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Texas-Louisiana Coastal Marshes

Ecoregion in Atlantic Coastal Plain in TX, LA

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The Texas-Louisiana Coastal Marshes region is characterized by extensive freshwater and saltwater coastal marshes, few bays, and lack of barrier islands. There are many rivers, lakes, bayous, tidal channels, and canals. The streams and rivers that supply nutrients and sediments to this region are primarily from the humid pine belt of Ecoregion 35. Soils are very poorly drained Histosols and Entisols with muck or clay surface textures. The region, called the Chenier Plain in Louisiana, is almost treeless. The cheniers, or narrow ridges paralleling the shoreline, rise to about five feet in elevation but occupy only about three percent of the region. Live oaks and hackberries are dominant canopy species on many of the ridges, with an understory of palmetto and prickly pear cactus. Extensive cordgrass marshes occur in the more saline areas with maidencane and sawgrass on fresh marshes. The estuaries and marshes support abundant marine life, supply wintering grounds for globally significant populations of ducks and geese, and provide habitat for small mammals and alligators. Brown shrimp and white shrimp are commercially important. Sport fishery species such as red drum, black drum, southern flounder, and spotted seatrout occur in the coastal bays.

— EPA

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Texas-Louisiana Coastal Marshes

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