Manglares - Páginas de Investigación, UAM Iztapalapa

system in Laguna de Terminos (LT), Mexico. There were significant temporal patters oflitter fall in LT with the highest litter fall in the rainy season. Average litterfall rates werehigher during the rainy season (2.4 g m-2 d-1) than during the dry season (1.8 g m-2 d-1).Total annual litterfall was signifanctly higher in the riverine forest (1132 g m-2 yr-1) thanin the fringe and basin forests (953 g m-2 yr-1 and 526 g m-2 yr-1, respectively). Litterfallwas also significantly higher during the rainy season in the SE. The dwarf forest had thelowest annual litterfall (252 g m-2 yr-1), and fringe and basin had the highest (912 and 646g m-2 yr-1, respectively). In LT, there were significant difference in the annual averagelitter standing crops in the fringe and basin zones; 3.3 Mg ha-1 and 2.2 Mg ha-1,respectively. Turnover rates were significantly higher in the fringe mangrove forest (3.6 yr-1) relative to the basin forests (2.2 yr-1). There were significant differences in annual meanvalues of standing crop at SE: 1.9, 3.3, and 4.5 Mg ha-1 at dwarf, basin and fringemangrove sites, respectively. Turnover rates were significantly higher at both basin andfringe mangrove types (2.1 and 2.0 yr-1, respectively) than at the dwarf mangrove forest(1.3 yr-1). At LT, mean interstitial salinity was always lower in riverine (25 psu) and fringemangroves (50 psu) than in the basin mangrove (70 psu). Mean interstitial salinities at SEwere 12, 24, and 27 at the dwarf, fringe, and basin mangrove forests, respectively. Soilorganic matter at LT was highest in basin forest (19.1%) compared to fringe and riverinesites. Bulk density did not vary significantly among sites. Total nitrogen and % nitrogenwere higher at the basin site. The N:P ratio was higher at the EP basin site (51) compared tothe other sites which were close to the Redfield ratio. At SE, the dwart forest had thehighest soil organic matter, % nitrogen, and N:P ratio and the lowest bulk density and totalphosphorus compared the other sites.26