An experimental investigation into the response of some New Zealand sand dune species to salt spray
1988
Sykes, M.T. | Wilson, J.B.
The tolerance to salt spray of 29 species, mainly from New Zealand sand dunes, was investigated. Plants were grown in water culture in a glasshouse and subjected to overhead salt spraying at intervals. Growth rates in many species were reduced by salt spray but a significant decrease occurred only in six native herbs. However, many species showed sensitivity in leaf necrosis. Tolerant species included Scirpoides nodosa, Elymus farctus and Desmoschoenus spiralis. Ammophila arenaria, tolerant of spray as an adult, was less so when younger. There was little correlation between tolerance to salt spray and tolerance to root salinity. Some species were tolerant to both, e.g. S. nodosa and E. farctus, and some intolerant to both, e.g. Wahlenbergia congesta. One species, Lupinus arboreus, was glycophytic in respect to root salt but tolerant of aerial salt. Other species, such as Senecio elegans L. and Austrofestuca littoralis, were intolerant of salt spray but tolerant of medium root salinities. For some species salt spray tolerance correlated well with field distribution, e.g. D. spiralis and Bromus diandrus. However, some species present in semi-fixed dunes close to the sea have much lower tolerance than would be expected from their field situation, e.g. W. congesta. This apparent inconsistency could be explained by the ameliorating high rainfall on the West Coast, or protection by ridges. One environmental variable alone, such as salt spray, could not explain the field distribution for many species.
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