Journal of Tropical Ecology

Table of Contents - May 2012 - Volume 28, Issue 03  

Short Communication

High primary productivity under submerged soil raises the net ecosystem productivity of a secondary mangrove forest in eastern Thailand

Sasitorn Poungparna1 c1, Akira Komiyamaa2, Tanuwong Sangteiana3, Chatree Maknuala3, Pipat Patanaponpaiboona1 and Vilanee Suchewaboriponta1

a1 Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand

a2 Laboratory of Forest Ecology, Faculty of Applied Biological Science, Gifu University, Gifu, Japan 501-1193

a3 Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Bangkok, Thailand

The distribution of mangrove forests is limited to the coastal zones of tropical and subtropical regions, and their total area is far smaller than that of upland forests (Spalding et al. 2010). Mangrove forests often show unique patterns of biomass allocation and carbon dynamics because they are periodically submerged by tides (Komiyama et al. 2008). Therefore, the contribution of mangrove forests to the global carbon fixation process should be carefully evaluated even though their distribution area is limited.

(Accepted February 06 2012)

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c1 Corresponding author. Email: sasitorn.p@chula.ac.th