Carbon Sequestration of Mangrove Sediments on Eleuthera, The Bahamas

Pedram P. Daneshgar; Toniann D. Keiling; Taylor D. Rodenberg

Abundance and Distribution of Brevipalpus (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) in the Residential Rio Piedras Watershed of San Juan’s Metropolitan Area of Puerto Rico

Toniann D. Keiling¹, Taylor D. Rodenberg¹, and Pedram P. Daneshgar¹^,*

¹Marine and Environmental Biology and Policy Program, Monmouth University, West Long Branch, NJ 07764, USA. *Corresponding author.

Caribbean Naturalist, No. 31 (2016)

Abstract
A growing body of evidence suggests that mangrove ecosystems may serve as strong sinks for storing atmospheric carbon in both mangrove biomass and in the sediments they trap. The quantity of sequestered carbon in Caribbean mangrove ecosystems has yet to be described. The purpose of this study was to determine carbon-storage estimates in mangrove sediments to compliment previous work on mangrove-biomass carbon storage in The Bahamas. We extracted sediment cores from 4 sites previously established on the island of Eleuthera, The Bahamas. We used a CN elemental analyzer to determine the carbon and nitrogen content of the sediment. We also used litterbags placed on or 10 cm below the soil surface to determine litter-decomposition rates of the sediments. Carbon content varied across sites (range = 13,945–54,853 g C/m²). The overall litter-decomposition rate was greater belowground than at the surface, although the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.054). Carbon storage may be correlated with site maturity and soil depth, with more-mature mangroves and deeper soils storing greater amounts of carbon. Further research should seek to identify the factors that influence carbon-sequestration rates in Caribbean mangroves and determine how climate change may affect carbon storage by mangroves.

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