The classification and assessment of vegetation for monitoring coastal sand dune succession: the case of Tuzla in Adana, Turkey

This study aimed to provide an assessment of coastal sand dune vegetation through a number of analyses meant to provide a better understanding of the structure of plant communities and the successional stages of coastal sand dunes in a human-induced coastal landscape, the Seyhan Delta in southern Turkey. Therefore, as a baseline data inventory for monitoring, succession and the community-based classification of sand dune vegetation and human impacts were the major concerns of this study. The zonation of coastal sand dune vegetation was also determined within this scope, providing a contemporary assessment of different successional stages. A total of 96 taxa were recorded in 103 sampling releves, which were randomly placed along 2 replicated transects perpendicular to the coastline. Multivariate classification techniques (TWINSPAN and DECORANA) were employed to classify sand dune vegetation into groups corresponding to different successional stages and to determine the response of plant community structures to human influence. Multivariate analysis resulted in a clear demonstration of 7 floristically distinct community groups associated with 4 main geomorphologic units. These plant communities were matched to the European Nature Information System (EUNIS) habitat classification. The results of this study provided a baseline data inventory covering plant communities and successional stages that demonstrated the current state of the coastal dunes in the study area.