An Ecological Survey of the Lower Laguna Madre of Texas, 1953-1959
Breuer JP. 1962. An Ecological Survey of the Lower Laguna Madre of Texas, 1953-1959. The Institute of Marine Science. 8
Hydrographic data and annotated comments on the disuibution and habits of species are presentedfor the Lower Laguna Madre of Texas, a shallow, hypersaline marine bay extending 76 miles north of the Rio Grande delta. In summer, waters of the Gulf move northward through the lagoon with increasing salinity due to evaporation. The variety of species in the plankton and bottom communities diminish with distance from the pass. In winter, flow is southward. A population of commercial oysters Crassostrea virginica, near the pass apparently is adapted to high salinity conditions. Some ecological effects of man-made changes are described, including the effects of opening Port Mansfield Pass, the isolation and silting of South Bay due to spoil, and the management of the Rio Grande River during floods. Movements of year classes of game fishes are described.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Breuer, Joseph
- Date of Issue
- 1962-05
- Units
- PAIS
- Keywords
- Cassostrea virginica, Ecological Survey, Laguna Madre, Padre Island National Seashore, Rio Grande delta, Texas