Psammosere: Difference between revisions

In a psammosere, the [[organism]]s closest to the sea will be [[pioneer species]]: [[Halophyte|salt-tolerant species]] such as [[Littoral zone|littoral]] [[algae]] and [[Salicornia|glasswort]] with [[marram grass]] stabilising the dunes. Progressing inland many characteristic features change and help determine the natural succession of the dunes. For instance, the drainage slows down as the land becomes more compact and has better soils, and the [[pH]] drops as the proportion of seashell fragments reduces and the amount of [[humus]] increases. [[Sesuvium portulacastrum|Sea purslane]], [[sea lavender]], [[meadow grass]] and [[Calluna|heather]] eventually grade into a typical non-maritime terrestrial eco-system. The first trees (or pioneer trees) that appear are typically fast-growing trees such as [[birch]], [[willow]] or [[rowan]]. In turn these will be replaced by slow-growing, larger trees such as [[Ash tree|ash]] and [[oak]]. This is the [[climax community]], defined as the point where a plant succession does not develop any further because it has reached equilibrium with the [[ecosystem|environment]], in particular the [[climate]].

 

 

== See also ==