Impact and response of southwest Florida mangroves to the 2004 hurricane season |
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Authors: | E C Milbrandt J M Greenawalt-Boswell P D Sokoloff S A Bortone |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Marine and Ecological Science, Florida Gulf Coast University, 10501 FGCU Blvd. South, Fort Myers, FL 33965, USA;(2) Marine Laboratory, Sanibel–Captiva Conservation Foundation, 900A Tarpon Bay Rd., Sanibel, FL 33957, USA |
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Abstract: | Although hurricane disturbance is a natural occurrence in mangrove forests, the effect of widespread human alterations on
the resiliency of estuarine habitats is unknown. The resiliency of mangrove forests in southwest Florida to the 2004 hurricane
season was evaluated by determining the immediate response of mangroves to a catastrophic hurricane in areas with restricted
and unrestricted tidal connections. The landfall of Hurricane Charley, a category 4 storm, left pronounced disturbances to
mangrove forests on southwest Florida barrier islands. A significant and negative relationship between canopy loss and distance
from the eyewall was observed. While a species-specific response to the hurricane was expected, no significant differences
were found among species in the size of severely impacted trees. In the region farthest from the eyewall, increases in canopy
density indicated that refoliation and recovery occurred relatively quickly. There were no increases or decreases in canopy
density in regions closer to the eyewall where there were complete losses of crown structures. In pre-hurricane surveys, plots
located in areas of management concern (i.e., restricted connection) had significantly lower stem diameter at breast height
and higher stem densities than plots with unrestricted connection. These differences partially dictated the severity of effect
from the hurricane. There were also significantly lower red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) seedling densities in plots with restricted connections. These observations suggest that delays in forest recovery are possible
in severely impacted areas if either the delivery of propagules or the production of seedlings is reduced by habitat fragmentation. |
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