Shingle, strandline and sand-dune communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system

This article gives an overview of the shingle, strandline and sand-dune communities in the British National Vegetation Classification system.

Introduction

The shingle, strandline and sand-dune communities of the NVC were described in Volume 5 of "British Plant Communities", first published in 2000, along with the other maritime communities (those of saltmarshes and maritime cliffs) and vegetation of open habitats.

In total, 19 shingle, strandline and sand-dune communities have been identified.

The shingle, strandline and sand-dune communities consist of a single community found on coastal shingle (SD1), two communities associated with strandlines (SD2 and SD3), and sixteen sand-dune communities.

The sand-dune communities fall into the following four groups:
* six foredune and mobile dune communities (SD4, SD5, SD6, SD7, SD10 and SD19)

* four fixed-dune grasslands (SD8, SD9, SD11 and SD12)

* five dune-slack communities (SD13, SD14, SD15, SD16 and SD17)

* one dune scrub community, SD18

Other communities occurring on sand-dunes

There are a number of other communities which occur on sand-dunes, but are not classified as sand-dune communities within the NVC. Those listed in "British Plant Communities" are as follows:

* Maritime cliff communities MC5 and MC6
* Open vegetation communities OV4 and OV27
* Mesotrophic grassland communities MG8, MG10 and MG11
* Swamp communities S4 and S19
* Mire communities M15 and M16
* Heath community H11

List of shingle, strandline and sand-dune communities

The following is a list of the communities that make up this category:

* SD1 "Rumex crispus - Glaucium flavum" shingle community

* SD2 "Honkenya peploides - Cakile maritima" strandline community

* SD3 "Matricaria maritima - Galium aparine" strandline community

* SD4 "Elymus farctus" ssp. "boreali-atlanticus" foredune community

* SD5 "Leymus arenarius" mobile dune community

* SD6 "Ammophila arenaria" mobile dune community

* SD7 "Ammophila arenaria - Festuca rubra" semi-fixed dune community

* SD8 "Festuca rubra - Galium verum" fixed dune grassland

* SD9 "Ammophila arenaria - Arrhenatherum elatius" dune grassland

* SD10 "Carex arenaria" dune community

* SD11 "Carex arenaria - Cornicularia aculeata" dune community

* SD12 "Carex arenaria - Festuca ovina - Agrostis capillaris" dune grassland

* SD13 "Sagina nodosa - Bryum pseudotriquetrum" dune-slack community

* SD14 "Salix repens - Campylium stellatum" dune-slack community

* SD15 "Salix repens - Calliergon cuspidatum" dune-slack community

* SD16 "Salix repens - Holcus lanatus" dune-slack community

* SD17 "Potentilla anserina - Carex nigra" dune-slack community

* SD18 "Hippophae rhamnoides" dune scrub

* SD19 "Phleum arenarium - Arenaria serpyllifolia" dune annual community "Tortulo-Phleetum arenariae" (Massart 1908) Br.-Bl. & de Leeuw 1936