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Biology and Ecology of the Halophyte Laguncularia racemosa (L.) Gaertn. f.: A Review

Handbook of Halophytes

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Abstract

Mangrove ecosystems are tropical and subtropical environments that are characterized by the interaction been the land and the sea. Laguncularia racemosa (white mangrove) is a monotypic pantropical and subtropical halophyte distributed in West Africa and the New World. In the New World, the zonation pattern in the mangal from the intertidal seaward fringe to higher elevation landward is Rhizophora mangle > L. racemosa > Avicennia germinans > Conocarpus erectus. Laguncularia racemosa is a halophyte that tolerates salinities up to 90 ppt. However, the optimal salinity range for mature stands of this species is from 15 to 20 ppt with water levels at or near the surface. Laguncularia racemosa secretes salt through glands on the leaf surface. Salt secretion allows roots to maintain low ion concentrations of salt in the xylem but allows other essential ions to move to the shoot system. Climate change has allowed L. racemosa to extend its range northward along the Atlantic coast of the United States.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Glennis Lonard and Dr. David Lonard for their technical assistance. Library support services at Rice University were helpful in obtaining pertinent literature. We thank Drs. Michael Osland, Lee Kass, and Robert Hunt for their courtesy of providing images of Laguncularia racemosa. Dr. Hudson DeYoe provided images of the leaf and inflorescence of this species from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, TX, USA

    Robert I. Lonard & Frank W. Judd

  2. School of Earth, Environmental and Marine Sciences, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, TX, USA

    Hudson R. DeYoe

  3. Department of Biological Sciences, St. John’s University, Queens, NY, USA

    Richard Stalter

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Correspondence to Robert I. Lonard .

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  1. Faculty of Biology, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Iasi, Romania

    Marius-Nicusor Grigore

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  1. Department of Biology, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, TX, USA

    R. I. Lonard

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Lonard, R.I., Judd, F.W., DeYoe, H.R., Stalter, R. (2021). Biology and Ecology of the Halophyte Laguncularia racemosa (L.) Gaertn. f.: A Review. In: Grigore, MN. (eds) Handbook of Halophytes. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17854-3_71-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17854-3_71-2

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  1. Latest

    (L.) Gaertn. f.: A Review
    Published:
    29 January 2021

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17854-3_71-3

  2. (L.) Gaertn. f.: A Review
    Published:
    10 December 2020

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17854-3_71-2

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    (L.) Gaertn. f.: A Review
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    07 September 2020

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17854-3_71-1

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