A Comparative Study: Impact of Salinity Dynamics on the Zonation of Halophytic Communities in Yeşilırmak Delta's (Türkiye) Coastal Dune and Salt Marsh

Abstract

Abstract In this study, we conducted a comparative investigation into the impact of salinity parameters on the distribution patterns of wetland and coastal dunes plant communities in the Yeşilırmak Delta (Samsun, Turkey), as determined using the TWINSPAN technique based on a matrix of 74 species across 50 sample plots. The halophytic plant communities under examination included Pancratium maritimum L. and Elaeagnus rhamnoides (L.) A. Nelson, which distributed in the sand dunes, and Salicornia perennans Wild., Juncus acutus subsp. acutus L., and Tamarix smyrnensis Bunge, inhabiting the wetland ecosystem. This ecological investigation aimed to discern and compare the effects of salinity parameters on the spatial distribution of these distinct halophytic plant communities within the Yeşilırmak Delta region. Significant variations in edaphic parameters among communities were determined using One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). According to the CCA ordination analysis, edaphic parameters responsible for the cumulative and subgroup differentiation of communities were identified as Ca+ 2, Mg+ 2, instantaneous soil moisture content (%), Cl− and HCO3−. In the wetlands, parameters influencing the internal grouping of halophytic communities were found to be Mg+ 2, instantaneous soil moisture (%), electrical conductivity (EC), and Cl−. Conversely, in the coastal dunes, the parameters influencing the internal grouping of communities were determined to be pH and Ca+ 2.