Restinga (salt marsh) is an
ecosystem
of the
Atlantic
Rainforest
biome
that belongs to the group of
pioneer formations.
Distinct from the
mangrove and
caxetal ecosystem, it is exclusively subjected to marine influence.
It comprises the
flora and
fauna,
that occurs on the beaches, dunes, dune valleys and elevated sandy inland terraces which were sculped during and after the last ice age.
The predominantly sandy, salty and nutrient - poor
soils
(Quartz sand + thick humus layer)
have
Cenozoic origin.
In a broader sense, also plant communities on coastal rocks are assigned to the restinga ecosystem.