Establishment and growth of mangrove seedling in mangrove forests of southern Thailand

The demography and growth of mangrove seedlings in southern Thailand were studied for an 18-month period. Plots for measurement of seedlings were established using gradients of light and surface soil texture. The number of established propagules peaked from April to August, the peak forRhizophora being earlier than that forBruguiera. Under the mangrove forest canopy, the survivorship of seedlings established during May to December 1982 was 33% in June 1983. Light conditions and soil texture did not strongly affect initial seedling establishment, and the relationship between species seed size and water depth at a particular site influenced that were able to become established there. The elongation growth was large during the rainy season and in open sites. The growth ofR. apiculata Blume,B. parviflora Wight & Arn. andB. cylindrica Blume in open sites was more than ten times that of seedlings established in the shade. It has noted that light conditions affected the growth of young trees (>1 year old) to a greater degree than that of current-year seedlings.