New Paper on Mangrove Encroachment and Decomposition Published in Ecosystems

Black mangrove shrubs in salt marsh (photo credit: Lorae' Simpson)

In a new paper in Ecosystems, Simpson and others compared aboveground decomposition rates of Avicennia germinans (black mangrove) and Spartina alterniflora (saltmarsh cordgrass) litter, as well as belowground decay of a standard substrate, in marsh-mangrove ecotone habitats along the Atlantic Coast of Florida. Results suggested that shifts in foundation species cover with mangrove encroachment may alter decomposition dynamics and nutrient cycling through changes in litter quality.