چكيده لاتين :
Sediments from the surface, core waterwaand vegetation oftropical mangroves were
collected from tropical mangroves, India. Total phosphorus, total nitrogen, organic carbon, protein,
carbohydrate and tannin and lignin in these samples were estimated. The CIN and CIP ofthe leaves
present in Mangalavanam, Vypeen, and Nettoor are in good agreement with that ofthe sediment and
this -result indicated that the main source ofthe sediment organic matter is the plant remains. The
profile ofCIN ratios shows a decrease towards the depth, but lies within that of the oligotrophic
lakes and plant tissues and peat. The decay rate ofC and N indicated that the main reactivity is in the
first Scm of the sediment, which is subjected to re-suspension and significant bio-turbation. But
there existed a uniform decay pattern at 10 ern and 15 cm. In the case ofmonsoon season and post
monsoon season a random character was observed at 15 ern depth, which can beattributed to the
effective release of organic matter from that depth zone. To assess the reactivity ofthe systems, the
classic one G model with slight modifications to suit to the system was employed.
