PARENT SESSION
Symposium 2: Climate Change and its Consequences on Coastal Dune Patterns and Processes: What Are the Future Perspectives?
Organized by: ML Martinez and P Moreno-Casasola
Monday, August 4. 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM, SITCC Chatham Ballroom B.

The effect of sea level rise on the vegetation adapted to burial along the coast.

Maun, ^*,1, ¹ University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario

ABSTRACT- During their evolution along coastlines, the beach and foredune species in different continents have adapted to live under conditions of high wind velocities, burial by sand, salt spray, sand blast and wave action. Such shoreline habitats have existed throughout the Tertiary (65 million years ago) or even since the Cambrian and Proterozoic periods. The changes in global temperatures over time would have only forced the migration of species northward or southward but the habitat has essentially remained unchanged over these years. A rise in sea level may possibly have one or more of three effects on burial tolerant vegetation. First, a complete submergence of a dune system will lead to the destruction of all vegetation. However, this vegetation may not be completely lost because propagules (fruits, seeds, rhizome or stolon fragments) of many of these species have the ability to disperse rather long distances to other shorelines where they may find conditions suitable for re-establishment. Second, the rise in sea level may only cause shoreface erosion and sand may start to move inland. In such a scenario, species intolerant of burial will be killed; tolerant species, if any, will start to increase in coverage; and pioneer species will start to re-establish. Examples of this case can be found in areas where blowouts are advancing inland. Third, if sea level rise creates conditions under which no sand is being deposited on the shoreline, the burial tolerant species on higher ground will eventually be replaced by non tolerant species during succession.

Key words: adaptation, burial, survival