Shingle vegetation - summary

The vegetation which develops on fringing beaches is prone to disturbance, desiccation and in exposed locations drenching with salt spray. The primary vegetation, closest to the sea, is composed of a small number of plant species tolerant of a degree of instability and/or saltspray. The vegetation is classified within the Natura 2000 classification and falls within the category of "Annual vegetation of drift lines". More stable areas (probably only disturbed during storms) support a more robust vegetation "Perennial vegetation of stony banks" in which sea kale Crambe maritima is a significant component.

The vegetation of the more stable surfaces, develops in response to the distance from maritime influence (especially saltspray) and the amount of interstitial material built up between the pebbles making up the shingle structure. As the shingle become more stable grassland and heathland may develop. On very exposed and stable surfaces a distinct maritime community with abundant mosses and lichens occurs (Lambley & Hodgetts 2001).

There are cycles of succession in the mature vegetation including broom though for the most part the vegetation is represented by a zonation rather than a succession (Randall & Sneddon 2001). Eventually grassland becomes established on thin soil, such as on the 500 year old ridges at Camber Castle, on the Rye Harbour shingle.

Comment: The more mature vegetation types are not included in the Natura 2000 codes for this habitat. A more comprehensive classification has been produced for the Great Britain, which reflects the importance of the larger sites on which this vegetation occurs. Three country reports and a summary report for GB describes all the vegetation types, which can be found on or in association which shingle (Sneddon & Randall 1993a).

References

Lambley, P.W. & Hodgetts, N.G. 2001. Lichens and bryophytes of British coastal shingle. In: Ecology & Geomorphology of Coastal Shingle, eds.Packham, J.R., Randall, R.E., Barnes, R.S.K. & Neal, A.Westbury Academic and Scientific Publishing, 380-392.

Randall, R.E. & Sneddon, P. 2001. Initiation, development and classification of vegetation on British shingle beaches: a model for conservation management. In: Ecology & Geomorphology of Coastal Shingle, eds.Packham, J.R., Randall, R.E., Barnes, R.S.K. & Neal, A.Westbury Academic and Scientific Publishing, 202-223.

Sneddon, P. & Randall, R.E. 1993a. Coastal Vegetated Shingle Structures of Great Britain: Main Report. Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Peterborough.