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Root Biomass and Production of Mangroves Surrounding a Karstic Oligotrophic Coastal Lagoon

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Abstract

Root production influences a range of belowground processes, such as soil accretion, carbon sequestration and nutrient acquisition. Here, we measured biomass and root production of mangroves surrounding a karstic oligotrophic lagoon that spans a nutrient and salinity gradient. We also measured forest structure and soil physicochemical conditions (salinity, bulk density, carbon, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P)) in order to determine factors associated with root production. We tested the following hypotheses: 1) root biomass and production increase at low soil P and N in order to maximize resource utilization, and 2) root biomass and production increase with high interstitial salinity. Root biomass (947–3,040 g m−2) and production (0.46–1.85 g m−2 day−1) increased where soil P and interstitial salinity were relatively high. Thus, we rejected the first hypothesis and confirmed the second. The larger root fraction (5–20 mm) was the major contributor to root biomass and production. Our findings suggest that root production and thus capacity for belowground carbon storage in karstic regions, where P is often limiting, is greater where interstitial salinity and P are higher. This contrasts with past assessments indicating that P-deficiency stimulates root growth, suggesting wide variation in belowground responses in mangroves.

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Acknowledgments

We want to thank The Mexican Council of Science and Technology (CONACyT), The Research Centre and Postgraduate Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (CINVESTAV, Mérida) and the Australian Rivers Institute at Griffith University. We are grateful for field support to the National Commission for Natural Protected Areas (CONANP). We thank Ileana Osorio for laboratory assistance and Dr. Timothy Mercer and Dr. Daniel Klein for editing assistance. We also want to thank the anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments that helped us improve the manuscript. This work was partially supported by a grant from the National Commission on Biodiversity (CONABIO FN009).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, 4111, QLD, Australia

    Maria Fernanda Adame

  2. CINVESTAV-IPN, Unidad Mérida, Antigua Carretera a Progreso km.6, Mérida, Yucatán, México, C.P. 97310

    Maria Fernanda Adame, Claudia Teutli, Juan P. Caamal, Arturo Zaldívar-Jiménez, Raquel Hernández & Jorge A. Herrera-Silveira

  3. Coastal Plant Laboratory, The School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia

    Nadia S. Santini

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  1. Maria Fernanda Adame
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  2. Claudia Teutli
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  7. Jorge A. Herrera-Silveira
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Correspondence to Maria Fernanda Adame.

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Adame, M.F., Teutli, C., Santini, N.S. et al. Root Biomass and Production of Mangroves Surrounding a Karstic Oligotrophic Coastal Lagoon. Wetlands 34, 479–488 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-014-0514-5

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