Variations in Plant Zonation and Cover as Indicators of long-term changes in soil conditions: a case study in a mediterranean coastal salt marsh

Authors

  • José Álvarez-Rogel Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología Agraria. Área de Edafología y Química Agrícola. E.T.S. de Ingeniería Agronómica, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena
  • María Nazaret González-Alcaraz Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología Agraria. Área de Edafología y Química Agrícola. E.T.S. de Ingeniería Agronómica, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12775/v10090-011-0016-5

Keywords

plant zonation, soil-plant relationships, environmental gradients

Abstract

This study summarizes the changes (1991-2004) in plant distribution and cover in relation to soil factors in a salt marsh impacted by surplus of water from agricultural origin. An elevation of the groundwater level was observed, which led to a homogenization in the saline gradient. The changes were reflected in a shift in vegetation distribution which included the disappearance of most of the zonation observed in 1991.

References

Álvarez-Rogel J., Jiménez-Cárceles F. J. & Egea- Nicolás C., 2006, Phosphorus and nitrogen content in the water of a coastal wetland in the Mar Menor lagoon (SE Spain): relationships with effluents from urban and agricultural areas. Water Air and Soil Pollution 173: 21-38.

Álvarez-Rogel J., Jiménez-Cárceles F. J., Roca M. J. & Ortiz R., 2007, Changes in soils and vegetation in a Mediterranean coastal salt marsh impacted by human activities, Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science 73: 510-526. http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=000247281500014&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=b7bc2757938ac7a7a821505f8243d9f3

Lloret J., Marín A., Marín-Guirao L. & Velasco J., 2005, Changes in macrophytes distribution in a hypersaline coastal lagoon associated with the development of intensively irrigated agriculture, Ocean & Coastal Management 48: 828-842.

Tiner R. W., 1999, Wetlands Indiators. A guide to wetland identification, delineation, classification, and mapping. Lewis Publishers, CRC Press. Boca Raton, USA.

Velasco J., Lloret L., Millán A., Barahona J., Abellán P., Sánchez-Fernández D., 2006, Nutrient and particulate inputs into the Mar Menor lagoon (SE SPAIN) from an intensive agricultural watershed, Water Air and Soil Pollution 176: 37-56.

Ecological Questions

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Published

2011-07-08

How to Cite

1.
ÁLVAREZ-ROGEL, José and NAZARET GONZÁLEZ-ALCARAZ, María. Variations in Plant Zonation and Cover as Indicators of long-term changes in soil conditions: a case study in a mediterranean coastal salt marsh. Ecological Questions. Online. 8 July 2011. Vol. 14, pp. 53-55. [Accessed 5 July 2025]. DOI 10.12775/v10090-011-0016-5.

Issue

Vol. 14 (2011): Ecology of Halophytes and Saline Habitats

Section

Articles

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