Structure and litter production of mangrove forests under different tidal influences in babitonga bay, Santa Catarina, Southern Brazil

Abstract

This work aimed to evaluate the influence of different flooding frequencies on structure and litter production of a mesohaline mangrove forest near to the southern limit of mangrove forest in South Atlantic. Tree sites with different flooding frequencies were selected. In each site 100m plots were placed to evaluate species density, height, diameter and biomass, and 0.25m litter traps were placed to evaluate monthly litter production from February 1998 to January 1999. Salinity, temperature and rainfall were recorded during the period. The structural data and specific litter fall were correlated with flooding frequency (FF). was the dominant species at the higher FF, presenting higher density (4000 trees ha ; 52%) tree biomass (25 tones ha ; 60%) and litter annual production (2.35 tones ha year ; 70%) at site A. was the dominant species at the lower FF, presenting higher density (4700 trees ha ; 65%) and litter annual production (2.36 tones ha year ; 65%), at site C, but biomass was always low. presented low density and litter production in all sites. As and presented this inverse pattern, total annual litter fall (3.8 tones ha year ) was not correlated with the flooding frequency gradient.