Abstract
Current standard practices of planting Ammophila breviligulata and other grasses to stabilize dunes on the North American Atlantic Coast may be enhanced by using the native woody vine Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Vitaceae). A series of five greenhouse experiments using plants sampled from coastal and inland habitats tested if there are ecotypes of P. quinquefolia that will perform better for coastal sand dune restoration. We tested the growth responses of these plants to common dune stressors: salt spray, sand burial, and germination in sand. Individuals collected both as vine cuttings and grown from seeds sampled from dunes showed higher tolerance to foliar salt spray treatment than those from inland habitats. Plants grown from seed collected from dunes also regrew thicker leaflets than those from inland habitats after defoliation from salt spray. In response to sand burial treatments, plant provenance had no effect. All P. quinquefolia vines treated with sand burial grew larger than those that received no sand treatment, indicating that burial stimulates growth. Seed provenance also had no effect on seed mass or on seedling emergence when sown into beach sand. Coastal land managers looking to improve the habitat value of dunes by adding P. quinquefolia to the planting palette may not need to prioritize the use of dune ecotypes over inland sources. These experiments should be confirmed with additional field testing of plants from both habitat sources.