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<p>Small Mediterranean islands are biodiversity hotspots hosting many endemic and specialized species but remain highly vulnerable to habitat loss, biological invasions, tourism, and climate change. Coastal dunes are among the most fragile habitats, providing key ecological functions and supporting diverse plant communities. Monitoring long-term vegetation dynamics is therefore essential to detect biodiversity loss, community shifts, and habitat degradation. Resurveys of permanent or quasi-permanent plots offer a robust approach to track such changes. This study analysed six coastal dune sites in La Maddalena Archipelago (Italy), an area of high geomorphological fragility and intense anthropogenic pressure. Vegetation plots sampled in 2011 were resurveyed in 2023 using 1 × 1&#xa0;m plots along transects. Species were identified, abundance recorded with Braun Blanquet scores, and taxa classified as typical, ruderal, alien, or other. Habitat types were assigned following the Habitats Directive. Temporal changes were evaluated using species richness, Jaccard dissimilarity, rank abundance curves, and alluvial diagrams to quantify diversity trends, turnover, and habitat transitions. Results revealed a marked decline in species richness and widespread losses of typical dune taxa. Community composition shifted substantially, with high turnover and replacement of former dominants. Early successional dunes were most affected, while the site under lower human pressure retained higher diversity. Frequent habitat transitions often produced unvegetated areas, indicating severe degradation. The resurvey showed substantial biodiversity loss, habitat decline, and major shifts in community structure in small insular Mediterranean dunes. These findings highlight the extreme sensitivity of these ecosystems to disturbance and the need for targeted conservation measures.</p>

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Coastal dunes in motion: a twelve-year resurvey of vegetation and habitat shifts in a Mediterranean Archipelago

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月13日

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  • Agnese Denaro,
  • Maria Carmela Caria,
  • Marco Malavasi,
  • Pisanu Stefania,
  • Giovanni Rivieccio,
  • Raimondo Melis,
  • Marta Gaia Sperandii,
  • Simonetta Bagella

摘要

Small Mediterranean islands are biodiversity hotspots hosting many endemic and specialized species but remain highly vulnerable to habitat loss, biological invasions, tourism, and climate change. Coastal dunes are among the most fragile habitats, providing key ecological functions and supporting diverse plant communities. Monitoring long-term vegetation dynamics is therefore essential to detect biodiversity loss, community shifts, and habitat degradation. Resurveys of permanent or quasi-permanent plots offer a robust approach to track such changes. This study analysed six coastal dune sites in La Maddalena Archipelago (Italy), an area of high geomorphological fragility and intense anthropogenic pressure. Vegetation plots sampled in 2011 were resurveyed in 2023 using 1 × 1 m plots along transects. Species were identified, abundance recorded with Braun Blanquet scores, and taxa classified as typical, ruderal, alien, or other. Habitat types were assigned following the Habitats Directive. Temporal changes were evaluated using species richness, Jaccard dissimilarity, rank abundance curves, and alluvial diagrams to quantify diversity trends, turnover, and habitat transitions. Results revealed a marked decline in species richness and widespread losses of typical dune taxa. Community composition shifted substantially, with high turnover and replacement of former dominants. Early successional dunes were most affected, while the site under lower human pressure retained higher diversity. Frequent habitat transitions often produced unvegetated areas, indicating severe degradation. The resurvey showed substantial biodiversity loss, habitat decline, and major shifts in community structure in small insular Mediterranean dunes. These findings highlight the extreme sensitivity of these ecosystems to disturbance and the need for targeted conservation measures.