Comparison of flooding-tolerance in four mangrove species in a diurnal tidal zone in the Beibu Gulf

The flood tolerance of four mangrove species, Aegiceras corniculatum (L.) Blanco (AC), Avicennia marina (Forsk.) Vierh. (Am), Bruguiera gymnorrhiza (L.) Savigny (Bg) and Rhizophora stylosa Griff. (Rs) was examined in a field trial conducted from August 2004 until August 2005 in a diurnal tidal zone in Yingluo Bay, Guangxi province, China. In a section of tidal flat, three replicate artificial platforms were constructed for seedling cultivation. Eight different tidal flat elevation (TFE) treatments were created on each platform. After one year of cultivation under the TFE treatments, the survival rate and growth parameters of seedlings were measured. Seedlings of A. corniculatum and A. marina seedlings survived all treatments. The survival rate of B. gymnorrhiza and R. stylosa seedlings, however, decreased sharply as the TFE fell; in any treatment, fewer B. gymnorrhiza seedlings survived than R. stylosa seedlings. Stem elongation in A. corniculatum and A. marina seedlings was significantly increased by lower TFEs. Lower TFE treatments also increased stem heights in B. gymnorrhiza and R. stylosa seedlings; however, growth was significantly higher as TFE increased. Leaf number, leaf conservation rate and leaf area per seedling changed relatively little among treatments in A. corniculatum and A. marina seedlings, while these three indexes in B. gymnorrhiza and R. stylosa seedlings all decreased dramatically with decreasing TFE. A. marina seedlings reached a higher neonatal biomass at lower TFE treatments, whereas A. corniculatum seedlings attained a higher biomass under moderate TFEs. In contrast, B. gymnorrhiza and R. stylosa seedlings accumulated more biomass in the higher TFEs habitats. Biomass partitioning among the components of both A. corniculatum and A. marina seedlings changed evenly; however, A. corniculatum accumulated more biomass in the leaf while A. marina accumulated more in the stem. The TFE treatments greatly influenced biomass partitioning in B. gymnorrhiza and R. stylosa seedlings, with a change from stem to leaf as the TFE increased. Generally speaking, the rank order of tolerance to flooding among these four mangrove species in the diurnal tidal zone was, from most to least tolerant, A. marina > A. corniculatum > R. stylosa > B. gymnorrhiza. This conclusion is consistent with the general pattern of natural mangrove species zonation along the Chinese coast in the Beibu Gulf. The critical tidal levels for afforestation with these four mangrove species are proposed.