Data from: Global patterns of tree stem growth and stand aboveground wood production in mangrove forests

Mangrove forests provide important ecological and economic services
including carbon sequestration and storage. The conservation and
restoration of mangroves are expected to play an important role in
mitigating climate change, and understanding the factors influencing
mangrove stem growth and wood production are important in predicting and
improving mangrove carbon sequestration and responses to environmental
change. In this study, we collected data of individual diameter at breast
height (DBH) growth rate and stand level aboveground wood production in
both non-plantation (commonly termed as natural) mangroves and mangrove
plantations across the world. Climatic factors, proxies of edaphic
factors, as well as biological factors (e.g. mangrove species) were
included as explanatory variables in the analyses to determine factors
influencing the global patterns of tree growth rate and stand wood
production of mangroves. Using hierarchical Classification and Regression
Tree (CART) analysis we found interactions among environmental and
biological factors in controlling mangrove tree growth rate and stand wood
production. We also found different global patterns of tree growth rate
and stand wood production between non-plantation mangroves and
plantations. Climatic conditions (precipitation of driest season,
precipitation seasonality) were the most important factors influencing the
global pattern of tree DBH growth rate in non-plantation mangroves, with
edaphic and biological characteristics also playing a role under specific
climatic conditions. The global pattern of stand wood production in
non-plantation mangroves was primarily determined by stand mean DBH growth
rate of individual trees. However, in mangrove plantations management
measures, specifically species selection and planting density, were the
most important factors influencing the global patterns of tree growth rate
and stand wood production. Our study provides parameters for a global
estimation of long-term carbon sequestration in both non-plantation
mangroves and mangrove plantations. In addition, our results help us
better predict the dynamics of tree growth and carbon sequestration of
non-plantation mangroves under changing climate.