title: Biodiversity in salt marshes: from patrimonial value to ecosystem functioning. The case study of the Mont-Saint-Michel bay.
abstract: Until 1979, European salt marshes were known only through the inventories of fauna and especially of flora. On such criteria, the salt marshes of the Mont-Saint-Michel bay (France) were regarded as most significant of the French coasts. However, it took 20 years of research on the role of these wetlands of the estuaries-salt marsh systems to highlight the ecological, social and economic interest of this ecotone, between continental and marine systems, a long time considered as territory "without value", except for stock breeders or hunters.
authors.affiliation: UMR 6653 EcoBio, Equipe d'animation de la zone atelier La Baie du Mont-Saint-Michel et ses bassins versants, Université de Rennes 1, Campus Beaulieu, 35042 Rennes, France.
authors.forename: Jean-Claude
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Lefeuvre
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Laffaille
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Feunteun
authors.forename: Virginie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bouchard
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Radureau
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D002980:Climate; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods; D003710:Demography; D017753:Ecosystem; D005602:France; D010944:Plants / Q000145:classification; D012623:Seawater