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Classification and ordination of coastal sand dune vegetation along the Gulf and Caribbean Sea of Mexico

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Abstract

A classification is presented of community types found in the coastal sand dune systems along the Gulf coast and the Caribbean Sea of Mexico. Twenty-eight dune systems were sampled along transects using the Braun-Blanquet approach. A total of 4444 relevés were subjected to agglomerative classification and table arrangement (program TABORD). Synoptic species values were calculated for the 396 clusters obtained. They were arranged in two new data sets, one comprising the material from Tamaulipas and Veracruz and the other Yucatan and Quintana Roo. These data sets were again subjected to classification and ordination (detrended correspondence analysis) programs. Final community types are based on the basic clusters, 59 types for the Gulf area and 31 for the Caribbean. Their geographical and ecological distribution is interpreted.

The description of types includes information on differential and dominant, as well as frequent accompanying species, and also on some structural characters. The results were compared with a parallel study of the central Gulf area, including Tabasco and Campeche.

Six main distribution patterns of the community types were found: 1) along the coast (mostly pioneer communities), 2) northern section of the Gulf, 3) northern section of the Gulf and the Caribbean, 4) mainly restricted to the Gulf, 5) intermediate patterns within Tabasco and Campeche and 6) restricted to Yucatan and Quintana Roo.

The ordinations showed both local zonation patterns directly related to dune physiography and regional patterns produced mainly by soil and climate differences. Both for the Gulf and the Caribbean material axis 1 reflects a sea-inland gradient from pioneer types towards thickets on the fixed dunes. Axis 2 shows a geographical transition from Tamaulipas to Veracruz types in the Gulf material and from Yucatan to Quintana Roo types in the Caribbean case.

The Gulf types can be grouped into: 1) Tamaulipas types with species in common with Texas and the southeastern United States, (Uniola paniculata). 2) Veracruz and Tabasco types, with many thicket species in common with inland vegetation types (Randia laetevirens, Coccoloba barbadensis and Citharexylum berlandieri).

The Caribbean types can be grouped into: 1) Yucatan types with species from drier habitats and characterized by the endemic Enriquebeltrania crenatifolia, Agava angustifolia and halophytes like Bravaisia tubiflora, Pithecellobium keyense and Suaeda linearis; 2) Quintana Roo types with typical Caribbean communities with Erithalis fruticosa, Coccoloba uvifera, Ernodea littoralis and the palms Pseudophoenix sargentii and Thrinax radiata.

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Author notes

  1. Patricia Moreno-Casasola

    Present address: Laboratorio de Ecologia, Facultad de Ciencias, UNAM, 04510, Mexico, D.F., Mexico

  2. Ileana Espejel

    Present address: Centro de Recursos Bioticos de la Peninsula de Yucatan, INIREB, Apdo. Postal 281, 97000, Merida, Yucatan, Mexico

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Ecological Botany, Uppsala University, Box 559, S-751 22, Uppsala, Sweden

    Patricia Moreno-Casasola

  2. Institute of Ecological Botany, Uppsala University, Box 559, S-751 22, Uppsala, Sweden

    Ileana Espejel

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  1. Patricia Moreno-Casasola
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Additional information

This research received support from CONACYT PCECBNA 005223 and CONACYT PCECBNA 005238. We are grateful to S. Castillo, F. Rodriguez, J. Carabias, S. Guevara, J. Popma, V. Rico-Gray; Facultad de Ciencias (UNAM), Centro Cientifico IBM, Centro de Recursos Bioticos de la Peninsula de Yucatan (INIREB), Centro de Investigaciones de Quintana Roo, Swedish Institute, and Uppsala University for scientific and economic support. We especially want to thank E. van der Maarel for his constant support and advice. Finally we acknowledge the thorough review of the manuscript by H. Doing and an anonymous reviewer, and the stylistic improvements by E. Sjögren.

Nomenclature follows Sosa et al. (1985) for the Caribbean and Standley & Steyermark (1946–1977) for the Gulf.

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Moreno-Casasola, P., Espejel, I. Classification and ordination of coastal sand dune vegetation along the Gulf and Caribbean Sea of Mexico. Vegetatio 66, 147–182 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00039908

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