This book is the result of a symposium dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the Delta Institute for Hydrobiological Research in Yerseke, the Netherlands. The primary idea did not come from one of the scientists working in this Institute, but from the second editor. Long before the Institute celebrated itsjubilee on 20-23 October 1982, he expressed his feelings to the other editors, that the time had come for a second European symposium on the ecology of coastal vegetation. The first symposium on this theme was held in Norwich, 12-16 September 1977, being the first meeting of the European Ecological Symposium. He only So the working group Salt waited for a suitable opportunity. Well, the 25th anniversary was a good one. Marsh Ecosystems of the Delta Institute, in close collaboration with him, adopted Dr. Rozema's initiative and set about realizing his idea. An organising committee composed of the editors of this volume, planned the scope of the meeting.

1 Vegetation studies.- 1. The halophilous vegetation of the Po Delta (northern Italy).- 2. Environmental structures and variation in coastal vegetation of the Golfe du Lion (France).- 3. A study on long-term salt-marsh succession using permanent plots.- 4. Interactions between Limonium vulgare and Plantago maritima in the Plantagini-Limonietum association on the Boschplaat, Terschelling, The Netherlands.- 5. Salt-marsh vegetation in the Shetland Islands.- 6. The salt-marsh vegetation at Vinjekilen, Bamble, SE Norway, with special reference to the Puccinellietum maritimae.- 7. Coastal fore-dune zonation and succession in various parts of the world.- 8. Phytosociological amplitudes of some Dutch coastal species and their ecological interpretation.- 9. Changes in the flora and vegetation of the coastal dunes of Voorne (The Netherlands) in relation to environmental changes.- 10. Phytosociological and ecological-aspects of the dunes on the Isle of Rügen, Baltic Sea.- 11. The reaction of some sand-dune plant species to experimentally imposed environmental change: a reductionist approach to stability.- 2 Studies on populations.- 12. Population differentiation in the life-history characteristics of salt-marsh annuals.- 13. Population dynamics of annual Salicornia species in the tidal salt marshes of the Oosterschelde, The Netherlands.- 14. Seed dimorphism and germination behaviour in Salicornia patula.- 15. Structure and dynamics of the inland populations of Salicornia patula.- 16. Population dynamics of Plantago maritima along a distributional gradient on a Baltic seashore meadow.- 17. Field studies on the variability of populations of Aster tripolium L. in relation to salt-marsh zonation.- 18. Comparison of niche breadths and overlaps of halophytes on salt marshes ofdiffering diversity.- 19. Adaptation in perennial coastal plants - with particular reference to heritable variation in Puccinellia maritima and Ammophila arenaria.- 20. Comparative population ecology of dune slack species: the relation between population stability and germination behaviour in brackish environments.- 21. Ecotypic differentiation within Festuca rubra L. occurring in a heterogeneous coastal environment.- 22. Ecology of the hybrid Marram Grass x Calammophila baltica in Britain.- 23. Population dynamics of some major woody species in relation to long-term succession on the dunes of Voorne.- 3 Ecophysiological studies.- 24. Salinity and seed germination patterns in coastal plants.- 25. On the ecophysiology of Halimione portulacoides.- 26. Salt resistance and the environment of the cell wall of some halophytes.- 27. Osmotic adaptation in Australian mangroves.- 28. The effects of the interaction between salinity and nitrogen limitation in Agrostis stolonifera L..- 29. Growth performance of an inland population of Plantago maritima in response to nitrogen and salinity.- 30. Stress metabolites and their role in coastal plants.- 31. Sulphide tolerance in coastal halophytes.- 32. Manganese as an ecological factor in salt marshes.- 33. Differential response of salt-marsh species to variation of iron and manganese.- 34. Nitrogen nutrition in the estuarine zone: the case of Suaeda maritima var. macrocarpa.- 35. The phytosociology of British sea-cliff vegetation with special reference to the ecophysiology of some maritime cliff plants.- 36. The physiological ecology of strandline plants.- 37. Response of Juniperus phoenicea on sandy dunes in the Camargue (France) to water and saline constraints in summer.- 4 Studies on biogeochemical and physical processes incoastal ecosystems.- 38. Decomposition of Spartina anglica, Elytrigia pungens and Halimione portulacoides in a dutch salt marsh in association with faunal and habitat influences.- 39. The distribution and interconversion of ammonium and nitrate in the Skallingen salt marsh (Denmark) and their exchange with the adjacent coastal water.- 40. The influence of vegetation on erosion and accretion in salt marshes of the Oosterschelde, The Netherlands.- 41. Tidal flows and sediment budgets for a salt-marsh system, Essex, England.- 5 Studies on conservation and management of coastal vegetation.- 42. Effects of mowing on the composition of Baltic salt-meadow communities.- 43. The impact of grazing on plant communities, plant populations and soil conditions on salt marshes.- 44. The significance of waterfowl grazing in the primary vegetation succession on embanked sandflats.- 45. Vegetation development on newly embanked sandflats in the Grevelingen (The Netherlands) under different management practices.- 46. Ecological consequences of tidal management for the salt-marsh vegetation.- 47. Salt-marsh research with respect to the civil-engineering project in The Oosterschelde, The Netherlands.- 48. The distribution and ecology of coastal species on roadsides.- 49. Grazing and mowing as management tools on dunes.- 50. Vegetation, land use and management of the inner-dune zone in the North-Holland Dune Reserve, The Netherlands.- 51. Dynamics and management of some coastal dune woodlands near The Hague, The Netherlands.- 6 Concluding papers.- 52. Vegetation study as a generator for population biological and physiological research on salt marshes.- 53. Population biology of salt marsh and sand dune annuals.- 54. Ecophysiological adaptations of coastal halophytes from foredunes and salt marshes.- 55. Nature management in coastal areas of Western Europe.- 56. Some considerations of and perspectives in coastal ecology.- Abstracts of poster papers.- 1. Regeneration of halophytes from seed on a Southern England salt marsh.- 2. The requirement for salt by coastal halophytes growing on N.E. England's roadsides.- 3. Consequences of a change in tidal regime on the growth of and competition between Spartina anglica, Aster tripolium and Puccinellia maritima.- 4. Effects of Zinc, Copper and Cadmium on the growth and mineral composition of some salt-marsh halophytes.- 5. Effects of Zinc, Copper and Cadmium on the mineral nutrition and ion secretion of salt-secreting halophytes.- 6. Properties, planning and use of Meijendel, a dutch dry coastal dune area.- 7. Pattern development in a dune slack population of Dactylorhiza praetermissa.- 8. Influence of soil moisture and nitrate content in French mediterranean dunes on the nitrate accumulation and reduction in Ammophila arenaria.- 9. On the lime content in the Dutch coastal sand dunes in the province of Noord-Holland.- 10. Ecophysiology of a calcicolous and calcifuge species of the genus Cladonia (lichens).- 11. Conservation of coastal vegetation in an urban biosphere reserve - North Bull Island, Dublin Bay.- Author index.- Species index.