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Procedures for quantification of belowground biomass of three mangrove tree species

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Abstract

A review of studies on belowground biomass (BGB) of mangroves revealed that procedures for excavation and determination of dry weight are insufficiently documented. The main objective of this study was therefore to describe procedures for quantification of tree BGB for Avicennia marina (Forssk.), Sonneratia alba J. Smith and Rhizophora mucronata Lam. The study covered four sites in Tanzania where 30 trees were sampled (10 for each species). A new root sampling procedure applied for A. marina and S. alba seemed to work adequately. Dry to fresh weight ratios (DF-ratios) varied between tree species, between tree sizes and between root components. Therefore, for each tree species, tree- and root component-specific DF-ratios were applied for dry weight determination. For A. marina and S. alba trees, a significant proportion of total tree BGB is stored in the root crown (34 and 10 % respectively). Future studies should therefore ensure inclusion of root crown when accounting for total tree BGB. Tests of previously developed models on our data revealed large prediction errors, partly due to differences in site conditions and partly due to incomprehensive excavation procedures applied when these models were developed. Local tree BGB models for mangroves should therefore be developed.

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Acknowledgments

This research work was financed by the Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Mitigation (CCIAM) Programme under the cooperation between the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania and the Government of the Kingdom of Norway. We are also grateful for supplementary funding by the Project “Enhancing the Measuring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) of forests in Tanzania”. Besides we are indebted to D. Mnyagi (Pangani), S.K. Nyabange (Bagamoyo), H. Mallya (Rufiji) and M.C. Mbago (Mtwara), working for Tanzania Forest Service, for logistical support during field work. The field assistants including boat drivers are also acknowledged for their hard work and courage throughout an intensive and tiresome data collection. The anonymous reviewers are appreciated for their valuable and critical comments.

Funding

The work reported here was financed by the CCIAM Programme and Enhancing the measuring, reporting and verification (MRV) of forests in Tanzania Project both under the cooperation between the Government of United Republic of Tanzania and the Kingdom of Norway.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forest Mensuration and Management, Sokoine University of Agriculture, P. O. Box 3013, Morogoro, Tanzania

    Marco Andrew Njana, Eliakimu Zahabu & Rogers Malimbwi

  2. Department of Ecology and Natural Resources Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P. O. Box 5003, 1432, Ås, Norway

    Tron Eid

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  1. Marco Andrew Njana
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Correspondence to Marco Andrew Njana.

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Njana, M.A., Eid, T., Zahabu, E. et al. Procedures for quantification of belowground biomass of three mangrove tree species. Wetlands Ecol Manage 23, 749–764 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-015-9417-3

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