A critical review on mathematical descriptions to study flux processes and environmental-related interactions of mangroves

Abstract

Trees are resources that provide multiple benefits, such as the conservation of fauna, both terrestrial and marine, a source of food and raw material, and offering protection in storms, which makes it practical to understand their behavior against different phenomena. Such understanding may be possible through process modeling. Studies confirm that mangrove forests can store more carbon than other forests, influencing the fight against global warming. Thus, a critical and systematic review was carried out regarding studies focusing on mangroves to collect information on the models that have been applied and the most influential variables highlighted by other authors. Applying a systematic search for the most relevant topics related to mangroves (basic as well as recent information), it is possible to group models and methods carried out by other authors to respond to certain behaviors presented by mangroves. Moreover, possible structuring of a mathematical model applied to a species of interest thanks to the analyzed references could provide justified information to the authorities on the importance of these forests and the benefits of their preservation and regeneration-recovery.