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Assessing Decomposition Rates of Rhizophora mangle and Laguncularia racemosa Leaves in a Tropical Mangrove

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Abstract

Studies exploring leaf decomposition in mangroves in the Brazilian northeast are scarce. Therefore, in a mangrove of the Cachoeira River estuary at Ilhéus, Bahia, the decomposition of senescent leaves of Rhizophora mangle L. and Laguncularia racemosa Gaertn was studied. The litter-bag method and the Olson exponential model were applied to estimate the decomposition rates. The decay pattern of leaf material of both species was similar to those reported in the literature, with rapid initial weight loss, followed by a deceleration and period of slow weight loss. L. racemosa had the highest decay constants at all the study sites which suggest that their leaves are more easily degraded than those of R. mangle. The constantly submerged site presented the highest decay constants of 0.022 g g−1 day−1 for R. mangle and 0.031 g g−1 day−1 for L. racemosa. Most (95 %) of the leaf material of the two species was lost in 135 and 98 days, respectively. Benthic macrofauna organisms were recorded in the litter bags from the fifth day after the start of the experiment. Such organisms play a key role in the first phase of decomposition in this mangrove system. The decay constants of the leaf litter were generally higher than those reported in other tropical and subtropical regions. This suggests that differences in the process of decomposition are in response to environmental conditions at each location.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like thank Drs PR Nucci and FJ Guimarães for their assistance, respectively, for decapod identification, data analysis, and statistical tests. We also thank Sr. Ruy R. Cavalcante, boat driver and creator of the equipment used during this study, for his indispensable help in the field and to our friends who assisted in the field and laboratory and in the development of ideas: Lorena Santos, Fênix Sampaio, Débora Daltro, Verônica Viana, Cybelle Longhini, Zita Tabosa, and Dinara Mercês. Our thanks go to the anonymous referees for helpful comments and suggestions, to Drs J. W. Reid for the review of the English language, and to Dr A. Raw for the critical review of the manuscript. Financial support was provided by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq CT-Hidro 14/2005 grant number 133342/2006-9) and Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (A.B.O. Master’s scholarship).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Campus Soane Nazaré de Andrade, Rodovia Ilhéus-Itabuna, km 16, 45662-900, Ilhéus, BA, Brazil

    Alexandra Bomfim de Oliveira & Erminda da Conceição Guerreiro Couto

  2. Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia Roberto Alcântara Gomes, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rua São Francisco Xavier 524, 20550-900, Maracanã, RJ, Brazil

    Alexandra Elaine Rizzo

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  1. Alexandra Bomfim de Oliveira
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  2. Alexandra Elaine Rizzo
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Correspondence to Alexandra Bomfim de Oliveira.

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de Oliveira, A.B., Rizzo, A.E. & Couto, E.d.C.G. Assessing Decomposition Rates of Rhizophora mangle and Laguncularia racemosa Leaves in a Tropical Mangrove. Estuaries and Coasts 36, 1354–1362 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-013-9627-y

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