Mangrove Zonation Pattern at Puduvyppu in Kochi, Kerala, India

摘要

The mangrove forest of Puduvyppu located on the west cost of India (District Ernakulam, Kerala) was investigated with an objective to characterize the species distribution along the sea-land interface (from the seashore to 1200 m inwards). The phytosociological analysis showed a marked zonation pattern of species diversity and their distribution in this forest. The species diversity decreased from the sea-land interface towards the land whereas, the density and basal area of the predominant species increased. A phenomenon called "tidal sorting" caused zonal distribution of species and higher nutrient contents in the landward site compared with the seaward sites resulted in higher species density and basal area. Thus, the variations in the edaphic attributes and site specificity of the colonizing species is a unique character of this ecosystem. The ecorestoration activities at this site should, therefore, consider species distribution attributes, especially in deciding the most appropriate species for afforestation at a particular site; for example, Sonneratia caseolaris on the seaward side and Bruguiera cylindrica and Avicennia officinalis on the landward side.