Hurricane Damage and Regeneration in Fringe Mangrove Forests of Southeast Florida, USA

Hurricane damage was surveyed at two sites in mangrove forests fringing Biscayne Bay in south Florida that were hit by Hurricane Andrew on 24 August 1992. Two sites not impacted by Andrew and last hit by a major hurricane in 1965 were also surveyed. Avicennia germinans (L.) Stearn (black mangrove),...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of coastal research 1995-04, p.169-183
Main Authors: Baldwin, Andrew H., Platt, William J., Gathen, Kari L., Lessmann, Jeannine M., Rauch, Thomas J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Azimuth
Canals
Forest regeneration
Hurricanes
Keys
Mangrove forests
Mortality
Seedlings
Storm damage
Tree trunks
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Summary:Hurricane damage was surveyed at two sites in mangrove forests fringing Biscayne Bay in south Florida that were hit by Hurricane Andrew on 24 August 1992. Two sites not impacted by Andrew and last hit by a major hurricane in 1965 were also surveyed. Avicennia germinans (L.) Stearn (black mangrove), Laguncularia racemosa Gaertn.f. (white mangrove), and Rhizophora mangle L. (red mangrove) were found to differ in their susceptibility to hurricane-related damage and mortality and in their mechanism of regeneration following hurricanes. The highest mortality associated with Hurricane Andrew was observed in R. mangle (85.1%); mortality was lower in A. germinans (65.0%) and L. racemosa (59.5%), values nonetheless much higher than tree mortality rates in other communities in south Florida. The ability to resprout epicormically in A. germinans and L. racemosa following the hurricane is probably the primary reason for their higher survival; epicormic sprouts were not observed in R. mangle. Despite its higher mortality, R. mangle sustained proportionally less severe structural damage than A. germinans and L. racemosa. Reestablishment of the population of R. mangle is occurring primarily through seedling recruitment, while regeneration of A. germinans and L. racemosa is primarily via epicormic sprouting. At the two sites not impacted by Hurricane Andrew, patterns of regeneration similar to those observed following Hurricane Andrew appear to have occurred following Hurricane Betsy in 1965.
ISSN:0749-0208
1551-5036