The litoral psammophilic ecosystems are organized according gradients leaning from the sea to interior
areas, including a succession of phytosociological associations,
correspondent to well discriminate biotopes,
according their geomorphologic, soil and ecological
characteristics. In the stable sandy shores (in terms of
erosion balance), the different communities occupy
relatively wide zonal tracks, with clear transitions. However,
in situations of beach downwasting and coastline
retreat, the mobile sands tend to advance inland, often
compressing the zonal gradient, and distinct communities
tend to overlap. Since the herbaceous hemicryptophitic
flora typical from the beach and instable dunes
has intrinsic colonization skills, high tolerance (or even
preference) to burial, and elevated growing rates, it can
quickly adapt to the instability of the topographic surface,
accompanying its movement to the interior. Yet,
the growing rates of the woody chamaephitic vegetation,
characteristic of the more interior and relatively
stable dune (gray dune) are slower, in addition to a lower
capability to resist to burial. Thus, sea advance and
inherent sands mobility inland, combined with the dissimilar
resilience of plant associations, results in the in
the overlap of the chamaephitic taxa and in the amalgamation
of species from different communities. The main
objective of this work was to study general trends of
erosion along the Portuguese softline mainland coast,
based in the analysis of the dominant associations that
occur along the psammophilic gradient. It was focused
in the role played by some plants has bioindicators
of the velocity of erosional processes caused by wind
transportation, sea dynamics and coastal retreat. Plants
that can be used has reliable bioindicators are identified.
Correlations between the observed alterations in
the theoretical model of a coastal psammophilic gradient,
and the intensity of erosion are established. The intensity
of the phenomenon is analyzed and quantified
along different sectors of the Portuguese coast
