Salt spray and edaphic factors maintain dwarf stature and community composition in coastal sandplain heathlands

Abstract

North American coastal sandplain heathlands are unique in species composition and vegetation, but the extent to which edaphic factors influence the structure of these communities is currently debated. It was hypothesized that salt spray and edaphic factors maintain the dwarf stature and community composition of heathlands by limiting plant growth and excluding competitively dominant woody species close to the ocean. Field surveys were carried out to investigate the spatial patterns of salt spray accumulation, soil salt and soil moisture. High salt spray correlated significantly with increased leaf necrosis and water stress in Myrica pensylvanica and with decreased plant height. Plant community composition changed across a salt spray and soil gradient, as well. Distinctive sub-communities were identified that separated according to soil salt and soil moisture but salt spray was the main factor affecting sites occupied only by heathland vegetation. Results from this study suggest that salt spray suppresses the growth of heathland plants in close proximity to the ocean, and therefore maintains the low stature in these dwarf shrublands. This research also demonstrates that the physical environment influences the community structure in heathlands, particularly by limiting tree species from growing in high salt spray, low water availability sites.