Pacific Glasswort (Salicornia pacifica) thrives where few plants can—using saltwater as its main source of water. It tucks excess salt into tiny vacuoles at the tips of its stems. When those fill up, the segments turn red and fall off, taking the salt with them.
#Pickleweed #SaltMarsh #CaliforniaNativePlants #EstuaryLife #CoastalEcosystems #Nature #Wildlife
A new study shows the return of sea otters and their voracious appetites has helped rescue a section of California marshland. Sea otters eat constantly and one of their favorite snacks is the striped shore crab. Left unchecked, the crabs can turn marsh banks into Swiss cheese that can collapse when big waves or storms hit. Researchers found that the return of the crab-eating sea otters to a tidal estuary near Monterey, California, since the 1980s helped curb erosion. The research was published Wednesday in the journal Nature.
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