Periodically exposed saline shore with pioneer or ephemeral vegetation

The habitat includes periodically flooded, saline and muddy, nutrient-rich shores and dried-up bottoms of saline standing water bodies, with low to moderate cover of short salt-adapted plant species, mostly from the Poaceae and Cyperaceae families. These include mainly annual plants, developing during the exposure phase, as well as perennial plants tolerant to temporary total flooding and brackish conditions. Typically the habitat is dominated by dwarf-grasses of the genus Crypsis (including Heleochloa).

The habitat is distributed over lowlands of the continental parts of Europe and arid Mediterranean regions. These ephemeral communities develop mostly on the bottom of small temporary brackish and saline lakes and pools. During the summer the bottom of these water bodies dry-up, colouring white from the salts. The vegetation often starts to grow only in the end of summer or in autumn. Besides, the habitat type occurs on riverbanks of some large rivers, like the Danube and Sava, in regions with a continental climate where there are some processes of salinization. The same plant communities can temporary occur in some artificial localities, such as fishponds, dams, or abandoned and flooded fields.

The dominant species in the continental regions (e.g. the Pannonian basin and adjacent territories) are Crypsis alopecuroides, Crypsis (Heleochloa) schoenoides, Crypsis (Heleochloa) aculeata, Cyperus (Acorellus) pannonicus and  Polypogon monspeliensis. These species are accompanied by annual and some perennial species from the class Bidentetea tripartiate (habitat C3.5a), while also transitions towards saline inland marshes and steppes (classes Festuco-Puccinellietea, Thero-Salicornietea; habitats E6.1, E6.2, E6.3) are found. Ephemeral communities with Salicornia ssp. in general are found on less eutrophic sites, often with higher salinity. In the Mediterranean region the communities of the alliance Verbenion supinae are by most authors considered part of the class Isoeto-Nanojuncetea (habitat C3.5b), but in some communities of this alliance the species of Crypsis are a characteristic species. Here they grow together with Chenopodium chenopodioides, Fimbristylis bisumbellata, Glinus lotoides, Polypogon maritimus, Heliotropium supinum, Samolus valerandi, and Verbena supina.

Typically the habitat does not develop during years with less suitable conditions. The areas covered by these communities may vary each year in size and location. Similar plant communities occur along the coast, but in that case they are in most cases considered part of coastal salt marshes (habitat A2.5d) or dune slacks (habitat B1.8b).

Indicators of good quality:

• Natural relatively high concentration of salt in the soil
• Natural high electrical conductivity of the water
• No alteration of the natural salinity range
• Exotic species absent or rare (e.g. Xanthium spinosum, Paspalum disticum, P. diatatum, Bidens spp.)
• Absence of emergent plants, shrubs and trees
• No signs of eutrophication nor dominance of ruderal species
• No indicator of negative anthropogenic influence (e.g. regulation of the water level, chemical pollution

Synthesis of Red List assessment

Confidence in the assessment

Pressures and threats