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Does the Functional Richness of Plants Reduce Wave Erosion on Embryo Coastal Dunes?

  • Special Issue: Integrating Ecosystems and Coastal Engineering Practice
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Abstract

Coastal erosion is a natural process, whose intensity and occurrence have increased due to natural and anthropogenic factors. To protect the coasts, the use of hard infrastructure is a widespread practice that can be effective, mostly at a local scale. However, recent evidence also shows that downstream erosion can be accelerated in adjacent zones. Because of this, natural barriers such as coastal dunes and their plant cover have gained attention, but there is a general lack of information about the role that different species (and combinations of species) play in coastal protection. The aim of this study was to explore if the functional richness of plant species helps reduce wave erosion on embryo coastal dunes. In a wave flume, we set up a 1:1 scale artificial dune covered with different combinations of plant species (Ipomoeae pes-caprae, Sesuvium portulacastrum, and Sporobolus virginicus) and exposed it to simulated “storm waves”. We found that erosion was reduced in dunes covered by plants, but such protection was species-specific and the effectiveness of protection varied over time. Ipomoea was the most effective specie for protection. Differences between species and combinations of species were associated with their physical attributes such as growth form and plant architecture. Although we found that there are species that offer little or no protection from hydrodynamic forces, they may still be important for coastal protection through their ability to build embryo dunes through eolian processes. Indeed, nature-based coastal protection is likely to be an effective alternative to engineered solutions at many sites, but the protection provided is species-specific.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Excellence Center for Development Cooperation, Sustainable Water Management (EXCEED/ SWINDON), and Technical University of Braunschweig (TUBS) for their technical support, enabling participation in the Summer School: Integrating Ecosystems in Coastal Engineering Practice (INECEP). We are very grateful to R. Landgrave for her help in data analyses.

Funding

Financial support was received from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Excellence Center for Development Cooperation, Sustainable Water Management (EXCEED/ SWINDON), and Technical University of Braunschweig (TUBS). CMC received a graduate studies scholarship from CONACYT (584584).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Ecología, A. C., Carretera antigua a Coatepec 351, El Haya, Xalapa, C.P. 91070, Veracruz, Mexico

    Carmelo Maximiliano-Cordova, Karla Salgado, M. Luisa Martínez & Roger Guevara

  2. Instituto de Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Escolar s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, Delegación Coyoacán, C.P. 04510, Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico

    Edgar Mendoza & Rodolfo Silva

  3. Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA

    Rusty A. Feagin

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  1. Carmelo Maximiliano-Cordova
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  2. Karla Salgado
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  3. M. Luisa Martínez
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  4. Edgar Mendoza
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  5. Rodolfo Silva
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Correspondence to M. Luisa Martínez.

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Maximiliano-Cordova, C., Salgado, K., Martínez, M.L. et al. Does the Functional Richness of Plants Reduce Wave Erosion on Embryo Coastal Dunes?. Estuaries and Coasts 42, 1730–1741 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-019-00537-x

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