麻豆淫院

An international team of researchers with a variety of backgrounds has worked together to calculate a global estimate of the abundance of commercially important fish and invertebrates supported by mangrove forests. In their study in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, the group analyzed data for 37 commercial species using field data amassed by multiple groups over many years studying mangrove ecosystems around the world.

Mangroves are trees that grow where the land meets the sea, easily identified as a type of tree with underwater roots. Most often, they are found in marshes or swamps. Prior research has shown that mangrove forests serve as home to huge numbers of marine creatures鈥攕ome of whom live among them and some who use their murky characteristics to hide their eggs or their young. In this new study, the researchers noted that there are no global estimates of the types and numbers of commercial species that live in mangrove forests and chose to conduct one themselves.

The researchers sought to make population estimates for 37 commercially important species in mangrove forests around the world and then add them all together to calculate a global estimate. Their work involved analysis of 481 field measurements covering mangrove forests for as many countries as possible鈥攚here little or no data was available, the team used what is known as the Delphi technique, where an expert consensus is reached.

Included in the analysis were 12 environmental variables such as salinity, tidal impact and extent of a mangrove area. The team also used worldwide geospatial layers which can be used to compare where mangrove forests are growing with the abundance of life they support.

The research team found mangrove forests support an annual abundance of approximately 700 billion young fish and invertebrates considered to be commercially relevant. They note that not all the species included in their count are consumed, but they all play a role in commercial fishing.

The team was also able to use the data to label mangrove forests around the globe, with labeling describing characteristics, such as species density. This allowed the team to more clearly see variations between forests, based on geography, human population density and fishing activities. The researchers also noted major differences between mangrove forests in river deltas versus those that grow along shorelines.

The team suggests maps and estimates such as theirs can help those in charge of managing or protecting mangrove forests make better decisions.

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