Coastal dune vegetation zonation is associated with tolerance to gradients of coherence and salinity of sandy sediments, wind, salt spray, and wave inundation (Barbour and De Jong, 1977; Ranwell, 1972). In well-preserved dune ecosystems, it is assumed that typical dune vegetation zonation is closely related to the geomorphological and sedimenthological features of dune systems (Aboudha, Musila, and Van der Hangen, 2003; Carter and Wilson, 1990). Owing to this interdependence between community types and the environment, the analyses of vegetation zonation growing in dune ecosystems can only be properly understood if it is treated as a whole.
Vegetation is an important controlling factor for dune morphology, given that it impedes sand movement (Wolfe and Nickling, 1993). Many disturbance factors affect European coastal ecosystems (Van der Maarel, 2003). More specifically, coastal erosion, agriculture, urban development, and tourist pressure should be mentioned for...