Coastal dune management affects above and belowground biotic characteristics.

ABSTRACT: Dune vegetation mediates dune-building through trapping wind-blown sand and reduces dune erosion by attenuating wave energy via above- and belowground biomass. Despite the role of vegetation in dune functions, the amount and distribution of biomass within a dune remains poorly quantified due to a lack of ample data. Our objectives were to determine the effects of management history and elevation on (1) dune belowground biotic structure and aboveground community composition and (2) to determine best predictors of belowground biomass. We sampled belowground biomass and sedimentology across the dune profile at sites in the Outer Banks, North Carolina, USA. Dunes were classified as either unmanaged (no anthropogenic interventions) or managed (sand fencing, vegetation planting, dune constructio

SUBMITTER: White AE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11442980 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature