Habitats of the Maltese islands (7)

Coastal specialised habitats are extremely rare in the Maltese islands, and the few localities supporting such habitats are under pressure. Nonetheless, these habitats, which include saline marshlands, rainwater rockpools and sand dunes, still harbour important species.

Saline marshlands (Maltese: bwar salmastri) form at the interface between the marine, freshwater and terrestrial environments.

They are dynamic systems and undergo annual cycles of changes in salinity.

Vegetation patterns are also observed, reflecting differences in chemical and physical conditions; for instance, the plants present in different areas depend on the quantity of water.

During winter, Maltese coastal marshes are characterised by a muddy substratum on which a pool of brackish water is collected. Plants present must withstand changes in salinity and have thus adapted to such conditions by adopting special features. For instance, certain plants have fleshy leaves where they can store freshwater. Others have very small fleshy leaves that envelop the stem, in order to prevent water loss. Others concentrate salt in their leaves, so as to eliminate the salt when the leaves are shed. Plants characteristic of saline marshlands are the sharp rush (scientific: juncus acutus; Maltese: simar niggież), the sea rush (scientific: juncus maritimus; Maltese: simar tal-baħar) and the common reed (scientific: phragmites australis; Maltese: qasbet ir-riħ).

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