The low-level areas are exposed to tides daily. The area is composed of tidal mudflats, appears to be a grassy wasteland, and has a large number of insects. The coastal habitat has plants which are salt resistant and live in organic rich soil. The grasses and small shrubs located in the salt marshes help stabilize the sediments by binding the soil together. The temperature change can be very dramatic.
Herbaceous angiosperms are the dominant plants in the marsh.
The salinity of the marsh fluctuates. Many organisms have salt filtering glands to help them handle the large amount of salt in the marsh. Seashells, seashore creatures, insects and spiders, fishes, reptiles and amphibians, birds, and plants call the salt marshes home. Mangrove Swamps Mangrove swamps are very similar to the salt marshes. The cord grass and other plants, requiring high levels of salt, grow in the swamps.