Artificial Crab Burrows Facilitate Desalting of Rooted Mangrove Sediment in a Microcosm Study

Journal of Marine Science and Engineering

Nathalie Pülmanns²  Inga Nordhaus²  Karen Diele¹  Ulf Mehlig³ 

[1] Edinburgh Napier University, School for Life, Sport and Social Sciences, Edinburgh EH11 4BN, UK; E-Mail:;Leibniz Center for Tropical Marine Ecology (Leibniz-ZMT), Fahrenheitstr. 6, Bremen 28359, Germany; E-Mail:;Laboratório de Botânica, Universidade Federal do Pará, Campus Bragança, Alameda Leandro Ribeiro s/n, Bragança-Pará, CEP 68600-000, Brazil; E-Mail:

关键词: Rhizophora mangle;    roots;    salinity;    tidal flushing;    tidal pumping;    Ucides cordatus;   

DOI  :  10.3390/jmse3030539

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Water uptake by mangrove trees can result in salt accumulation in sediment around roots, negatively influencing growth. Tidal pumping facilitates salt release and can be enhanced by crab burrows. Similarly, flushing of burrows by incoming tidal water decreases sediment salinity. In contrast to burrows with multiple entrances, the role of burrows with one opening for salinity reduction is largely unknown. In a microcosm experiment we studied the effect of artificial, burrow-like macro-pores with one opening on the desalting of mangrove sediment and growth of Rhizophora mangle L. seedlings. Sediment salinity, seedling leaf area and seedling growth were monitored over six months. Artificial burrows facilitated salt release from the sediment after six weeks, but seedling growth was not influenced. To test whether crab burrows with one opening facilitate salt release in mangrove forests, sediment salinities were measured in areas with and without R. mangle stilt roots in North Brazil at the beginning and end of the wet season. In addition, burrows of Ucides cordatus were counted. High crab burrow densities and sediment salinities were associated with stilt root occurrence. Precipitation and salt accumulation by tree roots seem to have a larger effect on sediment salinity than desalting by U. cordatus burrows.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.