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Plant communities of tidal flats
A number of taxa are of special conservation interest. Eelgrass Zostera
is an important plant of the shoreline. There are two species distributed across
Europe Zostera noltii and Z.
marina (Z. angustifolia is considered
to be a separate species by botanists in the UK, though in Europe it is regarded
as a variety of Z. marina) the former a plant
of the mid-upper shore, the latter occurring lower down the shore. They provide
important grazing for a variety of herbivores including grazing ducks and geese.
In addition to this they also contribute to the stability of tidal flats, a
characteristic which they share with Ruppia maritime
another plant of the intertidal zone. To these should be added Posidonia
oceanica and many other genera and species of sea-grasses, formerly terrestrial
flowering plants now living as marine species. These have important value to
coastal wetlands in the Mediterranean and elsewhere providing oxygen, food and
shelter for a wide variety of marine species, nursery areas for commercial fish
and helping to stabilise shorelines. The relevant NVC codes are shown below.
| Codes |
Directive Name |
National Vegetation Classification communities, relevant
pages (Rodwell 2000), applicable to
the UK only |
| Zostera and Ruppia communities |
| 1110 |
Sand banks which are slightly covered by sea water all the
time |
SM1 Zostera communities (Pages 30-34)
SM2 Ruppia maritima salt-marsh community
(Page 35)
|
| 1140 |
Mudflats and sandflats not covered by seawater at low tide |
References
Rodwell, J.S.
2000.
British Plant Communities. Volume 5 Maritime Communities and Vegetation of Open Habitats. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 512 pp.
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