Name:
Avicennia germinans - Laguncularia racemosa - Rhizophora mangle Macrogroup
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
The mangrove vegetation of this macrogroup forms coastal saline swamps, dominated by <i>Avicennia germinans, Laguncularia racemosa</i>, and <i>Rhizophora mangle</i> varying in dominance and structure depending upon tidal, hydrologic and topographic conditions. It is found along the southwest coast of Florida, the Gulf Coast of Texas, Mexico, Caribbean coast of Central America, the Caribbean Islands, and the northern coast of South America. Relatively few mangrove species form these forests and they are all of tropical affinity. Common saltmarsh species are associated in the understory layer, especially in transitional areas to salt marshes and in open tree canopy conditions. Among these halophytic species are several saltmarsh grasses (<i>Juncus, Sporobolus, Monanthochloe, Distichlis</i>) and succulent herbs (<i>Salicornia, Sesuvium, Batis</i>). Mangrove forests occur in three main geophysical settings that define their structure and composition: fringe, basin, and riverine. Fringe mangroves occur in close proximity to the ocean, are dominated by <i>Rhizophora mangle</i>, and may have leeward zones dominated by <i>Avicennia germinans</i> or <i>Laguncularia racemosa</i>. These tidal forests can reach 20 m (66 feet) high. Stands occur in frost-free zones, on soils that are permanently saturated with brackish water and which become inundated during high tides. The brackish environment tends to limit competition from other species. Basin mangroves occur in flats or lagoons that form around inland basins and depressions, which may have water of various salinities, and in tidal brackish estuary channels; the latter typically lack <i>Rhizophora mangle</i>. Influences from tides decrease further inland. The basin mangrove also includes short, tidal mangrove forests on seasonally flooded peat soils of interior depressions in the Florida Keys and southern peninsular Florida. The tree canopy of the basin mangrove communities is closed, usually 3-12 m high, and is codominated by <i>Avicennia germinans, Laguncularia racemosa</i>, and/or <i>Conocarpus erectus</i>. <i>Rhizophora mangle</i> can occur but is not dominant. <i>Avicennia</i> is the only mangrove genus that can stand cold temperatures and occasional frosts thus reaching up to 30° N latitude on the coast of Florida to Texas. Riverine mangrove, the third setting, occurs farther south in the floodplains and along embankments of tidal creeks and rivers, with daily tides. Riverine forests have higher levels of productivity than the other mangrove types as a result of increased nutrient availability, litter fall, and tidal flushing. All three species are present and the canopy layer can reach heights of 18 to 20 m (59-66 feet). Finally, one of the most distinctive traits of Caribbean mangroves is the presence of mangrove forests on large flooded limestone plains, such as the Florida Everglades or the mangrove swamps of Belize and Quintana Roo, in Mexico. These communities are composed by dwarf trees of red mangrove (<i>Rhizophora mangle</i>) accompanied by a characteristic community with golden ferns (<i>Acrostichum aureum</i>) and the myrmecophilous orchid <i>Schomburgkia tibicinis</i>.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:40437-{790482EC-1745-42E5-BBC4-743F91B06799}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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