This document proposes a research study on mangrove ecosystems that are under pressure from human activities. The study has three main goals: 1. Determine the impact of watershed land use on sediment accumulation and pollution levels in mangrove forests. 2. Compare sediment levels and carbon/nitrogen concentrations across mangrove forest patches to identify anthropogenic effects. 3. Assess human perceptions of ecosystem services provided by mangroves to understand how perceptions vary with gender, age, and social status. The proposed methodology includes collecting soil and litterfall samples to analyze sediment levels, C/N compounds, and microbial biomass. GIS analysis will evaluate watershed conditions and land cover changes. Seed/seedling

1. Mangrove ecosystem under pressure by
anthropogenic activities: Nitrogen,
Carbon, and human perspective
Pre-proposal
By:
Mervin E. Pérez and Xianbin Liu

2. Contents
• Research Problems
• Goals and Objectives
• Methodology
• Activities
• Potential Benefits

3. Research Problems
• Watershed without forest cover and
presence of agriculture and urban zones
promote greater sediments and pollution in
mangrove ecosystem.
• Reduction in mangrove forests cover result
in direct coastal pollution by elimination of
buffer zone.
• Geochemical cycle arrested by mangroves
reduction

4. Research Problems
• Lost of mangrove
forests means
reduction in species
richness for both
coastal and
terrestrial
ecosystems
• Reduction in good
services by poor
knowledge of
human perception

5. Goals and Objectives
• Determine sediment accumulation in
mangrove forests near urban, rural, and
protected areas.
• Compare sediments among mangrove
forests patches to identify
anthropogenic impact (local and
watershed scale).
• Quantify N and C to verify the stability
of the mangrove forests habitat.

6. Methodology
• Collect soil samples using cutting ring
N and C compound (g/kg)
Soil microbial biomass (g/kg)
pH
• Litterfall using 0.5 m * 4.0 m basket with a screen net.
N and C compound (g/kg)
Total amount of litter (g/m2)
• Atmospheric deposition using plastic cup container
Wet and Dry N deposition (mg/g)

7. • Objective Identify the impact of watershed
condition (e.g. forest cover, agriculture,
urban areas) in sediments and pollution on
mangrove forests
• Hypothesis C and N concentration will be
lower in watershed with higher forest cover
and lower percentage of urban and
pasture zones.

8. Methodology
• GIS tool to analyze watershed deposition.
Landsat images (30-m resolution)
Classify land cover using training
samples (supervised and
unsupervised procedures)
Normalizae Difference Vegetation Index
(NDVI) to compare land cover changes
Index-water quality analysis

9. • Objective Identify if sediments have
positive or negative effects on mangrove
development.
• Hypothesis Considering mangrove as an
ecosystem with higher resilience, no
differences in seed and seedling
development will be recorded among
study sites.

10. Methodology
• Seeds and seedling transplant experiment
– in and ex situ
– Germination rates and survival seedling
– Size, basal area, biomass vs C and N

11. • Objective Identify the perspective of
human settlement near mangrove forests.
• Hypothesis Mangroves present a great
number of ecosystem services but some
of them are not perceptible for humans
(e.g. C and N cycle), then human
perception vary according gender, age
and social status.

12. • Human perspective
– Questionnaires
– Interviews
– Workshop
– Volunteer program

13. Potential Benefits
• Determine the stability of the mangrove
system
• Identify the effect of anthropogenic
activities on mangrove ecosystem
• Change of paradigm about mangrove
ecosystem services
• Recommendation to mitigate pollution
in mangrove areas

14. Questions?