The adaptive capacity of the willow (Salix alba L.) to bridge the gap between MPAs and harbour entrances
Markus-Michalczyk, H. (2020). The adaptive capacity of the willow (Salix alba L.) to bridge the gap between MPAs and harbour entrances, in: Humphreys, J. et al. Marine protected areas: Science, policy and management. pp. 649-666. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-08-102698-4.00033-2 |
| Author keywords | White willow; Tidal wetlands; Shifting baselines; Designated sites |
| Abstract | Globally, climate change accompanied by land subsidence and changes in precipitation pattern induce increasing flooding that may affect protected habitats in the intertidal. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) cover more than 3% of the world's oceans as over 10% of coastal waters that may be affected by climate change. Alterations of hydromorphology for harbour accessibility in densely populated coastal estuaries and lagoons add to climate change induced threats and shifting baselines in coastal environments. From tidal wetlands to tidal creeks, from dunes to sand banks and rocky shorelines diverse species are adapted to flooding and salinity. Willows, species in the genus Salix, are integral part in many designated coastal and estuarine habitats like dune depressions and slopes (S. repens) due to adaptations to flooding and xeromorphic features. In Europe, the white willow (Salix alba Linnaeus) forms extended stands along river floodplains and is successfully used for bank stabilisation long since. In this chapter the white willows' ecology in tidal wetlands is reviewed supplemented by recent findings. Specifically, the white willows' tolerance to increasing tidal flooding and salinity of both mature trees in the field and experimental findings on juvenile individuals are discussed. Since willow floodplain forests are protected via the EU Habitats Directive and willows bending strength enables Salix resilience to physical disturbance (e.g. waves, currents), willow planting on barrier banks and beach walls are recommended to help maintain marine protected coastal habitats (e.g. Brownsea lagoon in SPA Poole Harbour) against sea battering and erosion in the face of climate change and sea level rise. |
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