Dune Slack Vegetation of the Wadden Sea Islands

Dune Slacks
West Frisian islands East Frisian islands North Frisian islands Danish islands
Islands (*) Te Vl Tr Ae Sc Bo Ju No Ba La Sp Wa Fö Am Sy Rø Fa
Area (km 2 ) 162 33 116 57 46 34 13 25 6 20 21 8 84 22 101 100 56
Total dune area (km 2 ) 34 23 35 23 22 12 5 10 3 7 5 3 1 10 54 60 40
Number of
Vegetation units 17 11 23 11 13 12 8 12 7 12 4 9 7 13 14 23 18
Acidity of the
dune-slack soil Calcareous and acid Acid Acid+calcareous
Min. pH (H 2 O) /
hygrosere 3.7 3.8 3.7 4.6 5.0 4.4 6.0 4.6 5.4 4.2 6.0 4.5 3.9 3.9 3.7 4.0 3.8
Max. pH (H 2 O) /
hygrosere 9.0 7.9 8.1 7.2 7.9 8.5 7.4 8.4 7.5 8.5 6.4 7.2 5.5 7.1 6.3 6.5 7.8
Mean pH (H 2 O) /
hygrosere 6.7 6.0 5.8 6.0 6.2 6.8 6.3 5.8 6.2 5.9 6.1 5.9 4.7 5.1 4.8 5.1 5.1
Relative freq. of
wet dune slacks Frequent Very rare Rare Frequent
Max. average
moisture values / 10.3 9.7 11.0 10.4 10.3 9.9 8.5 8.8 8.5 8.6 8.0 9.9 8.7 10.0 9.7 12.0 10.8
hygrosere (* 2 )
Mean average
moisture values / 8.2 7.6 8.0 7.8 7.9 7.5 7.1 7.1 6.5 6.8 5.4 7.7 7.8 7.7 7.8 8.3 8.2
hygrosere (* 2 )
Aspects of Pleisto- Barrier islands Pleistocene Barrier islands
development cene (Holocene) (Geestkern) (Holocene)
island islands
Position of islands West-east North-south
(and dune slacks)
Climate − Average annual temperature ca. 9°C - Average annual temperature ca. 8°C
− Lower average no. of frost days than on the North Frisian and Danish islands
Biogeographical Subatlantic-mediterranean elements: Boreal elements:
aspects − Echinodorus ranunculoides - Oxycoccus palustris
- Carex punctata - Vaccinium uliginosum
- Cicendia filiformis - Rhynchospora alba
- Anagallis tenella
Nature conservation Frequently active conservation Passive conservation measures. Passive conservation measures;
measures, e.g. cutting of plaggen, Premise: optimal ”no human some active conservation measures
grazing a. mowing; influence”, i.e. nature should be (grazing).
also passive conservation left alone.
measures.
(* 1 ): Te = Texel, Vl = Vlieland, Tr = Terschelling, Ae = Ameland, Sc = Schiermonnikoog, Bo = Borkum, Ju = Juist, No = Norderney, Ba = Baltrum, La = Langeoog,
Sp = Spiekeroog, Wa = Wangerooge, Am = Amrum, Sy = Sylt, Rø = Rømø and Fa = Fanø.
(* 2 ): moisture values (Feuchtezahl) from Ellenberg et al. (1992)
Cutting of plaggen, grazing and mowing are
accepted methods of nature conservation today.
They have a positive effect on many vegetation units
of the hygrosere or may even be a prerequisite for
their continuing occurrence. From the viewpoint of
conservation and biodiversity, the abandonment of
these historical forms of land use, in all but the West
Frisian islands, is regrettable. The dune-slack ecosystems
are also endangered as a result of humaninduced
restrictions on the action of wind and sea
- often necessary from the human viewpoint - and
also the lowering of water tables which is often
connected with increase in tourism.
In order to preserve the plant communities of
moist dune slacks, which are the most endangered
of coastal vegetations, a combination of active and
passive conservation measures is necessary and,
additionally, it is important to introduce specific
measures to facilitate natural dynamic succession.
Measures, other than succession alone uninfluenced
by human intervention as favored by some conservationists,
must be taken with a view to conserving
the dune-slack communities with their high species
diversity. Otherwise, in the long term, these
communities will be largely displaced by speciespoor,
shrub communities with birch and willows as
dominants and hence the biodiversity of the dune
slacks will be greatly reduced.
References
Petersen, J., 1999. Die Dünentalvegetation der Wattenmeer-Inseln
in der südlichen Nordsee. Eine pflanzensoziologische und
ökologische Vergleichsuntersuchung unter Berücksichtigung
von Nutzung und Naturschutz. Husum Druck- und Verlagsgesellschaft,
Husum, pp. 205.
Dr. Jörg Petersen
Institut für Geobotanik
der Universität Hannover
Nienburger Str. 17
D 30167 Hannover
Petersen@mbox.geobotanik.uni-hannover.de
13
Table 1
Overview of main features
of the hygroseres on the
Wadden Sea islands.
Wadden Sea Newsletter 2000 - 1