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Influence of Ammophila arenaria on half a century of vegetation change in eastern Tasmanian sand dune systems

journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-17, 13:10 authored by Hayes, M, James KirkpatrickJames Kirkpatrick
There is strong observational evidence that marram grass Ammophila arenaria transforms vegetation when it invades temperate coastal sand dunes. Because of contemporaneous marram grass introduction, sea level rise, climate change and coastal land use change, we use control dune systems to test the hypotheses that marram grass displaces native sand-binding grasses, reduces the area of bare sand and facilitates shrub invasion. We mapped vegetation from aerial photographs at four times between 1948 and 2007 on four pairs of sand dune systems, with one of each pair being heavily invaded by marram grass during the period of observation. We calculated the transitions between cover types between times. On the dune systems with marram grass, dunes became taller and more regular, native sand-binders became rare, bare sand decreased in area and native shrubs colonised the stabilised dunes. In the absence of marram grass the dunes remained dynamic, with much bare sand. At two of these control sites, increases in wind strength and sea level may have facilitated the development of transgressive dunes and eroded the native sand-binders. At the remaining two control sites, native sand-binders created low incipient foredunes. Shrub invasion occurred at most control sites. We conclude that marram grass does displace native sand-binders and decrease the proportion of bare sand, but that shrub invasion is partly independent of its introduction.

History

Publication title

Australian Journal of Botany

Volume

60

Issue

5

Pagination

450-460

ISSN

0067-1924

Department/School

School of Geography, Planning and Spatial Sciences

Publisher

CSIRO Publishing

Place of publication

150 Oxford St, Po Box 1139, Collingwood, Australia, Victoria, 3066

Rights statement

Copyright 2012 CSIRO Publishing

Repository Status

  • Restricted

Socio-economic Objectives

Assessment and management of Antarctic and Southern Ocean ecosystems

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