Mangroves in the northern parts of Sri Lanka has been understudied and often ignored by the ecologists due to several reasons. This paper contributes to the assessment of floristic diversity and ...community structure of mangrove forests in two sites in the Northern Province; Mandaitivu and Arali. Vegetation studies were undertaken with the use of 10m wide belt transect laid across the water-land gradient, within which, 5-7 quadrats were placed for floral identification (nMandaitivu = 67, nArali = 44). Subsurface water samples (n=57) from adjacent estuarine region were taken to assess environmental parameters. Ten true mangrove species of six families were identified altogether in both sites. Bruguiera cylindrica, Lumnitzera racemosa, Excoecaria agallocha and Avicennia marina showed higher niche width. Zonation exhibited Rhizophora in the fringing zone, Avicennia landward and the others in the mixed zone. Salinity in both areas were relatively high and showed a significantly positive correlation with mangrove abundance along with conductivity, tidal regime and pH. Despite of their important role in coastal dynamics, mangroves have been degraded due to anthropogenic activities, thus demanding actions for conservation in the future.
The paper gives a historical overview, and a summary of key findings from 70 previously published research papers giving scientific data over the years from 1980 to 2019. They concern the flora ...and/or fauna in the mangrove forests along the Sri Lankan coast, addressing diversity, taxonomy, distribution, and ecological interactions. A total of 28 mangrove floral species from 13 plant families have been reported so far. Similarly, faunal diversity studies have reported 99 invertebrates, dominated by Arthropoda (n = 55) and Mollusca (n = 26), and 214 vertebrates comprising Pisces (n = 112), Aves (n = 72), Reptilia (n = 13) and Amphibia (n = 2). Most studies have been concentrated on the Southwestern coast (nflora = 20, nfauna = 6). Negombo has been a hotspot for mangrove research, with a higher number of studies (nflora = 11, nfauna = 5). The majority of the mangrove studies were focused on mangrove floral diversity and taxonomy and were conducted over recent years (2010–2019). Scientific data on mangrove fauna is restricted to a certain geographical extent. This paper intends to identify the research gaps in the field of Sri Lankan mangroves regarding various aspects and suggests advancement in future studies. Overall, outputs from the present study would be helpful for upcoming researchers to focus more on filling the gaps in knowledge.
PDF
