Retrospective estimates of net leaf production in Kandelia candel mangroveforests

A new, inexpensive, and time-saving method for the estimation of the net pr oduction of leaves and reproductive structures of mangroves was applied to 2 Vietnamese stands of Kandelia candel. The method combines the allometric relationship between the number of meristems in trees and their diameter wi th knowledge of the number of leaf pairs and reproductive structures each m eristem develops annually to calculate the net leaf and inflorescence produ ction of each tree in the stand. Each apical meristem of K. candel produced about 6 leaf pairs and 1.3 to 1.9 inflorescences annually, with the number of meristems in each tree increasing to the square of their girth. The siz e distribution of K. candel was highly skewed at all sites, with an exponen tial decline in the number of plants as the size increased. The net leaf pr oduction (dry wt), calculated by scaling the production per meristem to tha t of individual trees and then to the entire stand, ranged from 176.5 to 13 38.7 g m(-2) yr(-1) among stands, with an estimated total inflorescence pro duction ranging from 0.91 to 101 g m(-2) yr(-1). The largest individuals, c omprising 10% of the population, contributed the majority of the stand prod uction. The approach demonstrated overcomes serious deficiencies in the tra ditional litter-fall method, particularly when applied to developing mangro ve stands, and should be applicable to other mangrove species as long as th ey display clear nodes, leaf, flower and fruit scars, as do other members o f the Rhizophoraceae family.