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Composition, biomass and structure of mangroves within the Zambezi River Delta

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Abstract

We used a stratified random sampling design to inventory the mangrove vegetation within the Zambezi River Delta, Mozambique, to provide a basis for estimating biomass pools. We used canopy height, derived from remote sensing data, to stratify the inventory area, and then applied a spatial decision support system to objectively allocate sample plots among five strata. Height and diameter were measured on overstory trees, saplings and standing dead trees in nested plots, and biomass was calculated using allometric equations. Each of the eight mangrove species occurring in Mozambique exist within the Delta. They are distributed in heterogeneous mixtures within each of the five canopy height classes, not reflecting obvious zonation. Overstory trees averaged approximately 2000 trees ha−1, and average basal area ranged from 14 to 41 m2 ha−1 among height classes. The composition of the saplings tended to mirror the overstory, and the diameter frequency distributions suggest all-aged stands. Above-ground biomass ranged from 111 to 483 Mg ha−1 with 95 % confidence interval generally within 15 % of the height class mean. Despite over 3000 trees ha−1 in the small-tree component, 92 % of the vegetation biomass is in the overstory live trees. The objective inventory design proved effective in estimating forest biomass within the 30,267 ha mangrove forest.

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Acknowledgments

Dr. Wenwu Tang, Univ. North Carolina—Charlotte, conducted the geospatial analyses for the stratified random sampling design, and developed the Spatial Decision Support System for objective allocation of sample plots. Denise Nicolau, Itelvino Cunat, and Rito Mabunda provided invaluable logistical support during the planning and implementation of field missions. Célia Macamo and Salamão Bandeira assisted prior to, and during field work, with identification of mangrove and other plant species. The success of this project would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the 2012 and 2013 mission field crews. This work was made possible by US AID support to the USFS under the US AID Mozambique Global Climate Change Sustainable Landscape Program, in collaboration with the Natural Resource Assessment Department of the Government of Mozambique.

Funding

Funds for this work were provided by the US Agency for International Development and the US Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Forested Wetlands Research, Southern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Cordesville, SC, USA

    Carl C. Trettin & Christina E. Stringer

  2. Forest Inventory and Analysis, Southern Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Clemson, SC, USA

    Stanley J. Zarnoch

Authors
  1. Carl C. Trettin
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  2. Christina E. Stringer
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  3. Stanley J. Zarnoch
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Carl C. Trettin.

Electronic supplementary material

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Supplementary material 1 (PDF 280 kb)

Supplement #1. Test of differences between height class and species means of the structural attributes for overstory trees (DBH > 5 cm), performed with Satterthwaite two-sample t test at the 0.05 Type I error rate. The value in each box is the p-value from the test between the species for that column and row. The far right column and bottom row of each table represents unknown species. Species numbers 1-8 correspond to the species headings in Tables 2-4; in numerical order- C. tagal, B. gymnorrhiza, X. granatum, S. alba, A. marina, R. mucronata, H. littoralis, L. racemosa. Empty boxes represent a test that could not be completed due to one of the species not being present in that height class

Supplementary material 2 (PDF 255 kb)

Supplement #2. Test of differences between height class and species means of the structural attributes for saplings (DBH < 5 cm), performed with Satterthwaite two-sample t-test at the 0.05 Type I error rate. The value in each box is the p-value from the test between the species for that column and row. The far right column and bottom row of each table represents unknown species. Species numbers 1-8 correspond to the species headings in Tables 2-4; in numerical order- C. tagal, B. gymnorrhiza, X. granatum, S. alba, A. marina, R. mucronata, H. littoralis, L. racemosa. Empty boxes represent a test that could not be completed due to one of the species not being present in that height class

Supplementary material 3 (PDF 269 kb)

Supplement #3. Test of differences between height class and species means of the structural attributes for standing dead trees, performed with Satterthwaite two-sample t-test at the 0.05 Type I error rate. The value in each box is the p-value from the test between the species for that column and row. The far right column and bottom row of each table represents unknown species. Species numbers 1-8 correspond to the species headings in Tables 2-4; in numerical order- C. tagal, B. gymnorrhiza, X. granatum, S. alba, A. marina, R. mucronata, H. littoralis, L. racemosa. Empty boxes represent a test that could not be completed due to one of the species not being present in that height class

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Trettin, C.C., Stringer, C.E. & Zarnoch, S.J. Composition, biomass and structure of mangroves within the Zambezi River Delta. Wetlands Ecol Manage 24, 173–186 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-015-9465-8

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