Offshore catches of banana prawns, Penaeus merguiensis, are correlated with the extent of mangrove forests. However, recent evaluation has questioned whether the apparent relationship between juvenile penaeids and mangroves reflects specific utilisation of mangroves or just the use of shallow, organically rich, muddy habitats. We investigated this by focussing on juvenile P. merguiensis within ...

The tidal zone of tropical seas is frequently lined with great mangrove forests, the dominating species of which belong to such genera as Rhizophora, Bruguiera, Sonneratia, and Avicennia. The outstanding feature of these plants is their adaptation to growing in seawater, and even though all do well in river estuaries they seldom penetrate inland beyond the direct action of ocean tides. A questi...

Mangroves provide multiple benefits, from carbon storage and shoreline protection to food and energy for natural resource-dependent coastal communities. However, they are coming under increasing pressure from climate change, coastal development, and aquaculture. There is increasing need to better understand the changes mangroves face and whether these changes differ or are similar in different ...

Mangroves are ecologically important ecosystems and globally protected. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of mangrove conservation efforts in two adjacent protected areas in China that were under the management policies of the Ramsar Convention (Mai Po Marshes Nature Reserve (MPMNR), Hong Kong) and China’s National Nature Reserve System (Futian Mangrove National Nature...

A correlation between petroleum hydrocarbon concentrations in sediments and chlorophyll-deficient mutations in mangroves may occur also in Australian mangroves. Earlier reports of such mutations in the Caribbean area were evident in viviparous propagules of the common mangrove genera, Rhizophora, borne on otherwise normal trees. These mutant propagules were termed albinos' since they lacked chl...

The fiddler crab Austruca occidentalis is a dominant species in mangrove forests along the East African coast. It enhances soil aeration and, through its engineering activities, makes otherwise-inaccessible food available for other marine organisms. Despite its importance, the habitat of A. occidentalis is threatened by human activities. Clearing the mangroves for salt farming and selective log...

We predict the decadal change in position of three American Samoa mangroves from analysis of a time series of remotely sensed imagery, a geographic information system, tide gauge data, and projections for change in sea-level relative to the mangrove surface. Accurate predictions of changes to coastal ecosystem boundaries, including in response to projected relative sea-level rise, enable advanc...

The importance and protection of mangrove ecosystems has been recognized in Brazilian Federal law since 1965. Being protected in law, however, has not always guaranteed their protection in practice. Mangroves are found in coastal and estuarine locations, which are prime real estate for the growth of cities, ports and other economic activities important for Brazilian development. In this mini-re...

Mangroves are complex ecosystems that regulate nutrient and sediment fluxes to the open sea. The importance of bacteria and fungi in regulating nutrient cycles has led to an interest in their diversity and composition in mangroves. However, very few studies have assessed Archaea in mangroves, and virtually nothing is known about whether mangrove rhizospheres affect archaeal diversity and compos...

Mangroves are an important bulkhead against climate change: they afford protection for coastal areas from tidal waves and cyclones, and are among the most carbon-rich forests in the tropics. As such, protection of mangroves is an urgent priority. This work provides some new information on patterns of degradation in the Sundarbans, the largest contiguous mangrove forest in the world, which are h...