Structure and dynamic succession on mangrove communities from Techeng Island, Zhanjiang, Guangdong, China

In this paper,the mangrove communities of TeCheng Island in Zhanjiang city,Guangdong Province are investigated comprehensively.The mangrove forest is surveyed with a Lattice-like approach,from which importance and diversity are analyzed.The characteristics of vegetation and succession dynamics are discussed,with the following findings presented: ① The typical communities include three types,i.e.Avicennia marina community,Avicennia marina + Rhizophora stylosa community and Avicennia marina + Aegiceras corniculatum community;additionally,other smaller communities include Avicennia marina + Rhizophora stylosa-Bruguiera gymnorrhiza + Aegiceras corniculatum and Rhizophora stylosa + Bruguiera gymnorrhiza.② Within the three primary communities,the age-structures of the dominant species all belong to the declining-type.③The ordering of the Simpson index within the different communities is found to be: Avicennia marina + Rhizophora stylosa Rhizophora stylosa + Bruguiera gymnorrhiza Avicennia marina + Rhizophora stylosa-Bruguiera gymnorrhiza + Aegiceras corniculatum Avicennia marina + Aegiceras corniculatum Avicennia marina;the importance value of the Avicennia marina community is found to reach 300,making it a prototypical uni-dominant-species community.④The area of the Avicennia marina community on TeCheng Island is found to be the largest in China,owing to the absence of plant diseases and insect pests.However,as Avicennia marina is nearly incapable of growing in the exterior margins of the vegetation,it is very important to protect this community.In addition,the physiological and ecological characteristics of this community are worthy of further study.