Mineral Content and Concentration with Fruit Weight from Five Sonneratia Mangroves

Mangrove ecosystems are critical coastal habitats, marked by intricate interactions between environmental factors and plant physiological processes. Managing mineral element concentrations is essential for mangrove plants to adapt to saline coastal wetlands. However, the patterns of mineral element changes during the development of non-viviparous propagules in mangroves are not well understood. To fill this knowledge gap, this study examines Sonneratia species co-existing in the same habitat, focusing on the variations in Ca, Cl, K, Mg, and Na content and concentration as the fruits develop. Our findings show that mineral element concentrations in Sonneratia fruits consistently have a statistically significant (p<0.05) nonlinear negative relationship with fruit weight, with log-log linear model slopes ranging from -0.47 to -0.06. The total content of all mineral elements exhibits a statistically significant (p<0.05) sublinear allometric relationship with fruit weight, with log-log linear model slopes between 0.53 and 0.94. These results indicate that as fruits increase in size, the element concentration decreases more slowly compared to the increase in fruit weight. This study provides deeper insights into the physiological adaptations of Sonneratia mangroves during fruit development.

红树林生态系统是至关重要的滨海栖息地，其特征为环境因子与植物生理过程间存在复杂的相互作用。调控矿质元素浓度是红树植物适应盐渍滨海湿地的必要条件。然而，学界对红树植物非胎生繁殖体发育过程中的矿质元素变化模式仍缺乏充分认知。为填补这一认知空白，本研究以同一生境中共存的海桑属（Sonneratia）物种为研究对象，聚焦果实发育过程中钙（Ca）、氯（Cl）、钾（K）、镁（Mg）及钠（Na）的含量与浓度变化。研究结果显示，海桑属植物果实的矿质元素浓度与果实重量间始终存在统计学意义显著（p<0.05）的非线性负相关关系，双对数线性模型的斜率范围为-0.47至-0.06。所有矿质元素的总含量与果实重量则呈现统计学意义显著（p<0.05）的次线性异速生长关系，双对数线性模型斜率介于0.53至0.94之间。上述结果表明，随果实体积增大，矿质元素浓度的下降速率慢于果实重量的增长速率。本研究为深入理解海桑属红树植物果实发育过程中的生理适应机制提供了新的科学认知。