Table 32. Measurements of Ammophila breviligulata seedlings, 1978. 



Date 



Avg 



1. 



. No. 

 javes 



of 



length o 

 longest 1 



f 

 eaf 



No. 



of plants 

 living 





Ocean 



Bay 



Storm 



Ocean 

 (cm) 



Bay 

 (cm) 



Storm 

 (cm) 



Ocear 



i Bay 



Storm 



16 June 



1 



2.3 



— 



— 



9.9 



— 



— 



23 



— 



29 June 



1.8 



2.4 



2.0 



1A.5 



11.1 



12.0 



20 



19 



20 



1A July 



2.1 



2.3 



1.9 



16.1 



10.8 



13. A 



17 



18 



19 



28 July 



1.7 



2. A 



2.1 



15.7 



8.9 



16.0 



15 



15 



18 



11 Aug. 



2.2 



2.2 



2.0 



19. A 



13.0 



18.2 



15 



1A 



16 



21 Aug. 



2.3 



2.3 



2. A 



20.7 



16.3 



18.9 



1A 



12 



16 



16 Sept. 















1A 



12 



1A 



Nit measured. 



To determine the survival rate of Ammophila breviligulata seedlings on 

 Nauset Spit-Eastham, 20 plants were chosen in early June 1978 at each of three 

 habitats: ocean, beach, washover flat, and bay-side drift line. For each 

 plant, the number of leaves and the length of the longest leaf were recorded 

 weekly. The greatest density of Ammophila breviligulata seedlings occurred in 

 bay-side drift lines where occasional groups of seedlings were found associ- 

 ated with a displaced, intact flowering culm. Plant growth was significantly 

 greater on the ocean beach than on either the washover fan or in the bay drift 

 line (F < 0.01). By the end of the summer, 14 plants survived at the ocean 

 site, 14 on the washover fan, and 12 in .-he drift line. All planta were 

 labeled with the hope of determining the overwinter survival rate. During the 

 winter, both the ocean and washovar sites were completely eliminated by storms. 

 Although sections of the bay drift line in site 1, which had 20 labeled seed- 

 lings, were unaffected by storms, seedlings did not live through the winter. 

 The overwintering unit typical of Ammophila breviligulata had not been evident 

 on any of these seedlings during the fall of 1978. While seedlings in 1978 

 were occasionally located on Nauset Spit-Eastham, none were knowa to survive 

 their first winter. 



In early May 1979 thousands of grass seedlings were present on Nauset 

 Spit-Eastham. Since total counts for seedlings at site 1 were infeasible, 

 only eight 5- by 5-meter plots of Ammophila breviligulata were chosen for 

 study. Seedling counts were as follows: 202 on 5 Jane, 203 on 22 July, and 

 189 on 24 August. In October moat of these seedlings were between 20 and 30 

 centimeters tall, and perennating units were evident with the onset of winter. 



The three other species commonly found in local dune communities, Arte- 

 misia etelleriana, Lathy ruts japonicus, and Solidago sempervirens, all regen- 

 erated from fragments and were found ir. site 1 during both 1978 and 1979. 

 Forty-six Artemisia stelleriana fragments regenerated in 1978 at site 1. Ten 

 fragments of Artemisia sielleriana found in Nauset Spit-Easthsm drift lines 

 were planted in sand at the University of Massachusetts greenhouse in February 

 1978. All 10 fragments regenerated within 3 we. -?ka and flowered within 12 

 weeks. Individual Artemisia etelleriana plants increased to 65 in 1979. Six 



132 



