A model of seasonal foliage dynamics of the subtropical mangrove species Rhizophora stylosa Griff. growing at the northern limit of its distribution

Abstract

Background: Progress of forest production in response to the environment requires a quantitative understanding of leaf area development. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the dynamics of seasonal crown foliage in order to understand the productivity of mangroves, which play an important role in the subtropical and tropical coastlines of the world. Method: Crown foliage dynamics of the mangrove Rhizophora stylosa were studies to reveal patterns of leaf recruitment, survival and seasonal leaf area growth. Results: Flushing of leaves occurred throughout the year, but both flushing and leaf area growth pattern of leaves varied with season. Maximum flushing occurred in summer, but leaf areas did not differ significantly with season. The half-expansion period is longer, and the intrinsic rate of increase was lower in winter. Summer flushed leaves grew faster at their initial stage and reached their maximum area over a shorter period of time. The difference in temperature and air vapor pressure deficit (VPD) between summer and winter contributed to the present dynamics of foliage patterns. The mean leaf longevity was estimated to be 13.1 month. The crown foliage area was almost stable throughout the year. Conclusions: Homeostatic control of the crown foliage area may be accompanied by the existence of ecophysiological mechanisms in R. stylosa. Integrating crown foliage dynamics into forest models represents an important step towards incorporating physiological mechanisms into the models for predicting growth responses to environmental changes and for understanding the complex responses of tree growth and litter production.

Litterfall release, vegetative, and reproductive phenology investigation of Heritiera fomes Buch-Ham in the Sundarbans mangrove forests, Bangladesh: relationship with environmental variables

“…In general, evergreen mangrove species flash maximum leaves in summer and rainy season than those in winter (Leach and Burgin 1985;Reich et al 1991;Sharma et al 2014). R. stylosa flushed leaves 38.1% in summer of the annual total, whereas only 15.8% flushed in winter (Sharma et al 2014). Similar results were also reported by Kamruzzaman et al (2019) in Bruguiera sexangula, Allen and Duke (2006) in B. gymnorrhiza, Duke et al (1984) in Rhizophora apiculata, R. stylosa and B. gymnorrhiza.…”

“…Leaf and stipule litterfall of this were maximum in summer and rainy season and minimum in dry season. Seasonal patterns of leaf recruitment are highly correlated with those of stipule litterfall (Sharma et al 2014). The balance between leaf fall and leaf gain is important in the maintenance of crown foliage dynamics, which regulate the primary productivity of the forests (Reich et al 1991).…”

“…The balance between leaf fall and leaf gain is important in the maintenance of crown foliage dynamics, which regulate the primary productivity of the forests (Reich et al 1991). In general, evergreen mangrove species flash maximum leaves in summer and rainy season than those in winter (Leach and Burgin 1985;Reich et al 1991;Sharma et al 2014). R. stylosa flushed leaves 38.1% in summer of the annual total, whereas only 15.8% flushed in winter (Sharma et al 2014).…”

Remote sensing of mangrove forest phenology and its environmental drivers

“…The time to fully develop leaf anatomy and photosynthetic pigments depends on the species and the time of the year that leaves are born. Soto (1988), reported that new leaves of A. germinans reached their maximum size at between 4 to 6 months, whereas leaves from the genus Rhizophora reached their maximum mass, area and chlorophyll concentration in 3 to 4 months (Wang and Lin, 1999;Mehlig, 2001;Sharma et al, 2014).…”

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