Shallow Water Habitats

Detritus is a mixture of non-living particulate organic material and the attached microorganisms, which act to decompose (or remineralize) the material.  A variety of plant materials contribute to detritus in estuaries, including marsh vegetation, phytoplankton, benthic microalgae, submerged aquatic vegetation, macroalgae and terrestrial vegetation.

Detritus can be used as a source of nutrition by animals, especially in protected shallow water systems where marshes may line the shore, and the trapping of fine sediment and organic matter is enhanced. Many bottom-dwelling animals (benthos) living in mud flats feed, at least in part, on detritus. The most prominent constituents of detritus are complex carbohydrates, which are difficult to decompose. Microbes growing on detritus particles make it more nutritious for consumers because they add nitrogen and phosphorus from the water or sediment as they grow.

For further information about detritus and its role in estuarine and coastal marine habitats, refer to the following:

Day, J. W., C. S. Hall, W. M. Kemp and A. Yánez-Arancibia. 1989. Estuarine Ecology. John Wiley and Sons. Chapter 7 – Microbial ecology and organic detritus in estuaries.  (Note: the second edition of this book is scheduled for release in March 2008)

Mann, K. H. 2000. Ecology of coastal waters, with implications for management.  Blackwell Publishing; Chapter 6 – The fate of macrophyte detritus.