Abstract
North American coastal sandplain heathlands are unique in species composition and vegetation, but the extent to which edaphic factors influence the structure of these communities is currently debated. It was hypothesized that salt spray and edaphic factors maintain the dwarf stature and community composition of heathlands by limiting plant growth and excluding competitively dominant woody species close to the ocean. Field surveys were carried out to investigate the spatial patterns of salt spray accumulation, soil salt and soil moisture. High salt spray correlated significantly with increased leaf necrosis and water stress in Myrica pensylvanica and with decreased plant height. Plant community composition changed across a salt spray and soil gradient, as well. Distinctive sub-communities were identified that separated according to soil salt and soil moisture but salt spray was the main factor affecting sites occupied only by heathland vegetation. Results from this study suggest that salt spray suppresses the growth of heathland plants in close proximity to the ocean, and therefore maintains the low stature in these dwarf shrublands. This research also demonstrates that the physical environment influences the community structure in heathlands, particularly by limiting tree species from growing in high salt spray, low water availability sites.
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Acknowledgements
The author thanks R. Keith for assistance with fieldwork and E. Farnsworth, C. Orians, E. Schlüter, A. Zanne, and two anonymous reviewers for critical comments on early versions of this manuscript. Access to field sites was made possible by T. Chase and B. Hammond at the Nature Conservancy, R. Johnson at Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation, and C. Egan and L. Raleigh at the Trustees of Reservations. Housing was provided by the Massachusetts Islands Program of the Nature Conservancy. This research was supported by the Massachusetts Environmental Trust, the Nature Conservancy, the Biology Department at Tufts University, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
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Griffiths, M.E. Salt spray and edaphic factors maintain dwarf stature and community composition in coastal sandplain heathlands. Plant Ecol 186, 69–86 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-006-9113-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-006-9113-8