Sea water flood resilience of five plant species with conservation status over the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast

Stoyan Vergiev Stoyan Vergiev

doi:10.30574/gscbps.2021.16.3.0260

Abstract

The Bulgarian Black Sea coastal zone is relatively protected from sea floods. Only extreme meteorological events such as unusual storms can cause flooding of coastal areas. Crucial for the application of rapid methods for vulnerability assessment of coastal plant communities from flooding caused by unusual storms over the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast is to obtain experimental data for sea water flood resilience. This study aims to determine the plant species survival in simulated flooding experiments in order to identify sea water flood resilience of five plant species with conservation status: Centaurea arenaria M. Bieb. ex Willd., Crambe tataria Sebeok, Aurinia uechtritziana (Bornm.) Cullen & Dudley, Silene thymifolia Sm., and Stachys maritima Gouan. As a result of a simulated flooding experiment, Critical Decomposition Time (CDT) was obtained. The five species were within the most vulnerable group (CDT < 48 h). The CDT was significantly shorter than floods with a maximum duration for the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. Only the values of the parameter beginning of decomposition of the leaves were accelerated by higher water temperatures. Other parameters were unrelated to different water temperatures. The investigated species have low survival rates and low degree of sea water flood resilience and their communities will not be able to recover after flooding with maximum duration within one vegetation season.

Highlights

The Bulgarian Black Sea coastal zone is relatively protected from sea floods due to the small amplitude tides and the lack of flowing large rivers [1, 2]
Other parameters were unrelated to different water temperatures
This study aims to determine the plant species survival in simulated flooding experiments in order to identify sea water flood resilience of five plant species with conservation status over the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast

Summary

Introduction

The Bulgarian Black Sea coastal zone is relatively protected from sea floods due to the small amplitude tides and the lack of flowing large rivers [1, 2]. Extreme meteorological events such as unusual storms can cause flooding of coastal areas [1, 3]. Coastal zones provide habitats for many rare and endangered species, which will be lost due to the combination of negative consequences of flooding and erosion as well as increased human impact [4, 5, 6]. Several species were extinct and others have lost territories that are occupied [7]. Preceding inventorization and distribution investigation of vascular plants as well as flood mapping over the Bulgarian

Objectives

Methods

Conclusion