Relationship of litterfall anomalies with climatic anomalies in a mangrove swamp of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

Abstract

Among the set of phenological traits featuring mangrove ecosystems, litterfall production stands out with marked intra-annual and longer-term variation. Furthermore, mangrove forests resilience is one of the most important ecological attribute, reconciling the juxtaposed terrestrial and marine environment such transitional systems occupy. However, world’s mangroves are nowadays facing recurrent climatic events, reflected in anomalies depicted by major drivers, including temperature and precipitation. This physical-environmental setting may either constrain or favor overall forest productivity. A combination of time series analysis (spectral density and cross-correlation techniques) and statistical model fitting (General additive model) was implemented to explore trends in total litterfall of a well-developed mangrove forest in southeastern Gulf of Mexico (Celestun Lagoon, SE Mexico) and potential association with the varying behavior of temperature (°C) and precipitation (mm month-1), highlighting their anomalies. The results are consistent with a synchronous response between litterfall production and climatic variables (mean monthly temperature and total monthly precipitation). Concurrent peak litterfall production in Celestun lagoon with high temperatures and precipitation occurred during June and October, featuring a two-month time lag for the response time. More than half of the litterfall anomalies (53.5%) could be reflecting either multiple sources of climatic anomalies (maximum, minimum, and monthly average temperature and monthly total precipitation) or single point events (cyclone landfall). This relationship dynamics showed an interannual persistence (1999–2010). The structure portrayed by the litterfall time-series was not unequivocally related to climatic anomalies. Arguably, climatic anomalies behave with different intensities and even may exhibit complex interactions among them. The study of anomalies provides a baseline for a better grasp of: i) mangrove anomalies responses and ii) their vulnerability to these extremes.