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Black Rock Beach - plant colonisation
This is a small area of shingle, which has developed since the commencement
of the Brighton marina in 1972. Detailed studies of the vegetation (Packham
& Spiers 2001) show that both typical and rare plants can colonise
newly deposited shingle if it is left undisturbed. The study also showed how
important stability, the type of matrix and hydrology are to the composition
of the vegetation. Some species such as sea kale Crambe
maritima are perennial and persist until storms remove them. Others rely
on the growth of propagules brought in by the sea and survive for only limited
periods of time (e.g. sea pea Lathyrus japonicus).
| Guidance:The key to the development of vegetated shingle here,
as elsewhere is time and freedom from disturbance, key factors in any method
of restoration. |
References
Packham, J.R. & Spiers, T.
2001.
Plants along the prom: an account of shingle vegetation associated with coastal defence works at Brighton, Sussex, UK.
In: Ecology & Geomorphology of Coastal Shingle, eds.Packham, J.R., Randall, R.E., Barnes, R.S.K. & Neal, A.Westbury Academic and Scientific Publishing, 174-190.
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