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Gap creation and regenerative processes driving diversity and structure of mangrove ecosystems

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Abstract

Turnover within both mangrove and terrestrial forests is driven by standdevelopment in conjunction with factors influencing tree death andreplacement at various temporal and spatial scales. Development interrestrial forests appears comparable with that in mangroves but turnoverseems to differ considerably between these broad forest types. The mostimportant difference is in the character of small forest gaps. Gaps arecommon in terrestrial forests but those in mangroves rarely involve falls oflarge older trees in the first instance. Instead, mangrove trees usually diestanding in small clusters of mixed age cohorts. Identifying a common causefor gap creation in mangroves might be important towards understandingwhat drives forest turnover but there is a greater need to quantify thisprocess. Small-scale disturbance in mangrove forests is poorly quantified butpreliminary evidence implies that its' importance may have been greatlyunder-estimated. Based on available observations, a conceptual model ofmangrove forest development and gap regeneration is proposed. The modelhelps explain the peculiar characteristics and structure of mangrove forestsand how these forests might respond to changing environmental conditionsand disturbance at various landscape scales.

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  1. Mangrove Ecosystem Research, Botany Department, Marine Botany Group, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia

    Norman C. Duke

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Duke, N.C. Gap creation and regenerative processes driving diversity and structure of mangrove ecosystems. Wetlands Ecology and Management 9, 267–279 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011121109886

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