Abstract
The rates of litter production were studied for five species of mangroves, Avicennia marina , Sonneratia alba , Ceriops tagal , Bruguiera gymnorrhiza , and Rhizophora mucronata at Maruhubi and Chwaka Bay mangrove forests on Unguja Island, Zanzibar. The Chwaka Bay site was relatively pristine, while the Maruhubi site was severely degraded by human activity. Litter traps were set under pure stands of the species and recovered at monthly intervals over a 2-year period between March 1991 and March 1993. Recovered litter was separated into leaves, flower and propagules. It was dried and weighed, and the daily and annual rate of production was calculated. Litter production occurred throughout the year, and with few seasonal trends. The most productive of the species was S. alba at c. 18 tonne ha -1 year -1 followed by B. gymnorrhiza, R. mucronata, A. marina and C. tagal at c. 16, and 7 tonne ha -1 years -1 , respectively. Flower and fruit propagule production showed marked seasonality in A. marina and R. mucronata . The rates of litter production for the individual species per unit area were not significantly different at the two sites.
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