Scientists find surprising genetic differences between Brazil's mangroves

by Morgan Erickson-Davis on 21 June 2018

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Hugging tropical coastlines with masses of long, tangled branches and roots that stick up out of the mud at low tide, mangrove forests all have a similar look at first glance. But dig a little deeper into their genes and surprising differences pop up.

When researchers from institutions in Brazil did just that, they discovered that mangrove trees along the same coastline and of the same species were genetically distinct from each other. They think these differences likely arose because oceanic currents act as a barrier to mangrove tree seeds, effectively separating the two populations. In addition to genetic differences, some mangroves have physiological adaptations that make them better suited to their specific environments.

The researchers say their results, published in the journal Ecology and Evolution earlier this year, highlight the importance of enacting conservation plans that give a higher priority to the preservation of genetic diversity – an endeavor they say is becoming more and more critical for mangroves as they continue to disappear.

Compared to other kinds of forests, mangroves don’t cover a very large area, restricted to slim margins between land and sea in tropical areas of the world. But they provide crucial habitat for coastal wildlife, as well as important ecosystem services for human communities like flood control and maintenance of fishery stocks. Mangroves are also carbon storage powerhouses, pound-for-pound sequestering up to four times the carbon that rainforests can.



More:
https://news.mongabay.com/2018/06/scientists-find-surprising-genetic-differences-between-brazils-mangroves/