Mangrove diversity enhances plant biomass production and carbon storage in Hainan Island, China

Mangrove forests, one of the highest carbon density ecosystems, are very different from other forests as they occupy saline and tidal habitats. Although previous studies in forests, shrublands, and grasslands have shown a positive effect of biodiversity on plant biomass and carbon storage, it remains unclear whether this relation to biodiversity also exists in mangrove forests. Here, we evaluate the possible effects of mangrove species diversity, structural characteristics, and environmental factors on mangrove biomass production and carbon storage, using survey data from 234 field plots of 30 transects in the mangrove forests along the coastlines of Hainan Island, China, during 2017 and 2018.We found that mangrove species diversity had a positive effect, not only on mangrove biomass production, but also on soil carbon storage. This positive effect was more strongly evident in the forest communities than in either the shrub communities or forest-shrub mixed communities, with the forests...