Ecophysiology of mangroves

Conclusion Mangrove forests are of major ecological and commercial importance, yet the future of these resources is threatened by pollution, development and over-exploitation. There is an urgent need to develop sound management practices based on a functional understanding of the physical and biological processes underlying mangrove ecosystem dynamics. Such biological processes include dispersal (Rabinowitz 1978), herbivory (Smith 1987) and the physiological bases of species interactions and responses to environmental factors. Understanding these processes is essential for the development of more comprehensive and predictive modelling of mangrove ecosystem dynamics than has previously been possible.