Page 64 - Knighted_2018

Can a wise man build his house upon the sand? Exploring ways Hydrocotyle bonariensis is
suited for dune building and retention.
Fawna Wyatt

Abstract
Coastal regions provide shelter for a sizable portion of the human population. These

areas are also effective buffers against the effects of storm events and climate-based sea level
rise. To further stabilize the dune environment, human engineering and biotic options must be
combined. Current strategies for biotic stabilization singles out one species, Uniola paniculata,
commonly known as sea oats, for dune stabilization and retention. Sea oats exist with other
floral species within the natural dune environment. One of these conspecifics is Hydrocotyle
bonareinsis. The unique adaptive strategies of Hydrocotyle bonariensis were studied in order to
determine the species’s possible importance in relation to dune retention and stabilization. A
barrier island dune environment located within the Fort Fisher State Recreation Area, North
Carolina was the location of the study site. While Hydrocotyle bonareinsis is thought to
transverse several dune microhabitats through clonal expansion, no evidence was discovered in
the field. Evidence for sexual reproduction was noted with a 3.7 cm plant located in the
shellhash microhabitat with seed still attached. Internodal distance on the longest rhizomes were
statistically different between the foredune and both backdune and shellhash areas. The average
nodes per lateral rhizome were significantly different between the dune and swale. Total plant
inflorescences were statistically significant between the foredune and swale and between
foredune and backdune. Hydrocotyle bonariensis displays multiple adaptive strategies that
facilitate its success in the microhabitats of the barrier island system of Fort Fisher, North

59