The Energetics of Mangrove Forests (eBook)

Daniel Alongi (Autor)

eBook Download: PDF

2009 | 2009
XII, 216 Seiten
Springer Netherland (Verlag)
978-1-4020-4271-3 (ISBN)

Infos

Despite their importance in sustaining livelihoods for many people living along some of the world's most populous coastlines, tropical mangrove forests are disappearing at an alarming rate. Occupying a crucial place between land and sea, these tidal ecosystems provide a valuable ecological and economic resource as important nursery grounds and breeding sites for many organisms, and as a renewable source of wood and traditional foods and medicines. Perhaps most importantly, they are accumulation sites for sediment, contaminants, carbon and nutrients, and offer significant protection against coastal erosion.

This book presents a functional overview of mangrove forest ecosystems; how they live and grow at the edge of tropical seas, how they play a critical role along most of the world's tropical coasts, and how their future might look in a world affected by climate change. Such a process-oriented approach is necessary in order to further understand the role of these dynamic forests in ecosystem function, and as a first step towards developing adequate strategies for their conservation and sustainable use and management. The book will provide a valuable resource for researchers in mangrove ecology as well as reference for resource managers.

Inhalt

Preface 6
Contents 8
Introduction 12
Trees and Canopies 17
2.1 Introduction 17
2.2 Biomass Allocation 18
2.3 Ecophysiology 27
2.4 Tree Photosynthesis and Respiration 31
2.5 Primary Productivity 36
2.6 Life in the Canopy and Root Epibionts 53
Water and Sediment Dynamics 56
3.1 Introduction 56
3.2 Tides 56
3.3 Groundwater 62
3.4 Waves 65
3.5 Sediment Transport and Flocculation 67
3.6 Sedimentation and Accretion: Short-Term Versus Long- Term Dynamics 70
3.7 Chemical and Biological Consequences of Water and Sediment Flow 73
Life in Tidal Waters 74
4.1 Introduction 74
4.2 Physicochemical and Biochemical Attributes 74
4.3 Loops, Chains, and Hubs in the Microbial Machinery 76
4.4 Phytoplankton Dynamics 80
4.5 Are Mangrove Waters Net Heterotrophic or Autotrophic? 83
4.6 Zooplankton 86
4.7 Nekton: Diets, Growth, and Trophic Links 90
4.8 Is There a Link Between Mangroves and Fisheries Production? 94
The Forest Floor 97
5.1 Introduction 97
5.2 Soil Composition and Physicochemical Attributes 97
5.3 Life on the Forest Floor 100
5.4 Microbial Processes in Forest Soils 115
Ecosystem Dynamics 136
6.1 Introduction 136
6.2 Material Exchange: The Outwelling Concept 136
6.3 Carbon Balance in Mangrove Ecosystems 142
6.4 Nitrogen Flow Through Mangrove Ecosystems: The Hinchinbrook Island Study 148
6.5 Mineral Cycling 152
6.6 Systems Analysis: Understanding Links Among Various Functions of an Ecosystem 153
6.7 Ecological Economics and Sustainability of Mangroves 158
Synthesis 170
7.1 Developing a Global View 170
7.2 The Most Important Facts Regarding Mangrove Energetics 174
7.3 Epilogue 184
References 185
Index 218

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 18.1.2009
• Zusatzinfo: XII, 216 p.
• Verlagsort: Dordrecht
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Biologie ► Limnologie / Meeresbiologie
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Biologie ► Ökologie / Naturschutz
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Geowissenschaften ► Geografie / Kartografie
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Politik / Verwaltung
• Themenwelt: Technik
• Schlagworte: Ecology • ecosystem • ecosystem dynamics • Ecosystems • Ecoystems • Erosion • Forest • forestry • geomorphology • Hydrology • Mangrove • Marine Ecology • Phytoplankton • Plankton • Sediment • Sedimentation • trophic dynamics • Vegetation
• ISBN-10: 1-4020-4271-X / 140204271X
• ISBN-13: 978-1-4020-4271-3 / 9781402042713