TITLE Stable carbon isotope ratio and nutrient contents of the Kandelia candel mangrove populations of different growth forms
AUTHOR Wen-Yuan Kao
Institute of Botany, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China
Kuo-Wei Chang
Institute of Botany, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China
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ABSTRACT Kandelia candel (L.) Druce, the dominant mangrove species on the west coast of northern Taiwan, has three distinct growth forms. To elucidate whether the growth of the dwarf form of K. candel is related to nutrient and water availability, we analyzed nutrient contents (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na) and carbon isotope ratios (d13C) of leaves of four K. candel populations differing in canopy height. The objectives of the study were to investigate whether the dwarf K. candel populations have higher long-term water use efficiency and whether nutrient limitation is related to the growth of the dwarf form of mangrove plants. Leaves of dwarf mangrove populations had significantly higher d13C values (1_1.5‰ higher) and thus higher long-term integrated water use efficiency than the taller mangrove populations. N and P contents were significantly lower in leaves and soils of the dwarf mangrove populations than in those of medium height and tall mangrove populations. In contrast, no significant difference was found in K, Na, Ca and Mg contents among leaves of the four mangrove populations. It is proposed that water and nutrient availability, especially of nitrogen and phosphorus, limit the growth of K. candel.
KEYWORD Kandelia candel; Mangrove; Nitrogen content; Phosphorus content; Stable carbon isotope ratio; Water use efficiency;
ARTICLE INFO Botanical Bulletin of Academia Sinica, Volume 39 Number 1 January 1998, page 39-45, 7 pages
PUBLISHER Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China