Coastal sand dunes as biological systems

1989 ◽  
Vol 96 ◽  
pp. 17-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Willis
Keyword(s):  
Sand Dunes ◽  
Coastal Dunes ◽  
Nutrient Status ◽  
Large Animal ◽  
Ammophila Arenaria ◽  
Physiological Level ◽  
Tyria Jacobaeae ◽  
Ecological Importance ◽  
Dune Plants ◽  
Stress Metabolites

SynopsisWith the gradation of intensities of environmental factors from the strand-line to stable inland areas, coastal dunes show many ecological phenomena especially clearly. These are reviewed broadly, with some emphasis on topics on which important advances are being made. The nutrient status of dune soil and changes with time are shown with reference to several dune systems. Changes in major nutrients are given for Braunton Burrows, north Devon, where the influence of nitrogen fixation by Lotus corniculatus is illustrated. The effects of sand burial on plants are considered, and details given of the root systems of vigorous and relict marram; factors which may affect its decline in vigour are reviewed. Also discussed is the likely significance of nematodes in the decline of Hippophaë rhamnoides. Reasons for the richness of the dune flora are considered and also some autecological studies. At the physiological level, reference is made to the water relations of plants and at the biochemical level to the occurrence and possible ecological importance of stress metabolites. Life strategies, phenology, survivorship, competition and the population ecology of dune plants are reviewed and also the interaction of ragwort (Senecio jacobaea) and cinnabar moth (Tyria jacobaeae). The population genetics of dune plants is illustrated by reference to Festuca rubra and Ammophila arenaria and of animals to Cepaea nemoralis.The abundance and ecological relationships of the invertebrate fauna are exemplified by surveys at Spurn Point, extensive investigations on spiders and the influence of marram on arthropod communities. The ecology of the natterjack load is considered in relation to conservation and the effects of large animal grazers in relation to the diversity of vegetation.

scholarly journals Synecology of Cutandia maritima (L.) Barbey, a rare psammophytic species along the Montenegrin Coast (East Adriatic Coast)

Hacquetia ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-187
Author(s):  
Danijela Stešević ◽  
Nada Bubanja ◽  
Danka Caković ◽  
Nejc Jogan ◽  
Milica Luković ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sand Dunes ◽  
Habitat Type ◽  
Coastal Dunes ◽  
Distribution Area ◽  
Long Beach ◽  
Ammophila Arenaria ◽  
Mediterranean Species ◽  
The North ◽  
Adriatic Coast ◽  
Insight Into

AbstractCutandia maritima is a circum-Mediterranean species that inhabits sandy dunes along the coast line. It is fairly frequent on the western Adriatic coast but fairly rare and possibly even non-native in the east. In Croatia, it was discovered in 1990 in Crnika Bay on the island of Rab, which was considered until 2005 to be the only site on the eastern Adriatic coast from the Gulf of Trieste in the north to Corfu in the south. In 2009, the species was briefly reported for Velika plaža (Long Beach) in Ulcinj (Montenegro) but without details about the habitat type and synecology. The aim of this paper is thus to provide a deeper insight into the ecology and synecology of C. maritima in the eastern Adriatic part of the distribution area. On Velika plaža in Ulcinj, the species was found along the whole sea-inland gradient of sand dunes, in various types of vegetation: [1210] - annual vegetation of drift lines, [2110] - embryonic shifting dunes, [2120] - shifting dunes with Ammophila arenaria (white dunes), [2220] - dunes with Euphorbia terracina, [2130*] - fixed coastal dunes with herbaceous vegetation (grey dunes), and also [2190] - humid dune slacks.

Leaf demography and decline of Panicum racemosum populations in coastal foredunes of southern Brazil

1991 ◽  
Vol 69 (7) ◽  
pp. 1593-1599 ◽  
Author(s):  
César S. B. Costa ◽  
Ulrich Seeliger ◽  
César V. Cordazzo
Keyword(s):  
Population Biology ◽  
Sand Dunes ◽  
Salt Spray ◽  
Nutrient Status ◽  
Southern Brazil ◽  
Leaf Demography ◽  
Growth Vigour ◽  
Sand Movement ◽  
Mobile Dune ◽  
Sand Deposition

We studied the effect of nutrient status and sand movement on the population biology of Panicum racemosum Spreng. over a 5-year period (1982–1986) on mobile, semifixed and fixed coastal foredune habitats in southern Brazil. The soils were deficient in nitrate, phosphate, and potassium (<0.5, 0.2–1.2, and 3–5 mg/kg, respectively) in all habitats, and a gradient of decreasing availability existed from the mobile to the fixed dunes. Half-lives of leaves were shorter in the fixed dune as compared with the mobile dune. Similarly, half-lives of leaves were shorter in summer than in winter. Experiments using cuttings of P. racemosum tillers showed that as P. racemosum plants grew, so did the deposition of sand on mobile foredunes. The mechanical deposition of sand itself did not stimulate P. racemosum growth. The deposition of saline sand provided a substrate that supported vertical growth of P. racemosum rhizomes and tillers and was a source of adsorbed nutrients. Also, active sand deposition limited the invasion of frontal dunes by other species. Panicum racemosum populations changed from "invader" to "mature" to "regressive" age states over a 5-year period, apparently in response to the spatial patterns of sand deposition and salt spray input. Key words: Panicum, leaf demography, growth vigour, sand dunes, temporal changes.

Pans in humus podzols (Humods and Aquods) in coastal southern Queensland

Soil Research ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 161 ◽  
Author(s):  
CH Thompson ◽  
EM Bridges ◽  
DA Jenkins
Keyword(s):  
Soil Depth ◽  
Sand Dunes ◽  
Coastal Dunes ◽  
Particle Packing ◽  
Sand Mining ◽  
Coastal Sand Dunes ◽  
Organic Complex ◽  
Coastal Sand ◽  
Coastal Lowlands

An exploratory examination has been made of three different kinds of hardpans found in humus podzols (Humods and Aquods) of the coastal lowlands of southern Queensland, by means of slaking tests, a reactive aluminium test, acid oxalate and pyrophosphate extractions and electron microscopy. Samples from three indurated layers exposed by erosion or sand-mining in large coastal dunes were included for comparison. The investigation confirmed that, a pan in a bleached A2 (albic E) horizon is most likely caused by particle packing and that a pan in a black B2h (spodic) horizon is cemented by an aluminium-organic complex. Yellow-brown pans underlying black organic pans (spodic horizons) were found to be cemented by both a proto-imogolite/allophane complex and an organic substance. An inorganic reactive Al complex differing from the proto-imogolite allophane recorded in the overlying giant podzols appeared to be main cement of three indurated layers in the nearby coastal sand dunes. Mechanical disturbance of the pans, e.g. ripping, is unlikely to improve drainage and effective soil depth in the long term, because the disturbed zones are expected to be re-sealed by packed particles or by the aluminium-organic complex cement.

scholarly journals Diversity of AMF associated with Ammophila arenaria ssp. arundinacea in Portuguese sand dunes

Mycorrhiza ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. 543-552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susana Rodríguez-Echeverría ◽  
Helena Freitas
Keyword(s):  
Sand Dunes ◽  
Ammophila Arenaria

The Holland Paleosol: an informal pedostratigraphic unit in the coastal dunes of southeastern Lake Michigan

2004 ◽  
Vol 41 (11) ◽  
pp. 1385-1400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan F Arbogast ◽  
Randall J Schaetzl ◽  
Joseph P Hupy ◽  
Edward C Hansen
Keyword(s):  
Lake Michigan ◽  
Sand Dunes ◽  
Coastal Dunes ◽  
Buried Soils ◽  
Coastal Sand Dunes ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Long Period ◽  
Sand Supply ◽  
Buried Soil ◽  
Coastal Sand

A very prominent buried soil crops out in coastal sand dunes along an ~200 km section of the southeastern shore of Lake Michigan. This study is the first to investigate the character of this soil — informally described here as the Holland Paleosol — by focusing on six sites from Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore north to Montague, Michigan. Most dunes in this region are large (>40 m high) and contain numerous buried soils that indicate periods of reduced sand supply and comcomitant stabilization. Most of these soils are buried in the lower part of the dunes and are thin Entisols. The soil described here, in contrast, is relatively well developed, is buried in the upper part of many dunes, and formed by podzolization under forest vegetation. Radiocarbon dates indicate that this soil formed between ~3000 and 300 calibrated years BP. Pedons of the Holland Paleosol range in development from thick Entisols (Regosols) with A–Bw–BC–C horizonation to weakly developed Spodosols (Podzols) with A–E–Bs–Bw–BC–C profiles. Many profiles have overthickened and (or) stratified A horizons, indicative of slow and episodic burial. Differences in development are mainly due to paleolandscape position and variations in paleoclimate among the sites. The Holland Paleosol is significant because it represents a relatively long period of landscape stability in coastal dunes over a broad (200 km) area. This period of stability was concurrent with numerous fluctuations in Lake Michigan. Given the general sensitivity of coastal dunes to prehistoric lake-level fluctuations, the soil may reflect a time when the lake shore was farther west than it is today. The Holland Paleosol would probably qualify as a formal pedostratigraphic unit if it were buried by a formal lithostratgraphic or allostratigraphic unit.

Description of Pratylenchus dunensis sp. n. (Nematoda: Pratylenchidae), a root-lesion nematode associated with the dune grass Ammophila arenaria (L.) Link

Nematology ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eduardo de la Peña ◽  
Maurice Moens ◽  
Adriaanvan van Aelst ◽  
Gerrit Karssen
Keyword(s):  
Coastal Dunes ◽  
Total Body Length ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Similar Species ◽  
Root Lesion Nematode ◽  
Ammophila Arenaria ◽  
Head Region ◽  
Lateral Field ◽  
Lesion Nematode ◽  
Tail Tip

Abstract A root-lesion nematode, Pratylenchus dunensis sp. n., is described and illustrated from Ammophila arenaria (L.) Link, a grass occurring abundantly in coastal dunes of Atlantic Europe. The new species is characterised by medium sized (454-579 μ m) slender, vermiform, females and males having two lip annuli (sometimes three to four; incomplete incisures only visible with scanning electron microscopy), medium to robust stylet (ca 16 μ m) with robust stylet knobs slightly set off, long pharyngeal glands (ca 42 μ m), lateral field with four parallel, non-equidistant, lines, the middle ridge being narrower than the outer ones, lateral field with partial areolation and lines converging posterior to the phasmid which is located between the two inner lines of the lateral field in the posterior half of the tail, round spermatheca filled with round sperm, vulva at 78% of total body length and with protruding vulval lips, posterior uterine sac relatively short (ca 19 μ m), cylindrical tail (ca 33 μ m) narrowing in the posterior third with smooth tail tip and with conspicuous hyaline part (ca 2 μ m). Males occur abundantly and present similar characteristics except for smaller dimensions for all morphological characters, but the head region is more truncated in outline than the female, spicule length is ca 15 μ m and testis length is ca 195 μ m. Nucleotide sequences of the rDNA expansion region D2D3 differed from the morphologically similar species P. penetrans and P. brzeskii that also occur in coastal dunes. These differences are supported by PCR-RFLP of the ITS-rDNA. Pratylenchus dunensis sp. n. was also found parasitising roots of Elymus farctus Viv.

scholarly journals Evidence of Coastal Changes in the West Coast of Naxos Island, Cyclades, Greece

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1427
Author(s):  
Niki Evelpidou ◽  
Alexandros Petropoulos ◽  
Anna Karkani ◽  
Giannis Saitis
Keyword(s):  
Coastal Zone ◽  
Coastal Lagoons ◽  
Sand Dunes ◽  
Aegean Sea ◽  
Anthropogenic Factors ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressures ◽  
Sea Levels ◽  
Rising Sea Levels ◽  
Ecological Importance ◽  
Definition Of

Coastal lagoons and dunes are of great ecological importance, not only for providing habitats for rare flora and fauna, but also for protecting coastal areas from rising sea levels and storms, etc. Even though these features are unique for sustainable development and are extremely important to the natural environment and economy, they are one of the most vulnerable and threatened ecosystems due to their small size. The western coasts of Naxos (central Aegean Sea) represent an example of such phenomena, with various wetlands bordered by low-lying sand dunes. The aim of our study is to assess the vulnerability and pressures of the western coasts of Naxos Isl. by taking into consideration both natural and anthropogenic factors. We used a variety of approaches for the environmental and geomorphological study of the coastal zone to achieve this goal, including: (a) study of aerial photography from 1960 until today, (b) systematic seasonal aerial monitoring by drone, since 2015, (c) use of DGPS for the mapping of the coastal zone and for obtaining detailed topographic sections, and (d) dune mapping. Our findings reveal the vulnerability of the western coasts of Naxos due to sea level rise, tectonic subsidence, and a variety of anthropogenic pressures, such as uncontrolled parking, vegetation uprooting, sand extractions, and heavy touristic traffic. Therefore, the protection of the sand dunes, their restoration where they have been eroded, the definition of a zone of control, and restriction of human activities must be a key priority.

Comparison of the Californian Desert Dunes With the Mediterranean Coastal Dunes at the Sea Shores

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Levent Yilmaz
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Flow ◽  
Flow Structure ◽  
Sand Dunes ◽  
Computational Simulation ◽  
Coastal Dunes ◽  
Sand Transport ◽  
Fluid Properties ◽  
Dune Morphology ◽  
Desert Dunes ◽  
Mixed Fluid

The development of the dunes is governed by the effects of turbulence. Turbulence is a type of fluid flow that is strongly rotational and apparently chaotic. Turbulence separates nearby parcels of air and thus mixed fluid properties. The evolution of sand dunes is determined by the interactions between the atmosphere, the surface and the transport and deposition of sand. We are concerned with this physical process and its computational simulation from three perspectives; namely, (1) flow structure; (2) sand transport and deposition and (3) interactions between flow structure and sand transport-deposition, which determine the dune morphology.

Coastal Dune Habitats

Ecology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas E. Miller ◽  
Marina Lauck
Keyword(s):  
Lake Michigan ◽  
Sand Dunes ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Coastal Dunes ◽  
High Water ◽  
Plant Succession ◽  
Environmental Research ◽  
Dynamic Topography ◽  
Ecological Value ◽  
Sea Levels

Coastal dunes occur along the majority of coastlines worldwide, often as parts of barrier islands, and are one of the most dynamic areas on earth. Sufficient supply of sand and strong onshore winds create a dynamic topography of building dunes near the shoreline and often a system of older dunes and troughs further inland. Coastal dunes have significant economic value for, among other things, tourism and fishing, as they protect inland areas from storms and high-water events. They also have critical ecological value, as they provide habitat for many animals, especially nesting seabirds, and shelter- sensitive oyster and seagrass beds in bays, as well as wetlands, and marshes from intense storms. Some of the earliest studies of plant succession, such as Cowles work in 1899, “The ecological relations of the vegetation on the sand dunes of Lake Michigan,” were conducted on coastal dunes and remain prominent for environmental research—especially as sea levels rise and human-related disturbances increase.

Zonation and succession

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Anwar Maun
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Salt Marshes ◽  
Sand Dunes ◽  
Life Time ◽  
Coastal Dunes ◽  
Ample Evidence ◽  
Directional Change ◽  
Sandy Material ◽  
Inland Dunes

There is ample evidence that a progressive change in the intensity of an important environmental factor leads to the formation of zones or belt-like communities in which the plant species reflect a fairly distinct range of tolerance for that factor (Daubenmire 1968). Zonation has been defined as a sequence of vegetation in space and succession as a sequence of vegetation in time (McIntosh 1980). A zone is an area occupied by a plant community that is distinctly different from other zones and can be readily recognized by a change in dominant vegetation. Striking examples of zonation are found in salt marshes, mountain slopes and ponds because of soil salinity in salt marshes, decrease in temperature on mountain slopes and increase in water depth in ponds (Daubenmire 1968; Chapman 1976; Partridge and Wilson 1988). Similarly, it has long been known (Beck 1819) that sand dunes along sea coasts exhibit a zonation pattern extending from the beach to inland dunes. The zones are discrete and occur in parallel series with distinctly different species composition that is related to the ability of plant species to withstand the environmental factors prevailing in that zone (Doing 1985). Many later studies using transects from the shoreline to the inland dunes have confirmed that the taxa are not randomly distributed; they peak at definite distances from the beach (Oosting and Billings 1942; Boyce 1954; Martin 1959; Barbour 1978; Barbour et al. 1985). Succession in coastal dunes is an example of primary succession because the sandy material deposited on the shoreline by waves is inert. The term is generally used to denote a directional change in species composition and physiognomy of vegetation at the same site over time (Drury and Nisbet 1973). However, only the very early stages of dune succession can be observed during the life time of a plant ecologist and the later stages are usually inferred from plant communities represented on older sand dunes. It is hypothesized that the autogenic influence of early colonizers alters environmental conditions in the habitat and facilitates the establishment of new species better adapted to live in the altered habitat.

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