psammosere

A psammosere is a coastal ecological sequence or sere that develops on sandy shores as a result of natural sand movement and ecological succession. It describes how plant communities change over time from bare, shifting sand to more stable, vegetated dunes and, in some cases, to wetter dune habitats or inland habitats, depending on moisture and nutrient conditions.

The term comes from the Greek psammos for sand and serere to sow or arrange, and it is used in coastal ecology and management to understand how dune systems establish, stabilize, and evolve. The psammosere reflects interactions between wind-blown sediment, ground moisture, salinity, and disturbance, and it helps explain why dune habitats differ along a coast.

Typical stages begin with bare sand colonized by microscopic crusts and pioneers such as cyanobacteria and algae, followed by annual plants and herbaceous species that tolerate sand burial. As sand accumulates and stabilization increases, dune grasses—most notably marram grass in many regions—bind the sand and create foredunes. With further stabilization, the system may support shrubs and coastal scrub, and in more sheltered or moister pockets, dune slacks or wet depressions can develop, sometimes progressing toward woodland or coastal marsh communities.

The exact sequence and final vegetation depend on factors such as sediment supply, wind regime, sea level, salinity, and human disturbance. Psammoseres are important in understanding coastal resilience, guiding dune restoration, and preserving habitat diversity on sandy shores.