Winterton Wonders: Marram and More!
The second field trip of the Autumn led us to the dunes of Winterton-on-Sea. They hold the grand title of a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) however, the wind-chill factor there is one to rival Chicago's. The site demonstrates good coastal succession with open sand which then binds into embryo dunes, grey dunes and acidic heathland, making a varied habitat ideal for many species.
One species that you could not miss on the dunes was marram grass (Ammophila arenaria). This hardy, resilient plant is native to the coastlines of Europe and North America. It is a perennial grass that grows up to 1.2 metres in height with grey-green, rolled leaves. When marram colonises, the network of roots stabilise the sand to allow dunes to form. They like windy conditions to disperse their seeds and dry, free-draining sand. The development of dunes creates habitats for larger plants and animals, for example, terns. Although it can withstand environmental pressures, marram grass is damaged by trampling which means the sand will not be held together and can be blown away easily.
The small branches of lichen are also susceptible to trampling. The sample I have pictured appears to be Cladonia rangiferina or Cladonia portentosa due to its' colour, also known as reindeer lichen. True to the name, reindeer enjoy a munch on this species of lichen! It grows in hot and cold climates on heaths and moors.
We conducted a quick investigation to determine if there was a relationship between trampling (represented by distance from the path) and lichen distribution. To do this, we located the path and randomly picked starting points in the centre of the path to place quadrats. When a quadrat was placed, we estimated the percentage that was covered in lichens. From there, we turned over the quadrat and estimated lichen cover up to 5 metres away from the path. This was repeated on both sides of the path. The general trend of results we found was that percentage cover of lichen cover increased as distance from the centre of the path increased. This suggests trampling on the path does indeed damage the lichens.
The next species I will focus on is heather (Calluna vulgaris), also known as ling. They are evergreen shrubs with pinky purple flowers. It is found in abundance on heaths and moors with acidic land. The Latin name Calluna derived from the Greek word 'kalluno' which means 'to sweep' as ling was once used to make brushes to use in the house. They are also the national flower of Norway!
Ling has a symbiotic relationship with mycorrhiza fungi on their roots. The fungi help the plant gain minerals and water and the ling rewards the fungi with sugar compounds.
One species that you could not miss on the dunes was marram grass (Ammophila arenaria). This hardy, resilient plant is native to the coastlines of Europe and North America. It is a perennial grass that grows up to 1.2 metres in height with grey-green, rolled leaves. When marram colonises, the network of roots stabilise the sand to allow dunes to form. They like windy conditions to disperse their seeds and dry, free-draining sand. The development of dunes creates habitats for larger plants and animals, for example, terns. Although it can withstand environmental pressures, marram grass is damaged by trampling which means the sand will not be held together and can be blown away easily.
The small branches of lichen are also susceptible to trampling. The sample I have pictured appears to be Cladonia rangiferina or Cladonia portentosa due to its' colour, also known as reindeer lichen. True to the name, reindeer enjoy a munch on this species of lichen! It grows in hot and cold climates on heaths and moors.
We conducted a quick investigation to determine if there was a relationship between trampling (represented by distance from the path) and lichen distribution. To do this, we located the path and randomly picked starting points in the centre of the path to place quadrats. When a quadrat was placed, we estimated the percentage that was covered in lichens. From there, we turned over the quadrat and estimated lichen cover up to 5 metres away from the path. This was repeated on both sides of the path. The general trend of results we found was that percentage cover of lichen cover increased as distance from the centre of the path increased. This suggests trampling on the path does indeed damage the lichens.
The next species I will focus on is heather (Calluna vulgaris), also known as ling. They are evergreen shrubs with pinky purple flowers. It is found in abundance on heaths and moors with acidic land. The Latin name Calluna derived from the Greek word 'kalluno' which means 'to sweep' as ling was once used to make brushes to use in the house. They are also the national flower of Norway!
Ling has a symbiotic relationship with mycorrhiza fungi on their roots. The fungi help the plant gain minerals and water and the ling rewards the fungi with sugar compounds.
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