Abstract
Limonium vulgare and Plantago maritima are growing together over large areas and in varying proportions on the Boschplaat salt marsh. The question is how both species interact and which environmental factors play a role in those interactions.
There are indications of different measures of niche differentiation in the Plantagini-Limonietum association related to differences in flooding frequency and substrate. Interactions between both species are described according to three models (related to de Wit’s competition model). Mechanisms that may cause niche differentiation are: differences in growth rhythm, in salt tolerance, in rooting depth, in preference to types of substrate, in morphology, in mycorrhizae and diseases.
On a small scale (spatial heterogeneity in the marsh and variation in subsequent seasons) Limonium can achieve a bigger portion in the vegetation by occupying open sites faster than Plantago. On a larger scale (the whole marsh, decades) the impossibility of Plantago to germinate and rejuvenate after sedimentation of silt and salinisation of the soil is the determining factor causing an overall decrease of this species (compared with Limonium) and increase of Limonium.
The life cycle of both species, criteria for scale in space and time, and the question whether the Plantagini-Limonietum should be considered a syntaxon, are discussed.
Nomenclature follows Heukels-van Ooststroom (1977).
like to thank Dr. P. Ketner and Dr. C. J. T. Spitters for their accompaniment and their ideas, so that I was aware of the wood (Boschplaat) for the trees. I also like to thank Drs. A. J. M. Roozen and Prof. Dr. E. van der Maarel for their discussions about this subject on many occasions. Finally I would like to thank Dr. W. G. Beeftink for his ideas and support and Ron Don, Wim van Hooff, Sjef Jansen, Alex Jonker, Annemiek Demon, Wim Heijligers, Marlie Becks and Frans Wilms for providing the basic concept (the Plantagini-Limonietum) and for their help.
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Beeftink, A. (1985). Interactions between Limonium vulgare and Plantago maritima in the Plantagini-Limonietum on the Boschplaat, Terschelling, The Netherlands. In: Beeftink, W.G., Rozema, J., Huiskes, A.H.L. (eds) Ecology of coastal vegetation. Advances in vegetation science, vol 6. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-5524-0_4
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