Ecophysiological Response of Rhizophora mangle to the Variation in Hydrochemistry during Five Years along the Coast of Campeche, México

Carlos Chan-Keb,Jordán Reyes Castellano,Juan Osti-Sáenz,Gregorio Posada-Vanegas,Kenia Conde-Medina,Beatriz Vega-Serratos,Claudia Agraz-Hernández,Raquel Muñiz-Salazar

doi:10.3390/d10010009

Abstract

We evaluated the phenological response and litterfall production of Rhizophora mangle to changes in pore water chemistry over a five-year period (from 2009 to 2014 and 2010 to 2016) along the coast of Campeche, Mexico. Severe drought conditions were recorded in 2009 with a Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) of −1.5 and again in 2015 with a SPI of −1.16). A precipitation deficit of 22.1% was recorded between 2009 and 2016 ranging from 9.5% in Laguna de Terminos in the south to 64.4% in Los Petenes Biosphere Reserve in the north. Precipitation varied significantly per year (p < 0.001), seasonally (p < 0.001), and between years and seasons (p < 0.001). An interaction was observed in the salinity (p < 0.05), redox potential (p < 0.001), and precipitation (p < 0.001) of the Laguna de Terminos, Rio Champoton, and Los Petenes Biosphere Reserve regions. Significant differences were found between the years in the leaf and propagule production (p < 0.001), and between seasons in production of leaves, flowers, and propagules (p < 0.001). The determining factor in the production of flowers during both the rainy and dry seasons was the salinity, and the determining factors for the production of propagules were the redox potential and salinity. The results of this study suggest a low phenotypic plasticity in R. mangle.

Highlights

Seasonal and annual variation in climate affect the temporal and spatial patterns of precipitation and temperature, on both local and global scales, of many coastal regions around the world [1]
Mangrove communities are vulnerable to changes in precipitation because the hydroperiod and the physicochemical conditions of the soil and pore water are directly modified by the climatic variables [5,36]
Significant variation in precipitation was observed in the periods of 2009 to 2010 and 2014 to

Summary

Introduction

Seasonal and annual variation in climate affect the temporal and spatial patterns of precipitation and temperature, on both local and global scales, of many coastal regions around the world [1]. These disturbances can potentially affect the structure and function of mangrove forests and upstream ecosystems [6,7]. This situation was observed in 2008 when the cold phase of ENSO, called LA NIÑA, was recorded, and the warm phase of this phenomenon, called EL NIÑO, occurred in 2009. Growing evidence is demonstrating that climate change has altered the phenological synchrony of various organisms, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear, in plants [9,10]. Climate change is expected to affect growth patterns in the phenological stage and during the flowering and fruiting of plants, including mangroves

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