page_title: Ammophila (plant)
section_title: Adaptations
hierarchical_section_title: Ammophila (plant) / Adaptations
caption_attribution_description: English: European Marram Grass (Ammophila arenaria) in Wales, showing a single leaf's rolled structure which reduces water loss
context_page_description: Ammophila is a genus of flowering plants consisting of two or three very similar species of grasses. The common names for these grasses include marram grass, bent grass, and beachgrass. These grasses are found almost exclusively on the first line of coastal sand dunes. Their extensive systems of creeping underground stems or rhizomes allow them to thrive under conditions of shifting sands and high winds, and to help stabilize and prevent coastal erosion. Ammophila species are native to the coasts of the North Atlantic Ocean where they are usually the dominant species on sand dunes. Their native range includes few inland regions, with the Great Lakes of North America being the main exception. The genus name Ammophila originates from the Greek words ἄμμος, meaning "sand", and φίλος, meaning "friend".
  The Ammophila grasses are widely known as examples of xerophytes, plants that can withstand dry conditions. Despite their occurrence on seacoasts, Ammophila grasses are not particularly tolerant of saline soils; they can tolerate a salinity of about 15 g/l, which makes them "moderate halophytes".
  Ammophila builds coastal sand dunes and thus stabilizes the sand.
context_section_description: Like other xerophytes, marram grass is well adapted to its surroundings in order to thrive in an otherwise harsh environment. The natural loss of water through transpiration is not desirable in a very dry landscape, and marram grass has developed particular adaptations to help it deal with this. Sandy conditions drain water quickly, and very windy conditions will further increase rates of transpiration.
  Marram grass has a rolled leaf that creates a localized environment of water vapour concentration within the leaf, and helps to prevent water loss. The stomata sit in small pits within the curls of the structure, which make them less likely to open and to lose water. The folded leaves have hairs on the inside to slow or stop air movement, much like many other xerophytes (though these are typically found on the outside of the plant, but in marram grass they are also within the leaf as this has now become a structure with more volume). This slowing of air movement once again reduces the amount of water vapour being lost. A waxy cuticle on the leaf surface also prevents evaporation.
caption: A single leaf of marram grass, showing the rolled leaf which reduces water loss
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