Effects of sand burial on dune plants: a review

Burial of different growth stages of plants (e.g., adult plants, seedlings and seeds) is frequent in dune ecosystems. The soil micro-environment, which differs from surface conditions, influences the survival and growth of dune plants. To sum up knowledge about the survival mechanisms of plants under sand burial and to promote practical rehabilitation of dune vegetation, we reviewed relevant published literature and concluded that: (1) Focus in recent years has been on impacts of sand burial on seed germination and seedling emergence. Generally, shallow burial increased seed germination and seedling emergence, but deeper burial was negative. Buried at the same depth, large seeds showed higher germination and seedling emergence rates, attributed to larger energy reserves. (2) Survival, growth and reproduction rates of dune plants show plasticity in response to sand burial. Long-term deep burial is fatal because it creates a physical barrier which overcomes the vertical growth of plants, reduces photosynthetic leaf area, and limits oxygen availability to roots. Modest burial, on the other hand, is advantageous for growth and reproduction of many dune plants, due to protection from excessive temperature and drought. (3) There are few reports concerning effects of sand burial on plant physiology, but a limited number of studies indicate that partial burial increases water use efficiency, chlorophyll content, transpiration rate and net photosynthetic rates. The antioxidant protective enzyme system and osmolyte balance were reported to be involved in the mechanisms of dune plant resistance to burial.