Classification of Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats of the United States
Appendix E
Artificial Keys to the Systems and Classes
1. Water regime influenced by oceanic tides, and salinity due to ocean-derived salts 0.5 or greater. 2. Semi-enclosed by land, but with open, partly obstructed or sporadic access to the ocean. Halinity wide-ranging because of evaporation or mixing of seawater with runoff from land . . . . ESTUARINE 2. Little or no obstruction to open ocean present. Halinity usually euhaline; little mixing of water with runoff from land . . . . .3 3. Emergents, trees, or shrubs present . . . . . . . . . . . . . ESTUARINE 3. Emergents, trees, or shrubs absent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MARINE 1. Water regime not influenced by ocean tides, or if influenced by oceanic tides, salinity less than 0.5 4. Persistent emergents, trees, shrubs, or emergent mosses cover 30% or more of the area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PALUSTRINE 4. Persistent emergents, trees, shrubs, or emergent mosses cover less than 30% of substrate but nonpersistent emergents may be widespread during some seasons of year . . . . . . . .5 5. Situated in a channel; water, when present, usually flowing . .RIVERINE 5. Situated in a basin, catchment, or on level or sloping ground; water usually not flowing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 6. Area 8 ha (20 acres) or greater . . . . . . . . . . . . LACUSTRINE 6. Area less than 8 ha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 7. Wave-formed or bedrock shoreline feature present or water depth 2 m (6.6 feet) or more . . . . . . . . LACUSTRINE 7. No wave-formed or bedrock shoreline feature present and water less than 2 m deep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PALUSTRINE
1. During the growing season of most years, areal cover by vegetation is less than 30%. 2. Substrate a ridge or mound formed by colonization of sedentary invertebrates (corals, oysters, tube worms) . . . . . . . . . . . REEF 2. Substrate of rock or various-sized sediments often occupied by invertebrates but not formed by colonization of sedentary invertebrates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 3. Water regime subtidal, permanently flooded, intermittently exposed, or semipermanently flooded. Substrate usually not soil . . 4 4. Substrate of bedrock, boulders, or stones occurring singly or in combination covers 75% or more of the area . . . .ROCK BOTTOM 4. Substrate of organic material, mud, sand, gravel, or cobbles with less than 75% areal cover of stones, boulders, or bedrock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .UNCONSOLIDATED BOTTOM 3. Water regime irregularly exposed, regularly flooded, irregularly flooded, seasonally flooded, temporarily flooded, intermittently flooded, saturated, or artificially flooded. Substrate often a soil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 5. Contained within a channel that does not have permanent flowing water (i.e., Intermittent Subsystem of Riverine System or Intertidal Subsystem of Estuarine System) . . . STREAMBED 5. Contained in a channel with perennial water or not contained in a channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 6. Substrate of bedrock, boulders, or stones occurring singly or in combination covers 75% or more of the area . . .ROCKY SHORE 6. Substrate of organic material, mud, sand, gravel, or cobbles; with less than 75% of the cover consisting of stones, boulders, or bedrock . . . . . . UNCONSOLIDATED SHORE 1. During the growing season of most years, percentage of area covered by vegetation 30% or greater. 7. Vegetation composed of pioneering annuals or seedling perennials, often not hydrophytes, occurring only at time of substrate exposure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 8. Contained within a channel that does not have permanent flowing water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . STREAMBED (VEGETATED) 8. Contained within a channel with permanent water, or not contained in a channel . . . . . . . UNCONSOLIDATED SHORE (VEGETATED) 7. Vegetation composed of algae, bryophytes, lichens, or vascular plants that are usually hydrophytic perennials . . . . . . . . . . . .9 9. Vegetation composed predominantly of nonvascular species . . . . . 10 10. Vegetation macrophytic algae, mosses, or lichens growing in water or the splash zone of shores . . . . . . . .AQUATIC BED 10. Vegetation mosses or lichens usually growing on organic soils and always outside the splash zone of shores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MOSS-LICHEN WETLAND 9. Vegetation composed predominantly of vascular species . . . . . . .11 11. Vegetation herbaceous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 12. Vegetation emergents . . . . . . . . . . . .EMERGENT WETLAND 12. Vegetation submergent, floating-leaved, or floating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . AQUATIC BED 11. Vegetation trees or shrubs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 13. Dominants less than 6 m (20 feet) tall . .SCRUB-SHRUB WETLAND 13. Dominants 6 m tall or taller . . . . . . . . FORESTED WETLAND
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