Vegetation zonation patterns on the Göksu Delta (southern Turkey)

Abstract

Vegetation zonation within temperate coastal ecosystems is commonly controlled by tidal regimes with the degree of emersion and immersion of tidal waters affecting the distribution of plant communities. However, vegetation zonation in Mediterranean coastal ecosystems experiencing microtidal regimes will not be controlled by the tide. The Göksu Delta is a wetland ecosystem located in southern Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Göksu region experiences extremely low tidal regimes. The vegetation zonation of the ecosystem is distributed in a patchy mosaic and is controlled by local factors including ground water levels, topography and the salinity of lentic water bodies. Aim of this paper to determine the vegetation patterns for the Göksu delta and to propose a zonation model for an ecosystem subjected to microtidal influences.