Synergetic Roles of Mangrove Vegetation on Sediment Accretion in Coastal Mangrove Plantations in Central Thailand

Abstract

Mangrove plantations can potentially restore the vegetation structures protecting coastal areas. In Avicennia alba plantations in central Thailand, we investigated the vegetation structures (trees, seedlings, pneumatophores, and belowground roots), sedimentation rates, and elevation changes over one year across the shore. The results showed a heterogeneous vegetation structure with an increasing tree basal area (BA) and seedling density towards the interior. The pneumatophore quantitative characteristics decreased towards the interior in association with the topographic gradient and inundation period. The sedimentation rates, which were greater in the plantation than on the mudflat, showed a negative correlation with the height, total surface area, and total volume of the pneumatophores. This indicates that the pneumatophores facilitated the transportation of fine sediments into the interior. Our results suggest that an optimal complexity of the aboveground vegetation structure might enhance the sedimentation rates. According to the gradient of tree BA and seedling density, the fine root density increased towards the interior. The monthly elevation changes in the plantation showed less fluctuation than those on the mudflat. The net elevation changes indicated sediment accretion within the plantation and erosion on the mudflat. Our results demonstrate the synergetic roles of mangrove plantations in which the aboveground structures facilitate sediment redeposition and the belowground roots stabilize sediment accretion in coastal areas.