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Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open
Journal article
The novel mangrove environment and composition of the Amazon Delta
Current Biology, Vol.32(16), pp.3636-3640.e2
22/08/2022
PMID: 35863350
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Abstract
Both freshwater floodplain (várzeas and igapós) forests and brackish-saline mangroves are abundant and well-described ecosystems in Brazil.1
However, an interesting and unique wetland forest exists in the Amazon Delta where extensive mangroves occur in essentially freshwater tidal environments. Unlike the floodplain forests found upriver, the hydrology of these ecosystems is driven largely by large macro-tides of 4–8 m coupled with the significant freshwater discharge from the Amazon River. We explored these mangroves on the Amazon Delta (00°52ʹ N to 01°41ʹ N) and found surface water salinity to be consistently <5; soil pore water salinity in these mangrove forests ranged from 0 nearest the Amazon mouth to only 5–11 at the coastal margins to the north (01°41ʹ N, 49°55′ W). We also recorded a unique mix of mangrove-obligate (Avicennia sp., Rhizophora mangle) and facultative-wetland species (Mauritia flexuosa, Pterocarpus sp.) dominating these forests. This unique mix of plant species and soil porewater chemistry exists even along the coastal strands and active coastlines of the Atlantic Ocean. Part of these unique mangroves have escaped current global satellite mapping efforts, and we estimate that they may add over 180 km2 (20% increase in mangrove area) within the Amazon Delta. Despite having a unique structure and function, these freshwater-brackish ecosystems likely provide similar ecosystem services to most mangroves worldwide, such as sequestering large quantities of organic carbon, protection of shoreline ecosystems from erosion, and habitats to many terrestrial and aquatic species (monkeys, birds, crabs, and fish).
Details
- Title
- The novel mangrove environment and composition of the Amazon Delta
- Creators
- Angelo F. Bernardino - Universidade Federal do Espírito SantoAna Carolina A. Mazzuco - Universidade Federal do Espírito SantoFernanda M. Souza - Universidade Federal do Espírito SantoThuareag M.T. Santos - Universidade Federal do Espírito SantoChristian J. Sanders - Southern Cross UniversityCarlos G. Massone - Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de JaneiroRodolfo F. Costa - Universidade de São PauloAntônio Elves B. Silva - Universidade de São PauloTiago O. Ferreira - Universidade de São PauloGabriel N. Nóbrega - Universidade Federal FluminenseThiago S.F. Silva - University of StirlingJ. Boone Kauffman - Oregon State University
- Publication Details
- Current Biology, Vol.32(16), pp.3636-3640.e2
- Publisher
- Cell Press
- Grant note
- This work was supported by the National Geographic Society and ROLEX as part of the Perpetual Planet Initiative ( PFA-21-PP031 and PFA-21-PP029 ).
- Identifiers
- 991013045944102368
- Copyright
- © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Science and Engineering; Science; National Marine Science Centre
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article