The relationships among some chemical and physical soil traits and coastal dune plant species in Central Black Sea Region of Turkey

Abstract

Coastal dunes are very prone to environmental changes and they are very vulnerable ecosystems. Coastal dune vegetation in the north of Turkey cover a comparatively wide area (149km) and they include most of the characteristic coastal dune zones. However, they are threatened by disturbance factors and most significant of these are inundation and dune erosion especially in drift line. In the present study, the relationships between some chemical and physical traits and coastal dune species in characteristic dune zones were investigated in Central Black Sea Region of Turkey. Soil reaction (pH), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), organic matter content (% OM), potassium ion (K+) concentration, bicarbonate ion (HCO3-) concentration and coarse and very fine sand contents were found to be the most significant abiotic factors along seashore to inland gradient in studied coastal dunes. Medium sand and OM contents were associated with main and transitional dunes, while pH and SAR were associated with drift line and embryonic dune zones.