Keywords
Rhizophora racemosa; invertebrados estuarinos; gremios alimenticios; reciclaje de nutrientes.
How to Cite
Abstract
Introduction: Litter decomposition in mangrove forest is a process in which organic matter produced as leaves in the trees is later transferred to the sediment. Several invertebrates participate in the fragmentation of leaves, and they might have a great impact in the later stages of decomposition of mangrove leaves.
Objective: The study aims to characterize mesofauna inhabiting leaf litter of Rhizophora racemosa, in the South Pacific of Costa Rica during the dry and rainy season.
Methods: Five pre-weighted litter bag samples were set out during each season. Each sample consisted of specimens adhered to the leaves after 0, 15, 30, 60, 90 and 120 days, from two sites in Térraba-Sierpe National Wetland. The samples were washed in a sieve (0.5 mm) and the organisms were separated and identified. Taxa were assigned to trophic groups to evaluate their influence in the decomposition of the leaves. Additionally, leaf detritus samples retained in the sieve were dried in an oven at 70 °C to calculate the remaining vegetal matter for each site and season.
Results: The most abundant taxa were: Bivalvia (26 %), Nematoda (19.45 %), Gastropoda (14.78 %), Nemertea (14.61 %), and Ostracoda (8.20 %). Based on the trophic classification of the mesofauna found, it is expected that most of them are indirect consumers of R. racemosa litter. Correlation analysis shows that, depending on the site and the season, the mass loss of leaf litter was greater with a greater mesofauna abundance. A combined influence of water salinity, temperature and dissolved oxygen explains 25 % of the changes observed in the mesofauna found in leaf litter samples throughout the sampling period.
Conclusions: Leaf litter decomposition process evidences the presence of an abundant and diverse mesofauna community. The abundance of this mesofauna seems to have a positive influence on the decomposition of the leaves. It is a vital issue to comprehend the role of mesofauna as potential consumers of mangrove leaf litter, in order to conservate biodiversity in this ecosystem.
References
Ashton, E. C., Hogarth, P. J., & Ormond, R. (1999). Breakdown of mangrove leaf litter in a managed mangrove forest in Peninsular Malaysia. Hydrobiologia, 413, 77–88. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1003842910811
Barrantes-Leiva, R. M., & Cerdas-Salas, A. (2015). Distribución espacial de las especies de mangle y su asociación con los tipos de sedimentos del sustrato, en el sector estuarino del Humedal Nacional Térraba-Sierpe, Costa Rica. Revista de Biología Tropical, 63(S1), 47–60. http://dx.doi.org/10.15517/rbt.v63i1.23094
Brusca, R., & Brusca, G. J. (2005). Invertebrados (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill Interamericana.
Castaño-Meneses, G., Palacios-Vargas, J., & Cutz-Pool, L. (2004). Feeding habits of Collembola and their ecological niche. Anales del Instituto de Biología de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Serie Zoología, 75, 135–142.
Clarke, K. R., & Warwick, R. M. (1994). Change in Marine Communities: An Approach to Statistical Analysis and Interpretation. Natural Environment Research Council.
D'Croz, L., Del Rosario, J., & Holness, R. (1989). Degradation of red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) leaves in the Bay of Panamá. Revista de Biología Tropical, 37(1), 101–104.
de León-González, J. A. (2009). Nereididae Lamark, 1818. In J. A. de León-González, J. R. Bastida-Zavala, L. F. Carrera-Parra, M. E. García-Garza, A. Peña-Rivera, S. I. Salazar-Vallejo, & S. Solís-Weiss (Eds.), Poliquetos (Annelida: Polychaeta) de México y América Tropical (pp. 325–354). Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León.
de Oliveira, A. B., Rizzo, A. E., da Conceição, E., & Couto, G. (2011). Benthic macrofauna associated with decomposition of leaves in a mangrove forest in Ilhéus, State of Bahía, Brazil. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 92, 1479–1487. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0025315411001482
Dewiyanti, I. (2010). Litter decomposition of Rhizophora stylosa in Sabang-Weh Island, Aceh, Indonesia; evidence from mass loss and nutrients. Biodiversitas, 11(3), 139–144. https://doi.org/10.13057/biodiv/d110307
Díaz-Navarro, L. (1993). Producción y descomposición de hojarasca de la especie multifloreada Rhizophora (Rhizophoraceae), en el Estero de Morales, Golfo de Nicoya, Costa Rica [Tesis de maestría no publicada]. Universidad de Costa Rica.
Dittmann, S. (2001). Abundance and distribution of small infauna in mangroves of Missionary Bay, North Queensland, Australia. Revista de Biología Tropical, 49(2), 535–544.
Galeano, E., Mancera, J. E., & Medina, J. H. (2010). Efecto del sustrato sobre la descomposición de hojarasca en tres especies de mangle en la Reserva de Biosfera Seaflower, Caribe Colombiano. Caldasia, 32(2), 2–7.
Giere, O. (1993). Meiobenthology: The microscopic motile fauna of aquatic sediments. Springer-Verlag.
Glockner-Fagetti A. (2009). Chaetopteridae, Audouin & Milne-Edwards 1833. In J. A. de León-González, J. R. Bastida-Zavala, L. F. Carrera-Parra, M. E. García-Garza, A. Peña-Rivera, S. I. Salazar-Vallejo, & S. Solís-Weiss (Eds.), Poliquetos (Annelida: Polychaeta) de México y América Tropical (pp. 115–122). Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León.
Glockner-Fagetti, A., & Egremi-Valdez, A. (2009). Phyllodocidae Örsted, 1843. In J. A. de León-González, J. R. Bastida-Zavala, L. F. Carrera-Parra, M. E. García-Garza, A. Peña-Rivera, S. I. Salazar-Vallejo, & S. Solís-Weiss (Eds.), Poliquetos (Annelida: Polychaeta) de México y América Tropical (pp. 409–424). Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León.
Gray, J., & Elliott, M. (2009). Ecology of marine sediments: from science to management (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
Gladstone‐Gallagher, R. V. (2012). Production and decay of mangrove (Avicennia marina subsp. australasica) detritus and its effects on coastal benthic communities [Unpublished master’s thesis]. Waikato University.
Hernández-Alcántara, P., & Solís-Weiss, V. (2009). Ampharetidae, Malmgren, 1986. In J. A. de León-González, J. R. Bastida-Zavala, L. F. Carrera-Parra, M. E. García-Garza, A. Peña-Rivera, S. I. Salazar-Vallejo, & S. Solís-Weiss (Eds.), Poliquetos (Annelida: Polychaeta) de México y América Tropical (pp. 57–76). Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León.
Hogarth, P. (2007). The Biology of Mangroves and Seagrasses. Universidad de Oxford.
Instituto Meteorológico Nacional. (2014). Datos de precipitación y temperatura ambiental para el año 2013 en la estación de Palmar Norte. Instituto Metereológico Nacional, Costa Rica.
Islam, M. A., Billah, M. M., Idris, M. H., Hussin, W. M. R. W., Bhuiyan, M. K. A., Sukeri, M. S. B. M., & Kamal, A. H. M. (2024). Microbiota and soil fauna mediate litter decomposition and associated carbon and nitrogen dynamics in mangrove blue carbon ecosystems: Insights from a coastal lagoon in Malaysia. Hydrobiologia, 851(10), 2469-2486. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-024-05470-0
Jiménez, J. A. (1988). The dynamics of Rhizophora racemosa Meyer, forests on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Brenesia, 30, 1–12.
Jiménez, J. (1994). Los manglares del Pacífico Centroamericano. EFUNA.
Jiménez, J. A. (1999). Ambiente, distribución y características estructurales de los manglares del Pacífico de Centro América: contrastes climáticos. In A. Yáñez-Arancibia., & A. L. Lara-Domínguez (Eds.), Ecosistemas de Manglar en América Tropical (pp. 51–70). Instituto de Ecología, A.C. Xalapa, México; UICN/ORMA Costa Rica; NOAA/NMFS Silver Spring MO USA.
Kathiresan, K., & Bingham, B. L. (2001). Biology of mangroves and mangrove ecosystems. Advances in Marine Biology, 40, 81–251. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2881(01)40003-4
Kulal, A., Sridhar, K., Seetharam, R., & Baerlocher, F. (2008). Breakdown of fresh and dried Rhizophora mucronata leaves in a mangrove of Southwest India. Wetlands Ecology and Management, 16, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-007-9041-y
Lacerda, L. D. (2002). Mangrove ecosystems: function and management. Springer.
López, E., Cladera, P., San Martín, G., Laborda, A., & Aguado, M. T. (2002). Polychaete assemblages inhabiting intertidal soft bottoms associated with mangrove systems in Coiba National Park (East Pacific, Panama). Wetlands Ecology and Management, 10, 233–242. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020179830880
Loría-Naranjo, M., Sibaja-Cordero, J. A., & Cortés, J. (2018). Mangrove leaf litter decomposition in a seasonal tropical environment. Journal of Coastal Research, 35(1), 122–129. https://doi.org/10.2112/JCOASTRES-D-17-00095.1
Lugo, A. E., & Snedaker, S. C. (1974). The ecology of mangroves. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 5, 39–64. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.es.05.110174.000351
Maggenti, M. A., & Maggenti, A. R. (2005). Dictionary of Invertebrate Zoology. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/zeabook/61/
Matheri, F., Ongeso, N., Bautze, D., Runo, S., Mwangi, M., Kambura, A., Karanja, E., Tanga, C., & Kiboi, M. (2024). The Overlooked Decomposers: Effects of Composting Materials and Duration on the Mesofauna Mediating Humification. Sustainability, 16(15), 6534. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16156534
Melo, K., Tangliaro, C. H., & Beasley, C. R. (2013). Seasonal changes in the subtidal benthic macrofauna of a mangrove coast. Journal of Coastal Research, 65(10065), 87–92. https://doi.org/10.2112/SI65-016.1
Moens, T., & Vincx, M. (1997). Observations on the feeding ecology of estuarine nematodes. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 77(1), 211–227. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0025315400033889
Nagelkerken, I., Blaber, S. J. M., Bouillon, S., Green, P., Haywood, M., Kirton, L. G., Meynecke, J.-O., Pawlik, J., Penrose, H. M., Sasekumar, A., & Somerfield, P. J. (2008). The habitat function of mangroves for terrestrial and marine fauna: A review. Aquatic Botany, 89(2), 155–185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquabot.2007.12.007
Palit, K., Rath, S., Chatterjee, S., & Das, S. (2022). Microbial diversity and ecological interactions of microorganisms in the mangrove ecosystem: Threats, vulnerability, and adaptations. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 29(22), 32467-32512. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19048-7
Picado, J. (2016). Distribución espacial y temporal de la salinidad en la columna de agua del sector estuarino del Humedal Nacional Térraba Sierpe, Costa Rica. Revista de Biología Tropical, 75-96. https://doi.org/10.15517/rbt.v63i1.23097
Powers, J., Montgomery, R., Adair, C., Brearley, F., DeWalt, S., Castanho, C., Chave, J., Deinert, E., Ganzhorn, J., Gilbert, M., González-Iturbe, J. A., Bunyavejchewin, S., Grau, R., Harms, K., Hiremath, A., Iriarte-Vivar, S., Manzane, E., de Oliveira, A., Pooters, L., … Lerdau, M. (2009). Decomposition in tropical forests: A pan-tropical study of the effects of litter type, litter placement and mesofaunal exclusion across a precipitation gradient. Journal of Ecology, 97(4), 801–811. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2745.2009.01515.x
Quesada-Alpízar, M. A., Cortés, J., Alvarado, J. J., & Fonseca, A. C. (2006). Características hidrográficas y biológicas de la zona marino-costera del área de conservación Osa [Reporte técnico]. Serie Técnica: apoyando los esfuerzos en el manejo y protección de la biodiversidad tropical [Número 2]. The Nature Conservancy, San José, Costa Rica.
Rincón, J., & Covich, A. (2014). Effects of insect and decapod exclusion and leaf litter species identity on breakdown rates in a tropical headwater stream. Revista Biología Tropical, 62(S2), 143–154. https://doi.org/10.15517/rbt.v62i0.15784
Roberts, M. J., Long, S. P., Tieszen, L. L., & Beadle, C. L. (1987). Measurement of plant biomass and net primary production. In J. Coombs & D. Hall (Eds.), Techniques in Bioproductivity and Photosynthesis (pp. 1–19). Pergamon Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-031999-5.50011-X
Roldán, G. (1988). Guía para el estudio de los macroinvertebrados acuáticos del Departamento de Antioquia. Fondo FEN Colombia/Colciencias/Universidad de Antioquia.
Salazar-Vallejo, S., & Rizzo, A. (2009). Pilargidae de Saint-Joseph, 1899. In J. A. de León-González, J. R. Bastida-Zavala, L. F. Carrera-Parra, M. E. García-Garza, A. Peña-Rivera, S. I. Salazar-Vallejo, & S. Solís-Weiss (Eds.), Poliquetos (Annelida: Polychaeta) de México y América Tropical (pp. 425–440). Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León.
Sánchez-Monge, A., & Cortés, J. (2024). Marine nematodes of Costa Rica: State of the art. Neotropical Biology and Conservation, 19(2), 319–331. https://doi.org/10.3897/neotropical.19.e115345
Sarkar, S. K., Bhattacharya, A., Giri, S., Bhattacharya, B., Sarkar, D., Nayak, D., & Chattopadhaya, A. (2005). Spatiotemporal variation in benthic polychaetes (Annelida) and relationships with environmental variables in a tropical estuary. Wetlands Ecology and Management, 13, 55–67. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-003-5067-y
Selviani, S., Zamani, N. P., Natih, N. M. N., & Tarigan, N. (2024). Analysis of Mangrove Leaf Litter Decomposition Rate in Mangrove Ecosystem of Muara Pagatan, South Kalimantan. Jurnal Kelautan Tropis, 27(1), 103–112. https://doi.org/10.14710/jkt.v27i1.21913
Singh, V. P., Garge, A., & Mall, L. P. (1993). Study of biomass, litter fall and litter decomposition in managed and unmanaged mangrove forests of Adaman Islands. In H. Lieth & A. Al Masoom (Eds.), Towards the Rational Use of High Salinity Tolerant Plants (pp. 149–154). Kluwer Academic Publisher. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1858-3_15
Silva-Benavides, A. M. (2009). Mangroves. In I. S. Wehrtmann & J. Cortés (Eds.), Marine Biodiversity of Costa Rica, Central America (pp. 73–78). Springer.
Swift, M. J., Heal, O. W., & Anderson, J. M. (1979). Decomposition in Terrestrial Ecosystems. University of California Press.
Torres-Pratts, H., & Schizas, N. V. (2007). Meiofaunal colonization of decaying leaves of the red mangrove Rhizophora mangle, in southwestern Puerto Rico. Caribbean Journal Science, 43, 127–137. https://doi.org/10.18475/cjos.v43i1.a12
Treplin, M., & Zimmer, M. (2012). Drowned or dry: A cross-habitat comparison of detrital breakdown processes. Ecosystems, 15, 477–491. https://doi.org/10.1007/s1002 1-012-9523-5
Twilley, R. R., & Day, J. W. (1999). The productivity and nutrient cycling of mangrove ecosystem. In A. Yáñez-Arancibia & A. L. Lara-Domínguez (Eds.), Ecosistemas de manglar en América Tropical (pp. 127–152). Instituto de Ecología, A.C. México, UICN/ORMA, Costa Rica. NOAA/NMFS Silver Spring MD, USA.
Vargas, J. A. (1987). The benthic community of an intertidal mud flat in the Gulf of Nicoya, Costa Rica. Description of the community. Revista Biología Tropical, 35(2), 299–316.
Vereycken, J. E., & Aldridge, D. C. (2023). Bivalve molluscs as biosensors of water quality: state of the art and future directions. Hydrobiologia, 850, 231–256. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-022-05057-7
Vinh, T. V., Allenbach, M., Linh, K. T. V., & Marchand, C. (2020). Changes in Leaf Litter Quality During Its Decomposition in a Tropical Planted Mangrove Forest (Can Gio, Vietnam). Frontiers in Environmental Science, 8, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2020.00010
Wang, S., Jin, B., Qin, H., Sheng, Q., & Wu, J. (2015). Trophic dynamics of filter feeding bivalves in the Yangtze Estuarine Intertidal Marsh: Stable isotope and fatty acid analyses. PLoS ONE, 10(8), e0135604. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0135604
Windevoxhel-Lora, N. J. (1998). Un plan para el manejo sostenido del humedal de Sierpe-Térraba. San José, Costa Rica: PROARCA/Costas.
Xiping, Z., Lizhe, C., & Sujing, F. (2015). Comparison of meiofaunal abundance in two mangrove wetlands in Tong’an Bay, Xiamen, China. Journal of Ocean University of China, 14(5), 816–822. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-015-2642-9
##plugins.facebook.comentarios##
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.