International Institute of Tropical Forestry

Title: Mangrove Forests: a Tough System to Invade but an Easy one to Rehabilitate

Author: LUGO, ARIEL E.

Date: 1998

Source: Marine Pollution Bulletin Vol. 37, Nos. 8±12, pp. 427-430,

Description: Mangrove forests are tough ecosystems to invade because few species can tolerate the hydrological and edaphic conditions that prevail in mangrove habitats. The small pantropical mangrove species pool is also the basis for asserting that mangrove forests are easy to rehabilitate, at least in terms of tree species composition. The high complexity of the animal and microbial component of mangrove ecosystems is not addressed in this article. The following questions are useful as a guide for evaluating the invasion of plant species into mangrove habitats: (1) Is the invading species a halophyte? (2) What conditions of the environment is the invading species occupying and how long will those conditions last? (3) What is the geographic location of the invasion, does it penetrate the forest or is it only at the edge? (4) Is the invasion a short-term response to changes in microsite conditions? (5) Is the invasion the result of a long-term shift in the mangrove habitat?

Keywords: 

View and Print this Publication (92k)

Publication Notes: 

• We recommend that you also print this page and attach it to the printout of the article, to retain the full citation information.
• This article was written and prepared by U.S. Government employees on official time, and is therefore in the public domain.

 Get the latest version of the Adobe Acrobat reader or Acrobat Reader for Windows with Search and Accessibility

Citation

LUGO, ARIEL E.   1998.  Mangrove Forests: a Tough System to Invade but an Easy one to Rehabilitate.   Marine Pollution Bulletin Vol. 37, Nos. 8±12, pp. 427-430, .