Tropical salt pond ecosystem

The depth, salinity and overall chemistry of these dynamic salt ponds fluctuate depending on temperature, rainfall, and anthropogenic influences such as nutrient runoff.

Mangrove trees are the dominant vegetation of tropical salt pond ecosystems, which also serve as vital feeding and breeding grounds for shore birds.

[1] These typically form at the base of watersheds with steep slopes, as sediments transported during storm events begin to fill in and cover up the rubble berm.

[4] Organisms typically found in and around tropical salt ponds include cyanobacteria, marine invertebrates, birds, algae and mangrove trees.

Mangroves are often found near or around salt ponds because of their ability to exist in an ecosystem with high salinity, low dissolved oxygen levels, brackish water, and extreme temperatures.

Salt ponds are home to dense benthic mats of bacteria which also trap nutrients such as nitrogen that otherwise would greatly contribute to detrimental marine eutrophication.

Halophilic green algae can also be cultured in salt ponds to produce glycerol, dried protein that can be fed to livestock, and β–carotene used in dietary supplements.

Natural grazing and predation around salt ponds can trample vegetation, increase local erosion, and introduce nutrients to the ecosystem.

[1] Anthropogenic threats to salt ponds include development and altered hydrology, pollution, erosion, and livestock and agricultural operations.

Anthropogenic activities, such as fossil fuel burning, can cause increased global temperatures and could lead to the drying of salt ponds.