ainsdale dunes

Question 1

Ainsdale sand dunes national nature reserve location

Answer 1

between Liverpool and Southport
part of the Sefton Coast
formed around 5000 years ago

Question 2

climate

Answer 2

fairly mild and wet
string winds from the sea
the winds move the dunes and some can be completely removed by storm events

Question 3

soils

Answer 3

very little soil in dunes closest to the sea
few nutrients available
soil depth increases with distance from the shore
salty, alkaline, and dry

Question 4

soil moisture budget

Answer 4

negative for most of the year
net loss of water
sand is more porous – water travels through it more quickly
means the water table is very deep

most of the dune ecosystem is dry but in dune slacks the water table is closer to the surface so the sand here is wetter

the water table falls in summer when the rate of evapotranspiration exceeds that of precipitation

however it rises during the rest of the year – leads to flooding during the winter

Question 5

conditions

Answer 5

onshore winds
supply of sand
obstacles for sand to catch and accumulate
large tidal range to allow sand to dry

Question 6

types of sand dunes

Answer 6

mobile dunes: (0 to 100m)
embryo dune
fore dune
yellow dune

fixed dunes: (200m to 300m)
grey dunes
dune slack

Question 7

sand dune succession

Answer 7

sand dunes become trapped behind obstacles
hardy plants colonize here – pioneer plants
embryo dunes develop first
colonized by plants such as marram grass - fore dunes
dunes rise up beyond the tidal line
contain little organic matter – yellow dunes
as colonization increases – plants decompose forming humus
dunes begin to appear more grey – fixed dunes
depressions between the dunes lying below the water table ae known as dune slacks
more moisture – reeds, mosses, and willows can be found
sand supply cut off
dune heath develops – heather, gorse, and eventually oak trees

Question 8

adaptations of plants

Answer 8

sand couch and lyme grass:
grow rapidly upwards to avoid being buried by moving sand
grow at the front of a dune system as they trap sand carried in the wind to form embryo dunes

plants closest to the beach have a high salt tolerance to cope with the spray from the sea – also have to be adapted to grow in nutrient depleted sediment with low organic content

many plants have small surface area hairs on their leaves to trap moisture and a thick waxy cuticle to reduce the rate at which water evaporates

plants have extensive root systems to maximize the amount of water they can uptake before it drains away as water drains rapidly through the porous sand

Question 9

psammosere

Answer 9

seral community where where ecological succession began on coastal sand

Question 10

sand lizard adaptations

Answer 10

gain freshwater from the insects they eat
they retreat to damp places during the day to slow the rate of evapotranspiration
also hibernate in the winter when food becomes scarce
long toes help them move quickly over the sand
scaly streamlined bodies let them burrow in the sand for shelter
lay eggs in loose ends of sand dunes so the sunlight can warm the eggs enabling them to develop and hatch

Question 11

causes of ecological change

Answer 11

pine tree plantation
urban change
agriculture

Question 12

pine tree plantation

Answer 12

early 1900s lots of dunes were planted within pine trees
aim to stabilize the dunes and provide a crop of wood and woodland products