Woody vegetative cover dynamics in response to recent climate change on an Atlantic coast barrier island: a remote sensing approach

Zinnert, Julie C.; Shiflett, Sheri A.; Vick, Jaclyn K.; Young, Donald R.

doi:10.1080/10106049.2011.621031

Cited by 40 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Plantings of A. breviligulata south of VA tend to die as a result of blight, pests, drought intolerance and intolerance of high temperature (Seneca, 1972;Singer et al, 1973;van der Valk, 1975;Woodhouse et al, 1977;Odum et al, 1987;Seliskar and Huettel, 1993). A warming climate might lead to further northward expansion of U. paniculata, which is currently restricted in northward extent by temperature (Seneca, 1972;Godfrey, 1977) -a northern expansion of the range has already been observed (Zinnert et al, 2011;Lamont, 1990, 2000) and is being sought in selective breeding trials (USDA, 2013). Additionally, glasshouse experiments have reported that A. breviligulata is negatively impacted by competition with U. paniculata (Harris et al 2017;Brown et al, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lateral vegetation growth rates exert control on coastal foredune hummockiness and coalescing time

2017

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Abstract. Coastal foredunes form along sandy, low-sloped coastlines and range in shape from continuous dune ridges to hummocky features, which are characterized by alongshore-variable dune crest elevations. Initially scattered dune-building plants and species that grow slowly in the lateral direction have been implicated as a cause of foredune "hummockiness". Our goal in this work is to explore how the initial configuration of vegetation and vegetation growth characteristics control the development of hummocky coastal dunes including the maximum hummockiness of a given dune field. We find that given sufficient time and absent external forcing, hummocky foredunes coalesce to form continuous dune ridges. Model results yield a predictive rule for the timescale of coalescing and the height of the coalesced dune that depends on initial plant dispersal and two parameters that control the lateral and vertical growth of vegetation, respectively. Our findings agree with previous observational and conceptual work -whether or not hummockiness will be maintained depends on the timescale of coalescing relative to the recurrence interval of high-water events that reset dune building in low areas between hummocks. Additionally, our model reproduces the observed tendency for foredunes to be hummocky along the southeast coast of the US where lateral vegetation growth rates are slower and thus coalescing times are likely longer.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lateral vegetation growth rates exert control on coastal foredune hummockiness and coalescing time

2017

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“…, Zinnert et al. ). Like E. umbellata , M. cerifera is drought resistant and moderately shade tolerant and occurs across a range of habitat types including edges and interiors.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Functional traits of expanding, thicket‐forming shrubs: contrasting strategies between exotic and native species

2017

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Abstract. Woody expansion has been documented for decades in many different systems globally, often yielding vast changes in ecosystem functioning. While causes and consequences of woody expansion have been well documented, few studies have addressed plant functional traits that promote dramatic and rapid expansion in range. Our objectives were to investigate plant functional traits that contribute to the colonization, rapid expansion, and thicket formation of an invasive, N-fixing shrub, Elaeagnus umbellata Thunb. (Elaeagnaceae), and a native, N-fixing shrub Morella cerifera (L.) Small (Myricaceae) and compare to native, sympatric, non-expanding shrub species. Quantified functional traits included morphological (e.g., specific leaf area, leaf area) and physiological characteristics (e.g., electron transport rate, hydraulic conductivity) and were linked to two primary resources: light and water, which directly influence plant growth. Elaeagnus umbellata and M. cerifera rely on different strategies to maximize carbon gain, yet resulting physiological efficiency is similar. Elaeagnus umbellata invests a substantial amount of energy into growth during a short amount of time (i.e., deciduous growing season), using an acquisitive trait strategy to outcompete cooccurring woody species, while M. cerifera is productive year-round and uses a combination of conservative and acquisitive traits to outcompete co-occurring woody species. The majority of quantified functional traits of E. umbellata and several of M. cerifera are indicative of efficient light capture, utilization, and internal water movement. These factors contribute to rapid range expansion and thicket formation by promoting enhanced productivity while simultaneously inhibiting colonization and expansion of co-occurring species. Suites of functional traits are important for expansive success and thicket formation, yet differences in functional traits represent alternative strategies for colonization, rapid expansion, and thicketization.

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“…In turn, the stability of barrier islands is governed by coupled biotic and abiotic processes responding to environmental change and anthropogenic interference. Among other factors, sea level rise and more frequent intense storms are projected to have important effects on the geomorphological and ecological processes regulating barrier island dynamics [e.g., Moore et al ., ; Zinnert et al ., ; Duran Vinent and Moore , ]. In particular, vegetation plays a central role in engineering dune topography by trapping and stabilizing the sand, and thus exerts a first‐order control on barrier island dynamics [e.g., Short and Hesp , ; Hesp , ; Hesp , ; Psuty , ; Duran and Moore , ; Walker et al ., ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coupled topographic and vegetation patterns in coastal dunes: Remote sensing observations and ecomorphodynamic implications

et al. 2017

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Vegetation plays a key role in stabilizing coastal dunes and barrier islands by mediating sand transport, deposition, and erosion. Dune topography, in turn, affects vegetation growth, by determining local environmental conditions. However, our understanding of vegetation and dune topography as coupled and spatially extensive dynamical systems is limited. Here we develop and use remote sensing analyses to quantitatively characterize coastal dune ecotopographic patterns by simultaneously identifying the spatial distribution of topographic elevation and vegetation biomass. Lidar‐derived leaf area index and hyperspectral‐derived normalized difference vegetation index patterns yield vegetation distributions at the whole‐system scale which are in agreement with each other and with field observations. Lidar‐derived concurrent quantifications of biomass and topography show that plants more favorably develop on the landward side of the foredune crest and that the foredune crestline marks the position of an ecotone, which is interpreted as the result of a sheltering effect sharply changing local environmental conditions. We conclude that the position of the foredune crestline is a chief ecomorphodynamic feature resulting from the two‐way interaction between vegetation and topography.

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Woody vegetative cover dynamics in response to recent climate change on an Atlantic coast barrier island: a remote sensing approach

Cited by 40 publications

References 34 publications

Lateral vegetation growth rates exert control on coastal foredune hummockiness and coalescing time

Lateral vegetation growth rates exert control on coastal foredune hummockiness and coalescing time

Functional traits of expanding, thicket‐forming shrubs: contrasting strategies between exotic and native species

Coupled topographic and vegetation patterns in coastal dunes: Remote sensing observations and ecomorphodynamic implications

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