C, N, P COMPOSITION OF SUSPENDED MATTER IN MATANG MANGROVE ESTUARY, MALAYSIA

Distribution of suspended matter and its chemical composition were inv estigated in the Sangga Besar River Estuary in Matang Mangrove Forest, Malaysia. The C, N contents were higher in the upper part of the rive r and decreased towards the river mouth. Phosphorus content was as hig h as 129 mu mol/g in the fresh water area, in which inorganic phosphor us accounted for about 70% of the total. Potentially bio-available pho sphorus extracted by the citrate-dithionite-bicarbonate procedure (CDB -P) was the major component of inorganic phosphorus. Phosphorus conten t in the suspended matter decreased linearly with salinity, reflecting the process of CDB-P release from suspended matter into the estuarine water during the transportation to the sea. The average C:N:P atomic ratio of the organic substances contained in the suspended matter in t he estuary was estimated to be 140:16:1, which is considerably differe nt from the ratios for mangrove litter and rather similar to the Redfi eld ratio, indicating the higher contribution of living microorganisms than that of the mangrove litter.