How mangrove forests adjust to rising sea level

Ken W. Krauss*, Karen L. Mckee, Catherine E. Lovelock, Donald R. Cahoon, Neil Saintilan, Ruth Reef, Luzhen Chen

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

534 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Mangroves are among the most well described and widely studied wetland communities in the world. The greatest threats to mangrove persistence are deforestation and other anthropogenic disturbances that can compromise habitat stability and resilience to sea-level rise. To persist, mangrove ecosystems must adjust to rising sea level by building vertically or become submerged. Mangroves may directly or indirectly influence soil accretion processes through the production and accumulation of organic matter, as well as the trapping and retention of mineral sediment. In this review, we provide a general overview of research on mangrove elevation dynamics, emphasizing the role of the vegetation in maintaining soil surface elevations (i.e. position of the soil surface in the vertical plane). We summarize the primary ways in which mangroves may influence sediment accretion and vertical land development, for example, through root contributions to soil volume and upward expansion of the soil surface. We also examine how hydrological, geomorphological and climatic processes may interact with plant processes to influence mangrove capacity to keep pace with rising sea level. We draw on a variety of studies to describe the important, and often under-appreciated, role that plants play in shaping the trajectory of an ecosystem undergoing change.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)19-34
Number of pages16
JournalNew Phytologist
Volume202
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2014
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Accretion
  • Disturbance
  • Environmental drivers
  • Litter and debris fall
  • Roots
  • Sea-level rise
  • Soil
  • Surface elevation change

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