NDLI: Mangrove associates versus true mangroves: a comparative analysis of leaf litter decomposition in Sundarban

Content Provider	Springer Nature Link
Author	Chanda, Abhra Akhand, Anirban Manna, Sudip Das, Sourav Mukhopadhyay, Anirban Das, Indrani Hazra, Sugata Choudhury, S. B. Rao, K. H. Dadhwal, V. K.
Copyright Year	2015
Abstract	Mangrove species are broadly classified as ‘true mangroves’ and ‘mangrove associates’. We hypothesized that the leaf litter decomposition rates of true mangroves differ significantly from the mangrove associates under the same ecological and bio-climatic conditions. In order to test this hypothesis, the leaf litter decay rates of 24 true mangrove species and 10 mangrove associates along with the concomitant carbon and nitrogen dynamics of the litters were studied in the tropical mangrove forest of Sundarban by means of litter bags. The decomposition was monitored for six consecutive weeks in the pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon season. All the species in general went through a rapid decay phase in the first 2 weeks, however, the rate substantially decreased in the following 4 weeks. Most of the species studied had significant seasonal variability (p < 0.05) in the decay rate. Species-specific decay was highest throughout the monsoon and least during the post-monsoon season. The mean dry weight composition (i.e. percentage of dry weight of the leaf litters remaining at the end of weekly intervals) of the true mangroves was 10–12 % higher than the mangrove associates throughout the sampling period. The mean decay constants (K in week$^{−1}$) of the true mangroves were 0.15 ± 0.05, 0.20 ± 0.06 and 0.16 ± 0.05 in the pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon season respectively. The mangrove associates had significantly higher decay constants in the respective seasons that followed the order 0.23 ± 0.09, 0.25 ± 0.06 and 0.24 ± 0.09. As a consequence, the computed mean half-life period of the true mangrove litters (32 ± 11 days) was much higher than the mangrove associates (23 ± 11 days). This showed that collectively the leaf litters of mangrove associates degraded at a much faster rate than the true mangroves throughout the annual cycle and thus our hypothesis was justified.
Starting Page	293
Ending Page	315
Page Count	23
File Format	PDF
ISSN	09234861
Journal	Wetlands Ecology and Management
Volume Number	24
Issue Number	3
e-ISSN	15729834
Language	English
Publisher	Springer Netherlands
Publisher Date	2015-09-18
Publisher Place	Dordrecht
Access Restriction	One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
Subject Keyword	Leaf litter decomposition Decay constants Carbon/nitrogen ratio True mangrove Mangrove associate Sundarban Freshwater & Marine Ecology Conservation Biology/Ecology Environmental Law/Policy/Ecojustice Marine & Freshwater Sciences Hydrology/Water Resources Water Quality/Water Pollution
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Aquatic Science Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law

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