Keywords
floristic richness
plant diversity
vegetation
environmental factors
human impact
How to Cite
Abstract
Mediterranean coastal dunes have an undeniable value in terms of floristic diversity as a result of their well-adapted plant species, such as psammophytes and halophytes. Unfortunately, these ecosystems are often disturbed by anthropogenic activities, such as the use of bathing settlements and trampling, the construction of paths or roads, and grazing by livestock. In this paper, these environmental factors were considered to determine their relative influences on several Algerian coastal dune systems undergoing ecological disturbance, by measuring in these systems various ecological gradients. Using ecological indices, multivariate analysis of data, and the analysis of variance, we compared the composition of the flora of 7 study sites that were subjected to various scales and types of disturbances. A total of 83 plant species were identified, reflecting the floristic richness of the sites. They seemed to be unevenly distributed and considerably modified according to environmental and human impact descriptors. The composition, abundance, and distribution of plant diversity are positively correlated with the height and width of the dunes. Regrettably, the floristic diversity of coastal dunes is more and more degraded by disturbance pressures (particularly grazing).
References
Acosta A., Carranza M. L. & Izzi C. F. 2009. Are there habitats that contribute best to plant species diversity in coastal dunes?. Biodivers Conserv 18: 1087-1098.
Alcaraz C. 1977. Contribution à l'étude de la végétation dunaire du littoral oranais (ouest Algerien). Comptes rendus hebdomadaires des séances. Série D. Sciences Naturelles, pp 369-375.
Barbour M. G., De Jong T. M. & Pavlik B. M. 1985. Marine beach and dune plant communities. Physiological ecology of North American plant communities, pp. 296-322.
Bouldjedri M., De Belair G. Mayache B. & Muller S. D. 2011. Menaces et conservation des zones humides d'Afrique du Nord: le cas du site Ramsar de Beni-Belaid (NE algérien). Comptes Rendus Biologies 334(10): 757-772.
Bouziane A., Petit D. & Moulaï R. 2020. Is ant fauna a good bio-indicator of coastal dune ecosystems in North-East of Algeria ? Annales de la Société entomologique de France (N.S.) 56(4): 349-360.
Bouziane A. 2021. Diagnostic écologique de la faune des systèmes dunaires de la côte orientale de Jijel (Algérie) cas; des Fourmis et des Orthoptères. Thèse de doctorat en sciences, Université de Béjaia, 96 p.
Braun-Blanquet J., Roussine N. & Negre R. 1952. Les groupements végétaux de la France méditerranéenne. Edition centre national de la recherche scientifique. Paris, 297 pp.
Bruhier S. V., Moyne M. L. & Brun J. J. 1998. La richesse spécifique : un outil pour la prise en compte de la biodiversité dans la gestion de l'espace-Application en Haute Maurienne (Aussois, Savoie). Ingénieries eau-agriculture-territoires, 15, p. 47.
Calderisi G., Cogoni D., Pinna M. S. & Fenu G. 2021. Recognizing the relative effects of environmental versus human factors to understand the conservation of coastal dunes areas. Regional Studies in Marine Science 48, 102070.
Callaway R. M. & Walker L. R. 1997. Competition and facilitation: a synthetic approach to interactions in plant communities. Ecology 78(7): 1958-1965.
Cañadas E. M., Fenu G., Peñas J., Lorite J., Mattana E. & Bacchetta G. 2014. Hotspots within hotspots: Endemic plant richness, environmental drivers, and implications for conservation. Biological Conservation 170: 282-291.
Carboni M., Carranza M. L. & Acosta A. 2009. Assessing conservation status on coastal dunes: a multiscale approach. Landscape and urban planning 91(1): 17-25.
Chelli S., Conti F. & Bracchetti L. 2022. Diachronic Observations Reveal Different and Scale-Dependent Response of Sand Dune Plants to Seashore Dynamics. Estuaries and Coasts 45: 2124-2133.
Ciccarelli D., Pinna M. S., Alquini F., Cogoni D. Ruocco M., Bacchetta G., Sarti G. & Fenu G. 2017. Development of a coastal dune vulnerability index for Mediterranean ecosystems: A useful tool for coastal managers?. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 187: 84-95.
Comor V., Orgeas J., Ponel P., Rolando C. & Delettre Y. R. 2008. Impact of anthropogenic disturbances on beetle communities of French Mediterranean coastal dunes. Biodivers Conserv 17(8): 1837-1852.
Daget P. & Poissonet J. 1971. Une méthode d'analyse phytologique des prairies: critères d'application. Ann. Agron. 22: 5-41.
De Belair G. & Samraoui B. 2000. Le complexe de zones humides de Beni-Belaid, un projet de réserve naturelle, Sci. Technologie Univ. Constantine 14: 115-124.
Derneği D. 2010. Ecosystem profile: Mediterranean basin biodiversity hotspot. Final Report for submission to the CEPF Donor Council July, 27, 2010.
Díaz S., Lavorel S., McIntyre S. U. E. Falczuk V., Casanoves F., Milchunas D. G., Skarpe Ch., Rusch G., Sternberg M., Noy-Meir I., Landsberg J., Zhang W., Clark H. & Campbell B. D. 2007. Plant trait responses to grazing – a global synthesis. Global Change Biology 13(2): 313-341.
Dupré C. & Diekmann M. 2001. Differences in species richness and life-history traits between grazed and abandoned grasslands in southern Sweden. Ecography 24(3): 275-286.
Ernoul L. 2009. Residents' perception of tourist development and the environment: a study from Morocco. International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology 16(4): 228-233.
Fenu G., Carboni M., Acosta A. T. & Bacchetta G. 2013. Environmental factors influencing coastal vegetation pattern: new insights from the Mediterranean Basin. Folia Geobot 48: 493-508.
Fenu G., Cogoni D., Ferrara C., Pinna M. S. & Bacchetta G. 2012. Relationships between coastal sand dune properties and plant community distribution: the case of Is Arenas (Sardinia). Plant Biosystems - An International Journal Dealing with all Aspects of Plant Biology 146(3): 586-602.
Forey E. 2007. Importance de la perturbation, du stress et des interactions biotiques sur la diversité végétale des dunes littorales d'Aquitaine (Doctoral dissertation, Bordeaux 1). http://prodinra.inra.fr/record/27768
Frederiksen L., Kollmann J., Vestergaard P. & Bruun H. H. 2006. A multivariate approach to plant community distribution in the coastal dune zonation of NW Denmark. Phytocoenologia 36(3): 321-342.
Gallandat J. D., Gillet F., Havlicek E. & Perrenoud A. 1995. Typologie et systémique phyto-écologiques des pâturages boisés du Jura suisse. Laboratoire d’écologie végétale, Université de Neuchâtel, rapport final de mandat Offices fédéraux et cantonaux. 414 pp.
Gégout J. C. 1995. Étude des relations entre les ressources minérales du sol et la végétation forestière dans les Vosges (Doctoral dissertation, Université Henri Poincaré-Nancy 1). 325 pp.
Gillet F. 2000. La phytosociologie synusiale intégrée: Guide méthodologique. Laboratoire d'écologie végétale et de phytosociologie de l'Université de Neuchatel, Inst. Bot.Doc. Labo. Ecol. Vég. 1: 1-68.
Gounot M. 1969. Méthodes d'étude quantitative de la végétation. Masson, Paris, 314 pp.
Grime J. P. 1998. Benefits of plant diversity to ecosystems: immediate, filter and founder effects. Journal of Ecology 86(6): 902-910.
Grime J. P. 2006. Plant strategies, vegetation processes, and ecosystem properties. John Wiley & Sons. 222 pp.
Grimes S. 2003. Biodiversité marine et littorale algérienne Université d'Es Senia-Oran, 362 pp.
Grimes S. 2004. Le Tourisme environnemental et l'amenagement urbain du littoral. Cas de la ville de Jijel. Mém. magistère option: urbanisme, université de Jijel, 216 pp.
Guinochet M. 1973. La phytosociologie. Collection d'écologie I. Masson éd., Paris, 227 pp.
Hammada S. 2007. Etudes sur la végétation des zones humides du Maroc: Catalogue et analyse de la biodiversité floristique et identification es principaux groupements végétaux. Univ. Mohammed V, Agdal, Rabat. 180 pp.
Hammada S., Linares L. & Cortes J. 2009. Biodiversité floristique des dunes littorales de l’Oued El Maleh (Martil) et du bas Tahaddart: résultats préliminaires. Trav. Instit. Scient. Rabat 6: 45-50.
Hanifi N., Kadik L. & Guittonneau G. G. 2007. Analyse de la végétation des dunes littorales de Zemmouri (Boumerdès, Algérie). Acta Botanica Gallica 154(2): 235-249.
Honrado J., Vicente J., Lomba A., Alves P., Macedo J. A., Henriques R., Granja J. & Caldas F. B. 2010. Finescale patterns of vegetation assembly in the monitoring of changes in coastal sand-dune landscapes. Web Ecology 10(1): 1-14.
Huntly N. 1991. Herbivores and the dynamics of communities and ecosystems. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 22: 477-503.
Kadik L. & Godron M. 2004. Contribution à l’étude de la “dégradation” de la végétation dans les pineraies de Pinus halepensis Mill. d’Algérie et dans les formations dérivées. J Bot Soc Bot France 27(1): 9-19.
Khennouf H., Chefrour, A., Corcket E., Alard D. & Vela E. 2018. La végétation dunaire du littoral de Jijel (Algérie): proposition d’une nouvelle zone importante pour les plantes. Revue d'Ecologie, Terre et Vie 73(3): 345-362.
Lavorel S. & Chesson P. 1995. How species with different regeneration niches coexist in patchy habitats with local disturbances. Oikos 74: 103-114.
Maire R. 1952. Flore de l'Afrique du Nord (Maroc, Algérie, Tunisie, Tripolitaine, Cyrénaïque et Sahara), vol. 1. Paris, 367 pp.
Martínez M. L. & Psuty N. P. (eds.). 2004. Coastal Dunes: Ecology and Conservation. Ecological Studies, vol. 171. Berlin: Springer Verlag.
Maun M. A. 2004. Burial of plants as a selective force in sand dunes. Coastal Dunes: Ecology and Conservation. Ecological Studies 171: 119-135.
Maun M. A. 2009. The biology of coastal sand dunes. Oxford University Press, New York.
McIntyre S., Lavorel S. & Tremont R. M. 1995. Plant life-history attributes: their relationship to disturbance response in herbaceous vegetation. Journal of Ecology 83: 31-44.
Médail F. & Quézel P. 1999. Biodiversity hotspots in the Mediterranean Basin: setting global conservation priorities. Conservation Biology 13(6): 1510-1513.
Meziane H. 2004. Contribution à l’étude des psammophiles de la région de Tlemcen. Mémoire de Magistère, Ecol., Vég., Univ., Tlemcen, Algérie, 146 pp.
Meziani K. 1984. Etude phytoécologique et propositions en vue de l'aménagement du cordon dunaire littoral de la région de Mostaganem (Algérie) (Doctoral dissertation). Thèse de doctorat. Université d'AixM arseille, 213 pp.
Myers N., Mittermeier R. A., Mittermeier C. G., DaFonseca G. A. & Kent J. 2000. Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. Nature 403(6772): 853-858.
Norman M. 2003. Biodiversity hotspots revisited. BioScience 53(10): 916-917.
Peet R. K. 1975. Relative diversity indices. Ecology 56(2): 496-498.
Pinna M. S., Bacchetta G., Cogoni D. & Fenu G. 2019. Is vegetation an indicator for evaluating the impact of tourism on the conservation status of Mediterranean coastal dunes? Science of The Total Environment 674: 255-263.
Pinna M. S., Cogoni D., Bacchetta G. & Fenu G. 2022. Assessing the potential for restoring Mediterranean coastal dunes under pressure from tourism. J Coast Conserv 26(3): 15.
Pinna M. S., Cogoni D., Fenu G. & Bacchetta G. 2015. The conservation status and anthropogenic impacts assessments of Mediterranean coastal dunes. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 167: 25-31.
Prisco I., Acosta A. T. & Stanisci A. 2021. A bridge between tourism and nature conservation: boardwalks effects on coastal dune vegetation. J Coast Conserv 25: 1-12.
Quézel P., & Santa S. 1962. Nouvelle flore de l'Algérie et des régions désertiques méridionales. Ed. CNRS, Paris, vol. 2, 1170 pp.
Romane F. 1972. Applications à la phytoécologie de quelques méthodes d’analyse multivariable (Doctoral dissertation). Montpellier, 110 pp.
Ruocco M., Bertoni D., Sarti G. & Ciccarelli D. 2014. Mediterranean coastal dune systems: Which abiotic factors have the most influence on plant communities? Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 149: 213-222.
Saporta G. 1990. Probabilités, Analyse des données et statistique: Technip. 656 pp. Paris, France.
Schulze E. D. & Mooney H. A. 1994. Biodiversity and ecosystem function. 525 pp. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg.
Schwal B. 2004. Dynamique de la biodiversité végétale dans les paysages d'agriculture intensive: utilisation du sol, composition floristique, végétation et structures paysagères du Lauragais haut-garonnais (Sud-Ouest, France), XIXe-XXe siècle (Doctoral dissertation, Toulouse 2). 370 pp.
Spellerberg I. F. & Fedor P. J. 2003. A tribute to Claude Shannon (1916-2001) and a plea for more rigorous use of species richness, species diversity and the ‘Shannon-Wiener’ Index. Global Ecology and Biogeography 12(3): 177-179.
Tela Botanica. https://www.tela-botanica.org
Thomas J. P. 1968. Ecologie et dynamisme de la végétation de la dune littorale dans la région de Djidjelli. Bull. Soc. Hist. Nat. Afr. N. 59(1-4): 34-98.
van der Maarel E. 1979. Transformation of cover-abundance values in phytosociology and its effects on community similarity. Vegetatio 39(2): 97-114.
van der Maarel E. 1993. Some remarks on disturbance and its relations to diversity and stability. Journal of Vegetation Science 4(6): 733-736.
van der Meulen F. & Salman A. H. P. M. 1996. Management of Mediterranean coastal dunes. Ocean & Coastal Management 30(2-3): 177-195.
Véla E. & Benhouhou S. 2007. Évaluation d'un nouveau point chaud de biodiversité végétale dans le Bassin méditerranéen (Afrique du Nord). Comptes rendus biologies 330(8): 589-605.
Verlaque R., Medail F. & Aboucaya A. 2001. Valeur prédictive des types biologiques pour la conservation de la flore méditerranéenne. Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences-Series III-Sciences de la Vie 324(12): 1157-1165.
Wilson J. B. & Sykes M. T. 1999. Is zonation on coastal sand dunes determined primarily by sand burial or by salt spray? A test in New Zealand dunes. Ecology letters 2: 233-236.
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Salah Eddine Younsi, Zahira Bouziane
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.