Andaman Islands (AI) of India is a biodiversity hotspot of mangroves but biogeochemical dynamics of AI is less understood. We collected sediment samples of four AI mangrove sites and one site without mangroves for nutrients and trace metal analysis. Samples were collected from each site at the inlet of seawater (Zone A) and the other 500m into the mangrove creek (Zone B). Nutrients (sulphate, ammonium, nitrite and nitrate) levels, organic matter (OM) and carbon content were higher at Zone B of mangrove ecosystem due to the higher OM content from mangrove leaf litter decomposition and microbial degradation. Metal (Pb &Cd) content of zones with and without mangroves were similar and Igeo values indicated moderate contamination of mangrove zones of AI due to lack of anthropogenic pollution. Our results suggest mangrove ecosystems of AI are uncontaminated from heavy metals and are source of nutrients to the oligotrophic coastal ecosystems of Andaman Sea.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.