Sand dune ecology

Many of them are protected as nature reserves, and some are parts of larger conservation areas, incorporating other coastal habitats like salt marshes, mud flats, grasslands, scrub, and woodland.

In the UK these may include restharrow Ononis repens, sand spurge Euphorbia arenaria and ragwort Senecio vulgaris - such plants are termed ruderals.

Marram grass, Ammophila arenaria specialises in this, and is largely responsible for the formation and stabilisation of many dunes by binding sand grains together.

The pioneering plants are physiologically adapted to withstand the problems of high salt contents in the air and soil, and are good examples of stress tolerators, as well as having some ruderal characteristics.

Species like red fescue and lady's bedstraw are adapted to compete with each other - for nutrients, growing space and light, and are known as CSR plants - i.e. having features of Competitors, Stress tolerators and Ruderals in more or less equal proportions.

Sand dune flora dominated by Bloody Crane's-bill (pinkish-red flowers) and Viper's-bugloss (blue flowers) on the North Sea coast at Hauxley, Northumberland , UK. The holes in the sand are dug by European Rabbits , also exposing Marram Grass roots.