1. Vegetation Succession Sand Dunes V A VANNET

2. Plant Succession Evolution of plant communities From pioneer species to climax vegetation Related to change in the environment Change brought about by the plants themselves This change then favours new species ‘Plants are the architects of their own demise’

3. Sand Dune Transect

4. The Foreshore Blowing sand Salty Dry

5. Saltwort Fleshy leaves store water Deep tap roots Low growing

6. Sandwort Waxy leaves

7. Sea Rocket Fleshy, waxy leaves Tap roots

8. Frosted orache ‘ Mealy’ leaves are salt repellant Long tap roots

9. Couch grass Leaves prostrate Withstands modest burial Tolerates salt

10. Saltwort Frosted orache Couch Grass

11. Embryo Dunes Scattered foreshore plants Seaweed (humus) On shore winds Sand builds up Highest tide line

12. Level of built-up sand

13. Frosted orache Embryo dune

14. Foredunes Couch grass (salt tolerant) Lyme grass (salt tolerant)

15. Mobile (yellow) dunes Marram grass

16. Cannot tolerate salt ‘Thrives’ on being buried by sand Inrolled leaves Long tap roots Underground rhizomes stabilise dunes

17. Much bare sand hence ‘yellow’

18. Ragwort Marram

19. Less bare sand More humus Lower pH Less Marram More ‘competitors’

20. Fixed (grey) dunes Marram more sparse and weaker Other species dominate

21. Increasing floristic diversity Harebells Bedstraw Restharrow

22. Parasol mushrooms More humus and soil moisture

23. Why ‘grey’? Lichens

24. Marram now very sparse Ground cover almost complete

25. Dune slacks Main dune ridge Lower relief intersects water table

26. Phragmites reeds

27. Rushes

28. Seasonal slack Rushes Creeping willow

29. Main dune ridge Slack Dune heath Cotton grass

30. Final stages of succession Alkaline shell sand GrasslandHeathland Acid mineral sand

31. Dune Scrub (often spinous!) Gorse Buckthorn Dog rose

32. Mixed Woodland Climax Man’s activities usually prevents this from developing

33. New embryo dunes are forming…. Back on the foreshore…..