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Re-establishment of epibiotic communities in reforested mangroves of Gazi Bay, Kenya

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Abstract

Recolonization of epibiotic flora and fauna in two fringing Sonneratia alba reforestation plots was investigated and compared to a natural mangrove stand and a denuded site in Gazi Bay, Kenya. The reforested sites differed with respect to land history and planting density. Habitat availability in the form of pneumatophore surface differed among forested sites (P<0.001), and between landward and seaward zones (P<0.05). Eighteen algal species were found in the natural area compared to 23 and 10 in replanted sites. Only one species was encountered in the denuded area. SIMPER analysis distinguished Enteromorpha ramulosa, Polysiphonia sp., Hypnea sp. and Caloglossa leprieuri as the main algal species responsible for differences between sites. Algal biomass was positively correlated to pneumatophores area (P<0.001). Total algal biomass differed markedly between forested sites: 1.4 (matrix replantation), 28.6 (natural stand) and 44.3 g m−2 (integrated replantation) in the seaward zones. The matrix replantation showed strong differences in algal community assemblages compared to the other forested sites, and this site also had significantly lower biomass of sessile benthic fauna (P<0.001). Statistical differences in algal (P<0.01) and sponge (P<0.05) community composition between landward and seaward zones were observed in all sites and trunk fouling fauna was distinctly different between sites. Reasons for the above patterns are discussed and it is suggested that zonation patterns affecting pneumatophore surface and inundation time, in combination with proximity of sites to natural seeding areas, are the most likely explanations for observed patterns of epibiotic community distribution in this study.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida). The authors thank the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) for logistical support. A special thank you goes to J. Bosire and J.␣Kairo for assistance in Kenya, to Abdul for tireless field assistance, to Nils and Lena Kautsky for valuable comments and help with taxonomic identification, and to two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on how to improve the manuscript.

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  1. Department of Systems Ecology, University of Stockholm, S-106 91, Stockholm, Sweden

    B. I. Crona, S. Holmgren & P. Rönnbäck

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  1. B. I. Crona
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  2. S. Holmgren
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  3. P. Rönnbäck
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Correspondence to B. I. Crona.

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Crona, B., Holmgren, S. & Rönnbäck, P. Re-establishment of epibiotic communities in reforested mangroves of Gazi Bay, Kenya. Wetlands Ecol Manage 14, 527–538 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-006-9005-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-006-9005-7

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