Abstract
The basal area and productivity of managrove wetlands are described in relation to selected soil properties to understand the general pattern of optimum forest stature at the mouth of estuaries in the Everglades, such as the Shark River Slough, Florida (U.S.). The basal area of mangroves decreases from 40.4 m2 ha−1 and 39.7 m2 ha−1 at two stations 1.8 km and 4.1 km from the estuary mouth to 20.7 m2 ha−1 and 19.6 m2 ha−1 at two sites 9.9 km and 18.2 km from the mouth, respectively. The gradient in basal area at these four sites is mostly the result of approximately 34 yr of growth since Hurricane Donna. Wood productivity is higher in the lower estuary (10.7 Mg ha−1 yr−1 and 12.0 Mg ha−1 yr−1) than in the upper estuary (3.2 Mg ha−1 yr−1 and 4.2 Mg ha−1 yr−1). Porewater salinity among these four mangrove sites during seasonal sampling in 1994 and 1995 ranged from 1.6 g kg−1 to 33.5 g kg−1, while sulfide was generally<0.15 mM at all sites. These soil values indicate that abiotic stress cannot explain the decrease in forest structure along this estuarine gradient. Concentrations of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are more closely related to patterns of forest development, with higher soil fertility at the mouth of the estuary as indicated by higher concentrations of extractable ammonium, total soil P, and available P, along with higher ammonium production rates. The more fertile sites of the lower estuary are dominated by Laguncularia racemosa, whereas the less fertile sites in the intermediate and upper estuary are dominated by Rhizophora mangle. Relative N mineralization per unit of total N is higher in the lower estuary and is related positively to concentrations of available P, indicating the importance of turnover rates and nutrient interactions to soil fertility. Concentrations of Ca-bound P per volume soil in the lower estuary is 40-fold higher than in the upper estuary, and along with an increase in residual P in the upper estuary, indicate a shift from mineral to organic P along the estuarine gradient. Mineral inputs to the mouth of Shark River estuary from the Gulf of Mexico (rather than upland inputs) apparently control the patterns of mangrove structure and productivity.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature Cited
Alongi, D. M., K. G. Boto, and A. I. Robertson. 1992. Nitrogen and phosphorous cycles. p. 252–292. In A. I. Robertson and D. M. Alongi (eds.) Tropical Mangrove Ecosystems. American Geophysical Union, Washington, D.C.
Alongi, D. M., P. Christoffersen, and F. Tirendi. 1993. The influence of forest type on microbial-nutrient relationships in tropical mangrove sediments. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 172:201–223.
Aspila, K. I., H. Agemian, and A. S. Y. Chau. 1976. A semiautomated method for the determination of inorganic, organic and total phosphate in sediments. Analyst 101:187–197.
Binkley, D. and P. Vitousek. 1989. Soil nutrient availability, p. 75–96. In R. W. Pearcy, J. Ehleringer, H. A. Mooney and P. W. Rundel (eds.) Plant Physiological Ecology—Field Methods and Instrumentation. Chapman & Hall London.
Blasco, F. 1984. Climatic factors and the biology of mangrove plants, p. 18–35. In S. C. Snedaker and J. G. Snedaker (eds.), The Mangrove Ecosystem: Research Methods. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Paris.
Boon, P. I., D. J. W. Moriarty, and P. G. Saffigna. 1986. Rates of ammonium turnover and the role of amino-acid deamination in seagrass (Zostera capricorni) beds of Moreton Bay, Australia. Marine Biology 91:259–268.
Boto, K. G. and J. T. Wellington 1984. Soil characteristics and nutrient status in a northern Australian mangrove forest. Estuaries 7:61–69.
Boto, K. G., J. S. Bunt, and J. T. Wellington 1984. Variations in mangrove forest productivity in northern Australia and Papua New Guinea. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 19:321–330.
Bowden, W. B. 1984. A nitrogen-15 isotope dilution study of ammonium production and consumption in a marsh sediment. Limnology and Oceanography 29:1004–1015.
Boyer, J. N., J. W. Fourqurean, and R. D. Jones. 1997. Spatial characterization of water quality of Florida Bay and Whitewater Bay by multivariate analyses: Zones of similar influence. Estuaries 20:743–758.
Carilson, P. R. and L. A. Yarbro. 1988. Physical and biological control of mangrove pore water chemistry, p. 112–132. In D. D. Hook, W. H. McKee, Jr., and H. K. Smith, (eds.) The Ecology and Management of Wetlands. Tumber Press. Portland, Oregon.
Carlson, P. R., L. A. Yarbro, C. F. Zimmermann, and J. R. Montgomery. 1983. Pore water chemistry of an overwash mangrove island. Florida Scientist 46:239–249.
Carter, M. R., L. A. Burns, T. R. Cavinder, K. R. Dugger, P. L. Fore, D. E. Hicks, H. L. Revells, and A. W. Schmidt. 1973. Ecosystem Analysis of the Big Cypress Swamp and Estuaries. EPA 904/9-74-002. United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4, Atlanta, Georgia.
Chapman, V. J. 1944. Cambridge University expedition to Jamaica. I. A study of the botanical processes concerned in the development of the jamaican shore-line. Journal of the Linnean Society of London Botany 52:407–447.
Chapman, V. J. 1976. Mangrove Vegetation. J. Cramer, Vaduz, Germany.
Chen, R. H. 1996. Ecological analysis and simulation models of landscape patterns in mangrove forest development and soil characteristics along the Shark River estuary, Florida. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Southwestern Louisiana, Lafayette, Louisiana.
Chen, R. and R. R. Twilley. 1998. A gap dynamic model of mangrove forest development along gradients of soil salinity and nutrient resources. Journal of Ecology 86:37–52.
Chen, R. and R. R. Twilley. 1999. A simulation model of organic matter and nutrient accumulation in mangrove wetland soils. Biogeochemistry 44:93–118.
Cintrón, G., A. E. Lugo, D. J. Pool, and G. Morris 1978. Mangroves of arid environments in Puerto Rico and adjacent islands. Biotrophica 10:110–121.
Cintrón, G. and Y. Schaeffer-Novelli 1984a. Caracteristicas y desarrollo estructural de los manglares de Norte y Sur America. Programa Regional de Desarrollo Cientifico y Tecnologico 25:4–15.
Cintrón, G. and Y. Schaeffer-Novelli. 1984b. Methods for studying mangrove structure, p. 91–113. In S. C. Snedaker and J. G. Snedaker (eds.), The Mangrove Ecosystem: Research Methods. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Paris.
Craft, C. B. and C. J. Richardson. 1993a. Peat accretion and phosphorus accumulation along an eutrophication gradient in the northern Everglades. Biogeochemistry 22:133–156.
Craft, C. B. and C. J. Richardson. 1993b. Peat accretion and N, P, and organic C accumulation in nutrient-enriched and unenriched Everglades peatlands. Ecological Applications 3: 446–458.
Craighead, F. C. and V. C. Gilbert. 1962. The effects of Hurricane Donna on the vegetation of southern Florida. The Quarterly Journal of the Florida Academy of Sciences 25:1–28.
Davis, Jr., J. H. 1940. The ecology and geologic role of mangroves in Florida. Carnegie Institute of Washington Publication 517, 32:303–412.
Davis, S. M. 1991. Growth, decomposition, and nutrient retention of Cladium jamaicens Crantz and Typha domingensis Pers in Florida Everglades. Aquatic Botany 40:203–224.
Davis, S. M. 1994. Phosphorus inputs and vegetation sensitivity in the Everglades, p. 357–378. In S. M. Davis and J. C. Ogden (eds.). Everglades: The Ecosystem and its Restoration. St. Lucie Press Delray Beach, Florida.
Day, J. W., W. H. Conner, F. Ley-Lou, R. H. Day, and A. M. Navarro 1987. The productivity and composition of mangrove forests, Laguna de Términos, Mexico. Aquatic Botany 27: 267–284.
DeBusk, W. F., K. R. Reddy, M. S. Koch, and Y. Wang. 1994. Spatial distribution of soil nutrients in a northern Everglades marsh: Water Conservation Area 2A. Soil Science Society of America Journal 58:543–552.
DeKanel, J. and J. W. Morse. 1978. The chemistry of orthophosphate uptake from seawater on to calcite and aragonite. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 42:1335–1340.
Diamond, J. 1986. Overview: Laboratory experiments, field experiments, and natural experiments, p. 3–22. In J. Diamond and T. J. Case (eds.) Community Ecology. Harper and Row, New York.
Duever, M. J., J. F. Meeder, L. C. Meeder, and J. M. McCollom. 1994. The climate of south Florida and its role in shaping the Everglades ecosystem, p. 225–248. In S. M. Davis and J. C. Ogden (eds.). Everglades: The Ecosystem and its Restoration. St. Lucie Press, Delray Beach, Florida.
Duke, N. C. 1992. Mangrove floristics and biogeography, p. 63–100. In A. I. Robertson and D. M. Alongi (eds.) Tropical Mangrove Ecosystems. American Geophysical Union. Washington, D.C.
Feller, I. C. 1995. Effects of nutrient enrichment on growth and herbivory of dwarf red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle). Ecological Monographs 54:477–505.
Fourquerean, J. W., J. C. Zieman, and G. V. N. Powell. 1992. Phosphorus limitation of primary production in Florida Bay: Evidence from C:N:P ratios of the dominant seagrass Thalassia testudinum. Limnology and Oceanography 37:162–171.
Gale, P. M., K. R. Reddy, and D. A. Graetz. 1994. Phosphorus retention by wetland soils used for treated wastewater disposal. Journal of Environmental Quality 23:370–377.
Heald, E. J. 1969. The production of organic detritus in a south Florida estuary. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Miami Coral Gables, Florida.
Hesse, P. R. 1962. Phosphorus fixation in mangrove swamp muds. Nature 193:295–296.
Hieltjes, A. H. M. and L. Lijlema. 1980. Fractionation of inorganic phosphates in calcareous sediments. Journal of Environmental Quality 9:405–407.
Koch, M. S. 1996. Resource availability and abiotic stress effects on Rhizophora mangle L. (Red mangrove) development in south Florida. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida.
Koch, M. S. and K. R. Reddy. 1992. Distribution of soil and plant nutrients along a trophic gradient in the Florida Everglades. Soil Science Society of America Journal 56:1492–1499.
Koch, M. S. and S. C. Snedaker. 1997. Factors influencing Rhizophora mangle L. seedling development in Everglades carbonate soils. Aquatic Botany 59:87–98.
Lawton-Thomas, L. L. 1997. Canopy retranslocation and litter immobilization of nitrogen and phosphorus in three mangrove species along the Shark River estuary, Florida. M.S. Thesis, University of Southwestern Louisiana. Lafayette, Louisiana.
Light, S. S. and J. W. Dineen. 1994. Water control in the Everglades: An historical perspective, p. 47–84. In S. M. Davis and J. C. Ogden (eds.), Everglades: The Ecosystem and its Restoration. St. Lucie Press, Delray Beach, Florida.
Lugo, A. E. 1978. Stress and ecosystems, p. 62–101. In J. H. Thorp and J. W. Gibbons (eds.), Energy and Environmental Stress. DOE 771114. Department of Energy, Washington, D.C.
Lugo, A. E. 1997. Old-growth mangrove forests in the United States. Conservation Biology 11:11–20.
Lugo, A. E. and S. C. Snedaker 1974. The ecology of mangroves. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 5:39–64.
Lugo, A. E., S. Brown, and M. M. Brinson 1988. Forested wetlands in freshwater and salt-water environments. Limnology and Oceanography 33:894–909.
McGlathery, K. J., R. Marino, and R. W. Howarth. 1994. Variable rates of phosphate uptake by shallow marine carbonate sediments: Mechanisms and ecological significance. Biogeochemistry 25:127–146.
McIvor, C. C., J. J. Ley, and R. D. Bjork. 1994. Changes in freshwater inflow from the Everglades to Florida Bay including effects on biota and biotic processes: A review, p. 117. In S. M. Davis and J. C. Ogden (eds.) Everglades: The Ecosystem and its Restoration. St. Lucie Press, Delray Beach, Florida.
McKee, K. L. 1993. Soil physicochemical patterns and mangrove species distribution—Reciprocal effects? Journal of Ecology 81: 477–487.
McKee, K. L. 1995. Seedling recruitment patterns in a Belizean mangrove forest: Effects of establishment ability and physicochemical factors. Oecologia 101:448–460.
McKee, K. L., I. A. Mendelssohn, and M. W. Hester. 1988. Reexamination of pore water sulfide concentration and redox potential near the aerial roots of Rhizophora mangle and Avicennia germinans. American Journal of Botany 75:1352–1359.
Nickerson, H. H. and F. R. Thibodeau. 1985. Association between pore water sulfide concentrations and the distribution of mangroves. Biogeochemistry 1:183–192.
Odum, W. E., C. C. McIvor, and T. J. Smith, III. 1982. The ecology of the mangroves of south Florida: A community profile FWS/OBS-81/24. United States Fish and Wildlife Service/Office of Biological Services, Washington, D.C.
Odum, W. E., T. J. Smith, III, J. K. Hoover, and C. McIvor. 1984. The ecology of tidal freshwater marshes of the tidal freshwater marshes of the United States East Coast: A com-munity profile. FWS/OBS-83/17. United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Washington, D.C.
Olsen, S. R. and L. E. Sommers. 1982. Phosphorus, p. 403–430. In A. L. Page, R. H. Miller, and D. R. Keeney (eds.), Methods of Soil Analysis. Part 2. Chemical and Microbiological Properties. American Society of Agronomy and Soil Science Society of America. Madison, Wisconsin.
Parsons, T. R., Y. Maita, and C. M. Lalli. 1984. A Manual of Chemical and Biological Methods for Seawater Analysis. Pergamon Press, New York.
Pastor, J., M. A. Stillwell, and D. Tilman. 1987. Nitrogen mineralization and nitrification in four Minnesota old fields. Oecologia 71:481–485.
Powell, A. B., D. E. Hoss, W. F. Hettler, D. Peters, and S. Wagner. 1989. Abundance and distribution of ichthyoplankton in Florida Bay and adjacent waters. Bulletin of Marine Science 44:35–48.
Provost, M. W. 1973. Mean high water mark and use of tidelands in Florida. Florida Scientist 36:50–66.
Reddy, K. R., R. D. DeLaune, W. F. DeBusk, and M. S. Koch. 1993. Long-term nutrient accumulation rates in the Everglades. Soil Science Society of America Journal 57:1147–1155.
Rivera-Monroy, V. H. and R. R. Twilley. 1996. The relative role of denitrification and immobilization on the fate of inorganic nitrogen in mangrove sediments of Terminos Lagoon, Mexico. Limnology and Oceanography 41:284–296.
Rivera-Monroy, V. H., R. R. Twilley, R. Boustany, J. W. Day, Jr., F. Vera-Herrera, and M. Ramirez. 1995. Direct denitrification in mangrove sediments in Terminos Lagoon, Mexico. Marine Ecology Progress Series 126:97–109.
Rosenfeld, J. K. 1979. Interstitial water and sediment chemistry of two cores from Florida Bay. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology 49:989–994.
Smith, III, T. J., K. G. Boto, S. D. Frusher, and R. L. Giddins. 1991. Keystone species and mangrove forest dynamics: The influence of burrowing by crabs on soil nutrient status and forest productivity. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 33:419–432.
Smith, III, T. J., M. B. Robblee, H. R. Wanless, and T. W. Doyle. 1994. Mangroves, hurricanes, and lightning strikes. BioScience 44:256–262.
Strickland, J. D. H. and T. R. Parsons. 1972. A practical handbooks of sea-water analysis. Fisheries Research Board of Canada 167:1–310.
Thom, B. 1967. Mangrove ecology and deltaic morphology: Tabasco, Mexico. Journal of Ecology 55:301–343.
Thom, B. G. 1982. Mangrove ecology—A geomorphological perspective, p. 3–17. In B. F. Clough (ed.), Mangrove Ecosystems in Australia. Australian National University Press, Canberra, Australia.
Thom, B. G. 1984. Coastal landforms and geomorphic processes, p. 3–17. In S. C. Snedaker and J. G. Snedaker (eds.), The Mangrove Ecosystem: Research Methods. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Paris.
Thomas, T. M. 1974. A detailed analysis of climatological and hydrological records of south Florida with reference to man's influence upon ecosystem evolution, p. 82–122. In P. J. Gleason (ed.), Environments of South Florida, Present and Past, Memoir 2. Miami Geological Society, Miami.
Tomlinson, P. B. 1986. The Botany of Mangroves. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Twilley, R. R. 1985. The exchange of organic carbon in basin mangrove forests in a southwest Florida estuary. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 20:543–557.
Twilley, R. R. 1995. Properties of mangrove ecosystems related to the energy signature of coastal environments, p. 43–62. In C. Hall (ed.), Maximum Power. University of Colorado Press, Boulder, Colorado.
Twilley, R. R. 1997. Mangrove wetlands, p. 445–473. In M. Messina and W. Connor (eds.), Southern Forested Wetlands: Ecology and Management. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida.
Twilley, R. R. and R. Chen 1998. A water budget and hydrology model of a basin mangrove forest in Rookery Bay, Florida. Australian Journal of Freshwater and Marine Research. 49:309–323.
Twilley, R. R., A. E. Lugo, and C. Patterson-Zucca. 1986. Production, standing crop, and decomposition of litter in basin mangrove forests in southwest Florida. Ecology 67:670–683.
Walsh, G. E. 1974. Mangroves: A review, p. 51–174. In R. Reimold and W. Queen (eds.), Ecology of Halophytes. Academic Press, New York.
Watson, J. 1928. Mangrove forests of the Malay Peninsula. Malayan Forest Records 6. Fraser & Neave, Ltd., Singapore.
Woodroffe, C. D. 1992. Mangrove sediments and geomorphology, p. 7–41. In A. I. Robertson and D. M. Alongi (eds.), Tropical Mangrove Ecosystems, American Geophysical Union, Washington, D.C.
Zwolsman, J. G. 1994. Seasonal variability and biogeochemistry of phosphorus in the Scheldt estuary, south-west Netherlands. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 39:227–248.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Chen, R., Twilley, R.R. Patterns of mangrove forest structure and soil nutrient dynamics along the Shark River estuary, Florida. Estuaries 22, 955–970 (1999). https://doi.org/10.2307/1353075
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1353075