epizoochory and endozoochory are well-known mechanisms by which seeds are dispersed by animals. since, livestock gather around the watering-points to rest and drink, we expected to find that seeds would be frequently moved to the areas surrounding watering-points, resulting a higher soil seed density (and diversity) closest to the water. we investigated this issue by assessing soil seed bank de...

Seasonal biomass variation and agar yield of G. salicornia (C. Ag.) Dawson from Oyster Bay, Dar es Salaam, and Chwaka Bay, Zanzibar, were determined, and some properties of the agar examined. Mean biomass and canopy cover values ranged from 21–60 g/m2 and 7– 20 %, respectively. The highest mean biomass and cover values were obtained during the SE monsoon. Agar yield varied from 13.7 to 30.2 % (...

Flow hindrance by salt-marsh vegetation is manifested in the structure of the tidal current; it has a significant impact on sediment transport and causes increased sediment accretion. The flow characteristics in 3 different vegetation types (Spartina maritima, Sp. anglica and Salicornia/Suaeda maritima) were measured on 3 salt-marshes in Portugal and England. Skimming flow develops above the Sp...

Climate change shuffles species ranges and creates novel interactions that may either buffer communities against climate change or exacerbate its effect. For instance, facilitation can become more prevalent in salt marshes under stressful conditions while competition is stronger in benign environments. Sea-level rise (SLR) is a consequence of climate change that affects the distribution of stre...

A new nortriterpene saponin, 3-O-β-d-glucuronopyranosyl-30-norolean-12,20(29)-dien-23- oxo-28-oic acid, namely bigelovii D (11), was isolated from the hydroalcoholic extract of herbs of Salicornia bigelovii along with 10 known saponins (1-10). Their chemical structures were identified on the basis of spectroscopic analyses including two-dimensional NMR and a comparison with literature data. Som...