Scientific name	Ammophila arenaria – Festuca rubra duneland
Common name	Marram – Red Fescue duneland
Community code	DU2A

 

   

Download full pdf synopsis: DU2A

 

Vegetation

Tall tussocks of Ammophila arenaria are the striking feature of this duneland community, but Festuca rubra is usually co-dominant. Amongst the dune grasses, Galium verum with its tiny yellow flowers is a constant and can form reasonable patches. Frequently found are Lotus corniculatus, Plantago lanceolata, Senecio jacobaea, Taraxacum officinale agg. and Trifolium repens.

Ecology

This assemblage mainly represents a transition between marram dune and fixed dune vegetation, occurring on sands which are still somewhat mobile. Also included here are rank, ungrazed fixed dune swards with Arrhenatherum elatius, Holcus lanatus or Dactylis glomerata.

 

Sub-communities

No sub-communities are described.

 

Similar communities

Ammophila arenaria can also be abundant in the DU1B Ammophila arenaria duneland, but there Festuca rubra is far less abundant and fixed dune species are scarce.

Conservation value

Vegetation from semi-fixed dunes typically corresponds to EU HD Annex I priority habitat *2130 Fixed dunes (grey dunes) but where cover of Festuca rubra and other fixed dune species is lower and the cover of bare sand is higher, it corresponds to habitat 2120 Marram dunes (white dunes). Examples of rank dune swards are likely to represent habitat *2130.

 

Management

Semi-fixed dunes are unstable habitats and part of the dynamic duneland system. They may be naturally removed by storms and high tides. Anthropogenic impacts include recreation and modification of the coastline. Rank dune swards develop in areas of fixed dune due to undergrazing or abandonment.