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- Permanent Link:
- http://dpanther.fiu.edu/dpService/dpPurlService/purl/FI15042625/00001
Notes
- Abstract:
- This review assesses the degree of resilience of mangrove forests to large, infrequent disturbance (tsunamis) and their role in coastal protection,
and to chronic disturbance events (climate change) and the future of mangroves in the face of global change. From a geological perspective,
mangroves come and go at considerable speed with the current distribution of forests a legacy of the Holocene, having undergone
almost chronic disturbance as a result of fluctuations in sea-level. Mangroves have demonstrated considerable resilience over timescales commensurate
with shoreline evolution. This notion is supported by evidence that soil accretion rates in mangrove forests are currently keeping pace
with mean sea-level rise. Further support for their resilience comes from patterns of recovery from natural disturbances (storms, hurricanes)
which coupled with key life history traits, suggest pioneer-phase characteristics. Stand composition and forest structure are the result of a complex
interplay of physiological tolerances and competitive interactions leading to a mosaic of interrupted or arrested succession sequences, in
response to physical/chemical gradients and landform changes. The extent to which some or all of these factors come into play depends on the
frequency, intensity, size, and duration of the disturbance. Mangroves may in certain circumstances offer limited protection from tsunamis; some
models using realistic forest variables suggest significant reduction in tsunami wave flow pressure for forests at least 100 m in width. The magnitude
of energy absorption strongly depends on tree density, stem and root diameter, shore slope, bathymetry, spectral characteristics of incident
waves, and tidal stage upon entering the forest. The ultimate disturbance, climate change, may lead to a maximum global loss of 10e15% of
mangrove forest, but must be considered of secondary importance compared with current average annual rates of 1e2% deforestation. A large
reservoir of below-ground nutrients, rapid rates of nutrient flux and microbial decomposition, complex and highly efficient biotic controls, selfdesign
and redundancy of keystone species, and numerous feedbacks, all contribute to mangrove resilience to various types of disturbance.
Record Information
- Source Institution:
- Florida International University
- Rights Management:
- Please contact the owning institution for licensing and permissions. It is the user's responsibility to ensure use does not violate any third party rights.
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