Changes of a sand dune system and vegetation between 1950 and 2015 on Velika plaža (Montenegro, E Mediterranean)

Šilc, Urban; Stešević, Danijela; Luković, Milica; Caković, Danka

doi:10.1016/j.rsma.2020.101139

Cited by 5 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…The cover of psammophytes prevailed in the studied dune habitats and generally in all studied dune locations. Plant species richness and cover in the different dune habitats were not homogenous and increased in a gradient from the sea line towards the inland, which supports findings for other regions [21,[85][86][87]. Our results complement previous findings, demonstrating that not only is the abundance of typical species important but so is their cover, as it is a crucial element in the evolution of dune landscapes [88].…”

Section: Vegetation Characteristicssupporting

confidence: 88%

“…The pursuit of economic development in coastal areas has resulted in extensive modifications of sand dune ecosystems [17]. The structure and functions of coastal landscapes have been severely modified by constantly growing tourism, the expansion of urban areas and the spread of agriculture and afforestation activities [18][19][20][21]. Human pressure, causing physical and chemical changes in coastal dune soils, has led to a decrease and even local extinction of some species [22], as well as fragmentation, modification, and in some cases, the destruction of typical dune plant communities [23,24].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Vegetation Characteristics and Recent Successional Trends of Sand Dune Habitats at the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast

Valcheva

Sopotlieva

Apostolova

et al. 2021

Coasts

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Coastal dunes are valuable and vulnerable habitats that require scientific exploration and understanding of their natural processes; therefore, the aims of this study were to determine the current vegetation characteristics of dune habitats along the Bulgarian Coast in terms of species richness and cover of typical psammophytes and different non-psammophytic plant groups, and to analyze how they respond to certain environmental drivers. Data were collected from 12 dune systems. The research was focused on embryonic, white and grey dunes. The field work was conducted throughout July and August 2017. The vegetation was sampled at 154 phytosociological plots (5 m × 5 m). To understand how the vegetation responds to different drivers, we tested the correlation of defined species group richness and cover in relation to (1) the soil pH and EC values, (2) the distance from inland to the sea and (3) the range of different categories of land cover in the surrounding area. In order to track temporal vegetation changes, we compared the cover of defined species groups between 2003 and 2017. We registered a total number of 269 vascular plants, 12 bryophytes and 5 lichens. The strongest presence in all dune types, both in species richness and cover, was the group of grass- and shrubland plants. Weeds and ruderal plants had significant coverage in grey dunes, while the richness and cover of forest and alien plants were negligible among the studied dune habitats. The comparison of data between 2003 and 2017 revealed a substantial decline in the cover of psammophytes. We observed a clear pattern regarding the share of species richness of psammophytes and non-psammophytes among different locations. We detected that grey dunes were the most affected by the penetration of non-psammophytes.

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Section: Vegetation Characteristicssupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vegetation Characteristics and Recent Successional Trends of Sand Dune Habitats at the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast

Valcheva

Sopotlieva

Apostolova

et al. 2021

Coasts

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“…In this context, describing ecological trajectories, for example, by analysing successional dynamics in natural habitats (see Fischer et al, 2019;Kapfer & Popova, 2020;Liu et al, 2019;Pakeman et al, 2017a) is key to understanding the mechanisms behind community shifts and is particularly timely in an era of rapid global change (Chang & Turner, 2019). In the last decades, Mediterranean coastal landscapes underwent considerable changes throughout Europe (Garcia-Lozano et al, 2018;Malavasi et al, 2013;Šilc et al, 2020). In answer to our first question, we found that in a very short time-span coastal dune vegetation in Central Italy underwent remarkable taxonomic changes and alarming habitat loss.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Getting the measure of the biodiversity crisis in Mediterranean coastal habitats

et al. 2020

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1. Assessing temporal changes in plant communities is a core aim of temporal ecology and a shared priority of global conservation agendas which is particularly urgent in threatened ecosystems. Mediterranean coastal dunes harbour some of the most threatened habitats in Europe. Yet, surprisingly, studies capturing the recent temporal dynamics of biodiversity in these systems by accounting for multiple diversity facets and different aspects of community structure are missing. 2. Here, using data from a resurveying study, we provide a first comprehensive, habitat-based, multi-faceted assessment of recent (10-15 years) temporal changes in threatened Mediterranean coastal dunes. To this aim, we quantified taxonomic and functional changes in plant communities using indices capturing multiple biodiversity features, and we explored trends at both the community level and the species level. We compared observed biodiversity changes across habitats (to look for evidence of generalized biodiversity loss) and across facets (to infer the potential loss of unique functions), and tested their significance using a null model. Overall, we predicted large compositional shifts and biodiversity loss beyond expectations in many communities, although with differences among habitat types. 3. Our results reveal severe shifts in the taxonomic profile of the communities, mostly driven by a non-random species loss, and little temporal overlap in functional space, implying large changes in both community structure and ecological strategies of the investigated habitats. This, together with the disappearance of c. 23% of historical plots and with substantial losses in focal species, suggests that intense degradation processes are occurring in coastal dune habitats, particularly on the upper beach and on shifting dunes. 4. Synthesis. This study provides the first evidence of large, often non-random, taxonomic and functional changes occurring in Mediterranean coastal dune plant communities in a surprisingly short time-span. Along with furthering our knowledge of the recent dynamics affecting these endangered ecosystems, our results also pinpoint the types of habitats that are most at risk, helping to direct future conservation efforts and management. Future research should now be directed at more precisely testing potential drivers of these changes.

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“…The beach itself and its hinterland are recognized as important conservation areas for a variety of reasons. Velika plaža is known for its sand dunes and their associated unique vegetation as a highly vulnerable ecosystem (Stešević et al, 2020;Šilc et al, 2020). The beach has been recognized as a natural monument by the national legislation of Montenegro and several NATURA 2000 habitats have been designated in this area and its hinterland (Stešević et al, 2020).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Observations of juvenile sandbar sharks Carcharhinus plumbeus (Nardo, 1827) around the Bojana River delta (Southern Adriatic Sea)

et al. 2022

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The sandbar shark (Carcharhinus plumbeus) is considered rare in the Adriatic Sea and the majority of records originate from the northern Adriatic, where a nursery area for this species close to the Po delta system has been repeatedly proposed. This study provides 5 new records and analyses the previously published records of sandbar sharks recorded around the delta of the River Bojana (in Montenegro, in the south-eastern Adriatic). The River Bojana located on the border between Montenegro and Albania, is the second largest river flowing into the Adriatic Sea, where it forms a highly productive ecosystem already known as a local hotspot for smooth-hound sharks (Mustelus spp.). New records of sandbar sharks have emerged as a result of citizen science (a social media survey) and direct reports from fishermen. The total length of C. plumbeus juveniles ranged from approximately 800 mm to 1100 mm, and most (n=5) were caught by set gillnets. The data presented here show that juveniles are consistently present around the estuary and indicate the importance of this fragile estuarine ecosystem for sandbar sharks. Additionally, this study also provides morphometric data collected from a single individual.

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Changes of a sand dune system and vegetation between 1950 and 2015 on Velika plaža (Montenegro, E Mediterranean)

Cited by 5 publications

References 31 publications

Vegetation Characteristics and Recent Successional Trends of Sand Dune Habitats at the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast

Vegetation Characteristics and Recent Successional Trends of Sand Dune Habitats at the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast

Getting the measure of the biodiversity crisis in Mediterranean coastal habitats

Observations of juvenile sandbar sharks Carcharhinus plumbeus (Nardo, 1827) around the Bojana River delta (Southern Adriatic Sea)

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