Costa Rica has an estimated mangrove area of 412 km2, and 99% of that is on the Pacific coast, which is longer and has a more complex geomorphol-ogy than the Caribbean coast. The Pacific coast includes many estuaries, gulfs,and embayments that provide optimal habitats for mangrove development, and it has the highest diversity and greatest structural complexity of mangrove forests. Along the northern Pacific coast, mangrove forests are less structured, with a canopy approximately 1–1.5 m high due to the long dry season and low rainfall. The central Pacific coast shows a transition zone where the forests are higher with trees reaching 30 m as a result of the increase in precipitation and the reduction of the dry season in this zone. The southern Pacific coast (Térraba-Sierpe and Golfo Dulce) presents the most complex mangrove systems, with trees reaching over 40 m in height, partially due to the precipitation of the zone and high levels of freshwater input throughout the year. The mangrove forests of the Caribbean are located on the southern part of the coast, with Rhizophora mangle as the dominant species. The mangrove species in Costa Rica are included in four families: Rhizophoraceae (R. mangle, R. racemosa, R. harrisonii), Combretaceae (Laguncularia racemosa, Conocarpus erecta), Avicenniaceae (Avicennia germinans, A. bicolor) and Pellicieraceae (Pelliciera rhizophorae). Other common associated species are Mora oleifera, Acrostichum aureum, and Hibiscus tiliaceus.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Bodero A (1993) Mangrove ecosystems of Ecuador. In: Lacerda LD (ed) Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Mangrove Forests in Latin America and Africa regions. The International Society For Mangrove Ecosystems, Okinawa, Japan, pp 55–75
Coll M, Fonseca A, Cortés J (2001) El manglar y otras asociaciones vegetales de la laguna de Gandoca, Limón, Costa Rica. Rev Biol Trop 49(Suppl 2):321–329
Cortés J (1998) Cahuita and Laguna Gandoca, Costa Rica. In: Kjerfve J (ed) CARICOMP: Caribbean coral reef, seagrass and mangrove sites. Unesco, París, pp 107–113
Cortés J, Fonseca AC, Coll M (2001) Descripción del manglar del Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Gandoca-Manzanillo. Limón, Costa Rica. In: Pizarro F, Córdoba R, Gómez C (eds) Humedales de Centroamérica: síntesis de 27 estudios e iniciativas sobre educación, investi-gación, manejo y conservación de humedales y zonas costeras. UICN/ORMA, San José, Costa Rica, pp 90–91
Delgado-Sánchez P, Jiménez JA, Justic D (1999) Population dynamics of mangrove Avicennia bicolor on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Wetlands Ecol Manag 7:113–120
Delgado-Sánchez P, Hensel PF, Jiménez-Ramón JA, Day JA (2001) The importance of propagule establishment and physical factors in mangrove distributional patterns in a Costa Rican estuary. Aquat Bot 71:157–178
Field C (1995) Journey amongst mangroves. International Society for Mangrove Ecosystems, Okinawa, Japan, 138 p
Flores E (1995) Geografía de Costa Rica. Ed. EUNED, San José, Costa Rica, 369 p
Graham A (1995) Diversification of Gulf/Caribbean mangrove communities through Cenozoic time. Biotropica 27:20–27
Jiménez JA (1984) A hypothesis to explain the restricted distribution of the mangrove Pelliciera rhizophorae Tr & Pl Biotropica 16:304–308
Jiménez JA (1987) A clarification on the existence of Rhizophora species along the Pacific coast of Central America. Brenesia 28:25–32
Jiménez JA (1988a) Dynamics and dispersion patterns of two mangrove populations on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Miami, Florida, 176 p
Jiménez JA (1988b) Floral and fruiting phenology of trees in a mangrove forest on the dry Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Brenesia 29:33–50
Jiménez JA (1988c) The dynamics of Rhizophora racemosa forests on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Brenesia 30:1–12
Jiménez JA (1994a) Los manglares del Pacífico centroamericano. Ed. Fundación UNA, Heredia, Costa Rica, 336 p
Jiménez JA (1994b) Bosques de manglares en la costa Pacífica de América Central. Rev Forest Centroamer 9:13–17
Jiménez JA (1999) Ambiente, distribución y características estructurales en los manglares del Pacífico de Centro América: contrastes climáticas. In: Yáñez-Arancibia A, Lara-Dominguez AL (eds) Ecosistemas de manglar en América Tropical. Instituto de Ecología, México, pp 51–70
Jiménez JA, Soto R (1985) Patrones regionales en la estructura y composición florística de los manglares de la costa Pacífica de Costa Rica. Rev Biol Trop 33:25–37
Jiménez-Ramón JA (1990) The structure and function of dry weather mangroves on the Pacific coast of Central America, with emphasis on Avicennia bicolor forests. Estuaries 13:182–192
Jiménez-Ramón JA, Sauter K (1991) Structure and dynamics of mangrove forests along a flooding gradient. Estuaries 14:49–56
Lahmann EJ (1993) The mangrove forests of Sierpe, Costa Rica. In: Towards the Wise Use of Wetlands. Ramsar Convention Bureau, Wise Use Project, Gland, pp 82–88
Lizano O (1997) Las mareas extraordinarias de 1997 en la costa del Pacífico de Costa Rica. Top Meteor Oceanogr 4:169–179
Lizano O, Amador J, Soto R (2001) Caracterización de manglares de Centroamérica con sensores remotos. Rev Biol Trop 49(Suppl 2):331–340
Mainardi-Grellet V (1996) El manglar de Térraba-Sierpe en Costa Rica. Ser Téc Inf Tec./CATIE, Turrialba, Costa Rica No. 284, pp 1–91
Pizarro F (1994) Diagnóstico de los manglares de la costa Pacífica de Costa Rica. In: Angulo JF, Suman H (eds) El ecosistema de manglar en América Latina y la Cuenca del Caribe: su manejo y conservación. University of Miami, Florida, USA, pp 34–63
Polanía J (1993) Mangroves of Costa Rica. In: Lacerda LD (ed) Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Mangrove Forests in Latin America and Africa regions. International Society for Mangrove Ecosystems, Okinawa, Japan, pp 129–138
Silva M (2005) Manglares de Golfito. In: Lobo J, Bolaños F (eds) Historia natural de Golfito. Ed. INBio, Heredia, Costa Rica, pp 55–65
Silva M, Chávez M (2001) Cuantificación sociobiológica del manglar de Purruja, Golfito. Recomendaciones para su manejo. Puntarenas, Costa Rica. In: Pizarro F, Córdoba R, C Gómez (eds) Humedales de Centroamérica: síntesis de 27 estudios e iniciativas sobre educación, inves-tigación, manejo y conservación de humedales y zonas costeras. UICN/ORMA, San José, Costa Rica, pp 82–87
Soto R (1992) Nutrient concentration and retranslocation in coastal vegetation and mangroves from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Brenesia 37:33–50
Soto R, Jiménez J (1982) Análisis fisonómico estructural del manglar de Puerto Soley, La Cruz, Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Rev Biol Trop 30:161–168
Tomlinson PB (1986) The botany of mangroves. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 405 p
Valerio C (1999) Costa Rica, ambiente y biodiversidad. Ed. INBio, Heredia, Costa Rica, 139 p
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2009 Springer Science + Business Media B.V.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Silva-Benavides, A.M. (2009). Mangroves. In: Wehrtmann, I.S., Cortés, J. (eds) Marine Biodiversity of Costa Rica, Central America. Monographiae Biologicae, vol 86. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8278-8_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8278-8_7
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-8277-1
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-8278-8
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)