Litter dynamics and forest structure of the introduced Sonneratia caseolaris mangrove forest in Shenzhen, China

For the purpose of mangrove restoration in China, Sonneratia caseolaris has been introduced and planted in Guangdong Province outside and north of its native habitat, Hainan Province. We monitored the litter fall and forest structure of this S. caseolaris forest in Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province, China, from 1996 to 2005. The annual fluctuation in litter fall increased with increases in air temperature from spring to early summer, and reached a maximum in autumn when the fruits matured. The total litter fall was significantly affected by air temperature, day length, and evaporation, rainfall in the previous month and by typhoons. In 1998, the sixth year after cultivation, the total litter production of the mature S. caseolaris forest significantly increased. The mean annual total litter production during 1998–2005 was 15.1 t ha−1 yr−1, among which, leaves and reproductive materials contributed more than 80% of the total. During the ten years of study, the DBH (diameter at 1.30 m from ground level) and tree height of S. caseolaris increased from 5.2 cm to 18.3 cm, and from 4.5 m to 13.4 m, respectively. The litter fall production was strongly correlated with forest structure parameters, such as DBH, tree height, and crown area. The R value (the ratio of the maximum total litter fall to the minimum in the same community during the investigation periods) of S. caseolaris in the present study was 1.98, indicating a low annual variation of litter fall during these ten years.