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Neotropical Mangrove Communities: A Review

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Handbook of Halophytes

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Abstract

Mangrove communities (“mangal,” sensu Tomlinson, P. B. The botany of mangroves. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1986) are ecosystems that develop in salt marshes, on fluvial mudflats, and along tropical coasts in several parts of the world. Plants that constitute these communities are well adapted to saline conditions and tolerate tidal ranges, two factors that largely determine their floristic composition. In this chapter we focus exclusively on American mangrove communities and analyze in detail all the phytocoenoses described using phytosociological methodologies. Only a few plant species are characteristic of American mangrove communities; nonetheless, up to 33 mangrove plant associations embracing 5 orders, 9 alliances, and 3 phytosociological classes have been published, mostly from the Caribbean. This review provides clear evidence of the existence of homonyms between associations and superior syntaxonomic ranks and of how plant species that are not typical of these ecosystems but of the plant communities that border on mangroves are used as characteristic taxa to propose novel phytocoenoses.

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Acknowledgments

This study was made possible by a grant from AECID (proyecto A/4933/06). We are grateful to Alberto Veloz (Santo Domingo National Botanical Garden) for his valuable contribution to this project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Animal Biology, Plant Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Experimental Sciences, University of Jaén, Andalusia, Spain

    Antonio García-Fuentes, Juan Antonio Torres-Cordero, Luis Ruiz-Valenzuela & Carlos Salazar-Mendías

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  1. Antonio García-Fuentes
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  2. Juan Antonio Torres-Cordero
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  3. Luis Ruiz-Valenzuela
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  4. Carlos Salazar-Mendías
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Correspondence to Antonio García-Fuentes .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Biology, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, Iasi, Romania

    Marius-Nicusor Grigore

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    R. I. Lonard

Appendix I. Syntaxonomic scheme of the Communities Mentioned in the Text

Appendix I. Syntaxonomic scheme of the Communities Mentioned in the Text

1.1 Class Rhizophoretea mangle O. Bolòs, Cervi, and Hatschbach 1991

  • Order Rhizophoretalia mangle O. Bolòs, Cervi, and Hatschbach 1991

    • Alliance Rhizophorion mangle O. Bolòs, Cervi, and Hatschbach 1991

      1. 1.

        Association Rhizophoretum brevistylae Cuatrecasas 1958

      2. 2.

        Association Avicennio schauerianae-Rhizophoretum mangle O. Bolòs, Cervi, and Hatschbach 1991

      3. 3.

        Association Dalbergio-Rhizophoretum manglis Borhidi 1991

      4. 4.

        Association Lagunculario racemosae-Rhizophoretum mangle Peinado, Alcaraz, Delgadillo, De La Cruz, Álvarez, and Aguirre 1994

      5. 5.

        Association Pelliciero rhizophorae-Rhizophoretum manglis Cortés and Rangel 2011

    • Alliance Dalbergio-Rhizophorion manglis (Borhidi 1991) Cano, Cano-Ortiz, Veloz, Alatorre, and Otero 2012

      1. 6.

        Association Machaerio lunati-Rhizophoretum mangle Cano, Cano-Ortiz, and Veloz in Cano-Ortiz, Veloz, Alatorre, and Otero 2012

    • Alliance Fico dendrocidae-Rhizophorion manglis Cortés and Rangel 2011 (not included in any order)

      1. 7.

        Association Annono glabrae-Ficetum dendrocidae Cortés and Rangel 2011

      2. 8.

        Association Priorio copaiferae-Rhizophoretum manglis Cortés and Rangel 2011

  • Order Avicennietalia Cuatrecasas 1958

    • Alliance Avicennion occidentalis Cuatrecasas 1958 (=Lagunculario racemosae-Avicennion germinantis Peinado, Alcaraz, and Delgadillo 1995)

      1. 9.

        Association Batidi maritimae-Avicennietum germinantis Borhidi and del Risco in Borhidi 1991

      2. 10.

        Association Lagunculario racemosae-Avicennietum germinantis Peinado, Alcaraz, Delgadillo, De La Cruz, Álvarez, and Aguirre 1994

      3. 11.

        Association Batido-Avicennietum germinantis Peinado, Alcaraz, and Delgadillo 1995

      4. 12.

        Association Lagunculario racemosae-Avicennietum germinantis Reyes and Acosta 2003

      5. 13.

        Association Avicennietum germinantis Reyes and Acosta 2003

      6. 14.

        Association Avicennio germinantis-Rhizophoretum manglis Reyes and Acosta in Reyes 2006

      7. 15.

        Association Sarcocornio perennis-Avicennietum germinantis Martínez-Quesada 2014

    • Alliance Phyllantho elsiae-Laguncurion racemosae Cano, Cano-Ortiz, Veloz, Alatorre, and Otero 2012

      1. 16.

        Association Crataevo tapiae-Conocarpetum erectae Cano, Alatorre, and Otero in Cano, Cano-Ortiz, Veloz, Alatorre, and Otero 2012

      2. 17.

        Association Lonchocarpo sericei-Laguncularietum racemosae Cano, Alatorre, and Otero in Cano, Cano-Ortiz, Veloz, Alatorre, and Otero 2012

  • Order Combretalia Cuatrecasas 1958

    • Alliance Conocarpo-Laguncularion (Cuatrecasas 1958) Borhidi in Borhidi, Muñiz, and Del Risco 1979

      1. 18.

        Association Acrosticho-Conocarpetum erectae Borhidi and Del Risco in Borhidi 1991

      2. 19.

        Association Lagunculario racemosae-Conocarpetum erecti Peinado, Alcaraz, and Delgadillo 1995

      3. 20.

        Association Conocarpodetum erectae Reyes in Reyes and Acosta 2003

      4. 21.

        Association Laguncularietum racemosae Reyes in Reyes and Acosta 2007

      5. 22.

        Association Rhabdadenio biflorae-Laguncularietum racemosae Cano, Cano-Ortiz, and Veloz in Cano, Cano-Ortiz, Veloz, Alatorre, and Otero 2012

      6. 23.

        Association Sthalio monospermae-Laguncularietum racemosae Cano, Cano-Ortiz, and Veloz in Cano, Cano-Ortiz, Veloz, Alatorre, and Otero 2012

      7. 24.

        Association Lonchocarpo pycnifolii-Conocarpetum erectae Cano, Cano-Ortiz, and Veloz in Cano, Cano-Ortiz, Veloz, Alatorre, and Otero 2012

      8. 25.

        Association Sporobolo virginici-Conocarpodetum erecti Martínez-Quesada 2014

      9. 26.

        Association Batido-Conocarpodetum erecti Martínez-Quesada 2017

    • Alliance Bati maritimae-Conocarpodion erectae Reyes 2006

      1. 27.

        Association Distichli spicatae-Conocarpodetum erectae Reyes 2006

      2. 28.

        Association Lycio caroliniani-Conocarpodetum erectae Reyes 2006

1.2 Class Coccolobetea uviferae Del Risco and Borhidi in Borhidi 1996

  • Order Coccolobetalia uviferae Knapp ex Samek 1973

    • Alliance Coccolobion uviferae Samek 1973

      1. 29.

        Association Conocarpodo erectae-Coccolobetum uviferae Reyes in Reyes and Acosta 2003

1.3 Class Sesuvio-Rachicallietea Borhidi in Borhidi, Muñiz, and Del Risco (1979) 1983

  • Order Borrichio-Rhachicallietalia Borhidi in Borhidi, Muñiz, and Del Risco (1979) 1983

    • Alliance Rachicallido-Borrichion Samek 1973

      1. 30.

        Association Borrichio-Rachicalletum americanae Samek 1973

      2. 31.

        Association Conocarpo-Rachicallietum americanae Borhidi in Borhidi, Muñiz, and Del Risco 1983

      3. 32.

        Association Erithali-Strumpfietum Borhidi in Borhidi, Muñiz, and Del Risco 1983

      4. 33.

        Association Rachicallido americanae-Conocarpodetum erecti Martínez-Quesada 2014

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García-Fuentes, A., Torres-Cordero, J.A., Ruiz-Valenzuela, L., Salazar-Mendías, C. (2021). Neotropical Mangrove Communities: A Review. In: Grigore, MN. (eds) Handbook of Halophytes. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57635-6_68

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