Mangrove peats of Belize, Central America /
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | , |
| Format: | Thesis Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
1988.
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | ProQuest, Abstract Link to OAKTrust copy |
| Abstract: | Variations in the ratio of aerial to subterranean organs (shoot/root ratio) preserved in ancient peats have been attributed to a number of ecological causes. Such paleoecological inferences are presently unreliable as the modern peats used for comparisons in these studies were formed by taxonomically-different swamp communities. The possible influence of plant habit on peat deposition was not considered. The shoot/root ratios of peat from taxonomically similar mangrove swamps of Belize, Central America, were investigated in the present study. Features of swamp ecology thought to have influenced the shoot/root ratios of ancient peats were also investigated. Precipitation regime, landform setting, tidal scour, salinity, water table height, community productivity, and in situ decomposition rates varied among the study sites, yet had no apparent influence on the universally shoot-poor nature of mangrove peats. Relatively high rates of decomposition, coupled to litter-excluding root mats formed by Rhizophora mangle, may account for the shoot poor nature of mangrove peats. Due to the rheotrophic nature of most mangrove swamps, mangrove peats are relatively high ash. This factor, in conjunction with the scarcity of shoot debris found in mangrove peats, limit the usefulness of mangrove swamps as modern analogues for ancient coal swamps. |
|---|---|
| Item Description: | Typescript (photocopy). Vita. "Major subject: Botany." |
| Physical Description: | vii, 80 leaves : illustrations ; 29 cm |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (leaves 63-75). |