Mangroves aboveground biomass (ABG) estimation at a large scale is a crucial to understand their role in mitigating climate change. The large-scale estimation of AGB is generally conducted with remote sensing techniques using stand characteristics such as canopy height and species composition. In the present study, we employed Lorey's mean canopy height (Hm) and basal area weighted mean wood density (ρm) to develop models for estimating AGB of mangroves in Asian regions such as Indonesia, Philippines and Japan, considering its application toward large-scale AGB estimation covering different climatic zones of subtropical zone in the Eastern Asia and tropical zone in the Southeastern Asia. The best power function model for AGB estimation with Hm as a single explanatory variable was selected based on AIC ranks. The Hm – AGB relationship model varied significantly among study sites. We successfully developed common allometric model to estimate AGB for closed-canopy mangroves in the Asian regions. The common allometric model of the Hm – AGB relationship tended to show underestimation for old growth mangroves having AGB > ca. 400 Mg ha−1. The common allometric model showed a similar trend with a previously developed model for mangroves in Bangladesh. On the other hand, the common allometric model for mangroves showed distinct difference from the model for terrestrial tropical forests, i.e. the range of Hm was narrower in mangroves than in terrestrial tropical forests, and AGB was quite higher in mangroves than in terrestrial tropical forests at a same range of Hm. The difference of AGB specific to Hm was explained by higher ρm and cumulative basal area (BA) in mangroves than that in terrestrial tropical forests. In particular, mangrove showed quite high BA in a comparison with terrestrial tropical forests. This study confirmed that developing mangrove specific biomass model is important since mangroves showed its unique characteristics through comparisons with terrestrial tropical forests, and limitations of the use of Hm as a single variable. It should be noted that old growth mangrove AGB is underestimated with the developed common allometric models. For old growth mangroves, carbon stock should be fairly evaluated with more accurate models otherwise their contribution to blue carbon would be overlooked, which could lead insufficient efforts for conservation of old growth mangroves. Further accurate models for estimating mangrove AGB at large scale are urgently required.
The complex structures of the prop root system of the mangrove genus Rhizophora attenuate storm surges and tsunamis and promote sedimentation. While quantification of the mangrove's drag force is essential for assessing the mangroves' ability to reduce the risk of disaster and vulnerability to rising sea-level, the projected area of prop root system having multiple orders of prop roots (e.g., first-, second-, and third-order prop roots, where the root order indicates the level of branching from the stem) are still unexplored. To contribute to the quantitative evaluation of the mangrove's drag force, we investigated the vertical profile of whole-tree prop root projected area and the number of prop roots of 156 trees sampled from Indonesia, the Philippines, and Japan. Our results showed that prop roots above the first-order contribute up to 80% of the whole-tree prop root projected area, highlighting the importance of the presence of second-, third-, and even higher-order prop roots on the drag force exerted by mangroves. Based on field data, an empirical model for the prop root system, described by a scaling factor (S), and maximum and minimum root heights (HRmax, HRmin), was developed by assuming that the size distribution of prop roots follows a constant scaling factor S. S and HRmax showed significant correlations with stem diameter at breast height suggesting the scaling relations in the prop root system. The model, which employs the site- and species-specific regression models for S and HRmax, reproduced the vertical distribution of the number of prop roots – a good predictor of the prop root projected area – with reasonable accuracy. However, the site- and species-specific scaling relations are highly variable depending on the environment, suggesting morphological plasticity in the prop root system. Rhizophora trees that grow on a shallow sediment layer (around 0.1 m thickness) tend to produce more prop roots compared with those on a thicker sediment layer suggesting a morphological response of the prop root system to increase below-ground root biomass where below-ground root development is physically constrained. Multivariate analysis indicated that hard substrate also possibly contributes to higher complexity of prop root system. However, prediction of the site- and species-specific scaling relations from these environmental variables still needs to be improved. Further research is needed to explain the mechanisms of morphological response of prop root systems to environmental gradients and to establish a generalized model for predicting the prop root system in various environments.
The understanding of consistent individual differences in behavior, often termed "personality," for adapting and coping with threats and novel environmental conditions has advanced considerably during the last decade. However, advancements are almost exclusively associated with higher-order animals, whereas studies focusing on smaller aquatic organisms are still rare. Here, we show individual differences in the swimming behavior of Daphnia magna, a clonal freshwater invertebrate, before, during, and after being exposed to a lethal threat, ultraviolet radiation (UVR). We show consistency in swimming velocity among both mothers and daughters of D. magna in a neutral environment, whereas this pattern breaks down when exposed to UVR. Our study also, for the first time, illustrates how the ontogenetic development in swimming and refuge-seeking behavior of young individuals eventually approaches that of adults. Overall, we show that aquatic invertebrates are far from being identical robots, but instead they show considerable individual differences in behavior that can be attributed to both ontogenetic development and individual consistency. Our study also demonstrates, for the first time, that behavioral consistency and repeatability, that is, something resembling " personality," is context and state dependent in this zooplankter taxa.
The Baltic Sea is a large brackish semienclosed sea whose species-poor fish community supports important commercial and recreational fisheries. Both the fish species and the fisheries are strongly affected by climate variations. These climatic effects and the underlying mechanisms are briefly reviewed. We then use recent regional – scale climate – ocean modelling results to consider how climate change during this century will affect the fish community of the Baltic and fisheries management. Expected climate changes in northern Europe will likely affect both the temperature and salinity of the Baltic, causing it to become warmer and fresher. As an estuarine ecosystem with large horizontal and vertical salinity gradients, biodiversity will be particularly sensitive to changes in salinity which can be expected as a consequence of altered precipitation patterns. Marine-tolerant species will be disadvantaged and their distributions will partially contract from the Baltic Sea; habitats of freshwater species will likely expand. Although some new species can be expected to immigrate because of an expected increase in sea temperature, only a few of these species will be able to successfully colonize the Baltic because of its low salinity. Fishing fleets which presently target marine species (e.g. cod, herring, sprat, plaice, sole) in the Baltic will likely have to relocate to more marine areas or switch to other species which tolerate decreasing salinities. Fishery management thresholds that trigger reductions in fishing quotas or fishery closures to conserve local populations (e.g. cod, salmon) will have to be reassessed as the ecological basis on which existing thresholds have been established changes, and new thresholds will have to be developed for immigrant species. The Baltic situation illustrates some of the uncertainties and complexities associated with forecasting how fish populations, communities and industries dependent on an estuarine ecosystem might respond to future climate change.
Socio-economic changes that have taken place in Africa have influenced people's eating habits in both rural and urban set-ups. Most people prefer introduced foods to traditional foods, including plant foods whose consumption is widely regarded as a primitive culture manifesting poor lifestyles. However, recent studies on traditional plant foods have shown that some are highly nutritious; containing high levels of both vitamins and minerals. They also have potential as a remedy to counter food insecurity since most are well adapted to the local environment, enabling them to resist pests, drought and diseases. This paper describes the mineral (calcium, iron and zinc) contents in some 54 traditional vegetable species collected from Nyang'oma area of Bondo district, western Kenya. Atomic absorption spectroscopy was used to determine the mineral content. We found that most traditional leafy vegetables, domesticated and wild, generally contain higher levels of calcium, iron and zinc compared with the introduced varieties such as spinach (Spanacia oleracea), kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) and cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata). The results of this study could contribute towards identification, propagation and subsequent domestication and cultivation promotion of nutrient-rich and safe species within the farming systems of the local communities in Kenya, sub-Saharan Africa or elsewhere.
