Reply to Giri and Long: Freeze-mediated expansion of mangroves does not depend on whether expansion is emergence or reemergence

Abstract

Giri and Long (1) agree with our conclusion (2) that the expansion of mangroves from 1984 to 2011 near their range limit on the Atlantic coast of Florida is a threshold response to fewer days below −4 °C. However, they suggest that our conclusions would have been “substantially different” had we included one additional year of data in the analyses, that we needed more information about the historical range of mangroves, and that we did not sufficiently rule out other factors. These suggestions reflect a basic misunderstanding of our methods and interpretation (2).