Due to its rapid growth, the introduced mangrove species
Sonneratia apetala from Bangladesh has been widely used in mangrove restoration in southeastern China since 1985. As an indigenous mangrove species in Hainan, China,
Sonneratia caseolaris was also planted in Guangdong Province for afforestation purposes. Both species have developed well in their new habitats, but their ecophysiological differences with the native mangrove species have not been studied. In this study, leaf gas exchange, water and nitrogen use efficiencies of two
Sonneratia species were compared with those of selected native mangrove species (
Avicennia marina, Aegiceras corniculatum, Kandelia candel, and
Excoecaria agallocha) in Hainan and Shenzhen. The introduced
S. apetala maintained lower carbon assimilation rate (
A) and photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency (PNUE) than the indigenous
S. caseolaris. In Shenzhen, the two introduced
Sonneratia had comparable photosynthetic rates and water use efficiency (WUE) with the native mangrove species, except that PNUE in
S. caseolaris was significantly higher than in the native mangrove species. The two
Sonneratia species showed significant overlap in PNUE and long-term WUE. Photosynthetic parameters derived from leaf photosynthetic light–response curves and
A–
Ci curves also suggested lower carbon assimilation capacities for the introduced
Sonneratia than for the native mangrove species in both study sites. The lower light compensation point (LCP) of two introduced
Sonneratia in both study sites also indicated a better adaptation to a low light regime than the native mangrove species. The results of photosynthetic capacities indicated that the introduced mangrove species have little competitive advantage over local native mangrove species in their respective new habitats.
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