An Assessment of the Status of Biodiversity in the ... - IUCN
An Assessment of the Status of Biodiversity in the ... - IUCN
An Assessment of the Status of Biodiversity in the ... - IUCN
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plots, while Excoecaria agallocha and Rhizophora apiculata occurred <strong>in</strong> high abundance <strong>in</strong><strong>the</strong> proximal plots, <strong>in</strong>dicat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>ir preference for high sal<strong>in</strong>ity. O<strong>the</strong>r true Mangrove speciesdid not show such a zonation. The width <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> mangrove strip along <strong>the</strong> ma<strong>in</strong>land area wasgenerally wider, compared to that <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> islands. The relatively narrow strip <strong>of</strong> mangrove <strong>in</strong>islands could be attributed to <strong>the</strong> steep gradient <strong>of</strong> islands, and <strong>the</strong> resultant low tidalamplitude.Table 3Wetland and terrestrial vegetation types, <strong>the</strong>ir major plant communities and extent <strong>in</strong><strong>the</strong> islands and ma<strong>in</strong>land area <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Maduganga estuaryWetland Vegetation Type Plant community Extent (ha)1. Mangroves Rhizophora-Bruguiera-Sonneratia 612. Mangrove scrubs Excoecaria-Lumnitzera-Clerodendrum 203. Mangrove mixed swamps Rhizophora-Dolichandrone-Hibiscus 634. Bank scrubs Hibiscus-Pandanus-Derris 105. Tall shrub swamps <strong>An</strong>nona glabra assemblage 26. Palm swamps Nypa fruticans assemblage 0.57. Tall sedge brackish marshes Typha angustifolia assemblage 18. Dwarf sedge brackish marshes Cyperus- Eleaocharis- Xyris 199. Gram<strong>in</strong>ious bogs Ischaemum-Panicum-Cyperus 2310.Lentic macrophytes Nymphaea-Salv<strong>in</strong>ia-Utricularia 0.2Terrestrial Vegetation Type Plant community Extent (ha)1. Remnant lowland ra<strong>in</strong>forest Alstonia-Artocarpus-Wormia-Dillenia 5 -82. Multi-species home gardens Cocos-Artocarpus-Mangifera 20-253. Perennial crops C<strong>in</strong>namomum; Cocos; Hevea 190 - 200It is <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g to note that among <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>digenous non-mangrove woody plants documented,12 species (<strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g 5 endemics) were restricted to <strong>the</strong> plots surveyed <strong>in</strong> islands <strong>of</strong>Maduganga. These <strong>in</strong>cluded Mesua ferrea (Clusiaceae), Dillenia retusa (Dilleniaceae),Schefflera stellata (Araliaceae), Cleistanthus pallidus (Euphorbiaceae), Chionanthusalbidiflorus (Oleaceae), <strong>An</strong>tidesma pyrifolium (Euphorbiaceae), Apama siliquosa(Aristolochiaceae), Myristica dactyloides (Myristicaceae), Olax zeylanica (Olacaceae),Ziziphus oenoplea (Rhamnaceae), Gardenia latifolia (Rubiaceae), and Symplocoscoch<strong>in</strong>ch<strong>in</strong>ensis (Symplocaceae). Most <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se species prefer undisturbed habitats.9
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