Abstract
In situ rates of degradation of mangrove litter were obtained from regular harvests of submerged material contained in nylon-mesh bags. Litter components comprised leaves and stems of Avicennia marina (Forsk.) Vierh. and Bruguiera gymnorrhiza (L.) Lam. and stems of Rhizophora mucronata Lam. Leaves degraded more rapidly than stems and after six months A vicennia and Bruguiera leaf debris comprised only 9.5% and 15.3% respectively of their initial mass. At the end of this period approximately 80% of the initial mass of the stems of each species remained. The material from each harvest was analysed for N, P, K and total C. In the bags containing leaves of both species nitrogen percentages showed an initial sharp decrease before levelling off. Little difference was revealed in all analyses of stems and in total carbon values of leaves. The significance of leaf litter in the contribution of nutrients to this estuary is discussed.
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© 1983 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
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Steinke, T.D., Naidoo, G., Charles, L.M. (1983). Degradation of mangrove leaf and stem tissues in situ in Mgeni Estuary, South Africa. In: Teas, H.J. (eds) Biology and ecology of mangroves. Tasks for vegetation science, vol 8. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0914-9_16
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0914-9_16
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