Saltmarsh boundary modulates dispersal of mangrove propagules: implications for mangrove migration with sea-level rise.

ABSTRACT: Few studies have empirically examined the suite of mechanisms that underlie the distributional shifts displayed by organisms in response to changing climatic condition. Mangrove forests are expected to move inland as sea-level rises, encroaching on saltmarsh plants inhabiting higher elevations. Mangrove propagules are transported by tidal waters and propagule dispersal is likely modified upon encountering the mangrove-saltmarsh ecotone, the implications of which are poorly known. Here, using an experimental approach, we record landward and seaward dispersal and subsequent establishment of mangrove propagules that encounter biotic boundaries composed of two types of saltmarsh taxa: succulents and grasses. Our findings revealed that propagules emplaced within saltmarsh vegetation immediately

SUBMITTER: Peterson JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4356570 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature