Coastal vegetation Flashcards
What can vegetation do to depositional landforms?
As depositional landforms are made of loose sediment they are not very stable, vegetation can stabilise them
How do vegetation roots stabilise sediment?
They bind the sediment together reducing erosion
How do stems and leaves help reduce erosion?
They create friction reducing the amount of rainfall landing on the ground and providing shelter to the ground from wind
Where is an example of a barrier beach stabilised by vegetation?
Loe Bar in Cornwall
Where is plant bio-stabilisation significant?
- Coastal sand dunes
- Coastal salt marshes
- Mangrove forests
How have coastal plants adapted to live in coastal areas?
Some are halophytes meaning they are tolerant of salt and others are xerophytes meaning they are tolerant of dry soil as sand dunes hold little water
What is the process of plant succession?
The bare sediment is colonised by pioneer species such as marram grass which modify the environment stabilising the sediment and decomposing giving nutrients. The improved soil becomes attractive to less tolerant plants so biodiversity increases, this process repeats until vegetation stops changing leading to the climax community
What is a psammosere?
A sand dune ecosystem
What are some examples of pioneer species?
Marram grass and Sea rocket
How is Marram grass adapted to be a pioneer plant on the coast?
It is a xerophyte with roots 3m long to reach groundwater and grows upwards by 1 m/y to prevent burial by accretion
What are the different areas of the sand dune ecosystem in order of distance from the sea?
- Embryo dunes
- Fore dunes
- Yellow dunes
- Grey dunes
- Dune slacks
- Mature dunes
What can grow at an embryo dune?
Sea rocket
What can grow at both yellow dunes and fore dunes?
Marram grass
What can grow at grey dunes?
Brambles
What is a dune slack?
A marshy area or pond where the sand has blown out down to the level of the water table
