Marine Shore

Two Eastern Melampus (Melampus bidentatus) were introduced to the Marine Shore biome on 2026-04-23. Within minutes, both were observed actively feeding on dead grass detritus at the waterline. This species is a detritivore, but its role extends further than just eating. It tracks low tide to collect nutrients at the waterline and then carries those nutrients back onto land through its droppings. Moving marine-derived nutrients back to the terrestrial side of the coastal biome is the most important function a species can perform here. Two individuals currently present and watching for establishment and reproduction.

The Marine Shore biome had been accumulating seashore paspalum overgrowth and detritus without the detritivore layer needed to process it. A field trip to a brackish tidal ditch in Spring Hill, FL with Grant from The Garden of Eder yielded five new species: Gulf marsh crab (Sesarma schubarti), Eastern Melampus (Melampus bidentatus), Ladder Hornsnail (Cerithidea scalariformis), Lawn shrimps (Family Talitridae), and Scorched Mussels (Brachidontes exustus). Each was selected to fill a specific vacancy in herbivory, detritivore layering, and filter feeding. The Gulf marsh crab, classified as a distinct species in 2024, was the most unexpected find.