, Jellyfish and Phytoplankton blooming, oil spill, most of the salt marshes in the Persian Gulf have been gradually changed for socio-economic development.
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