Height, leaf number, and folivory of Avicennia germinans Seedlings in Restoration Islets of the Tampamachoco Mangrove, Mexico (2021)

Data were collected to investigate how nutrient addition influences the relative growth of black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) seedlings in a mangrove area subject to ecological restoration. To address this objective, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilization experiments were carried out in newly formed soils created through artificial terrain elevation in degraded areas targeted for mangrove recovery. Soil relative level modification involved creating circular elevated areas with a relative height of 30 cm and a diameter of 5 m. These structures, designed to mitigate soil collapse and promote propagule anchorage, having a similar soil elevation compared to a conserved reference mangrove sites, formed distinct 'islets' within the dead mangrove zone. A total of 30 islets were randomly selected, and in 10 of these, one of three possible fertilization treatments was applied. The fertilization treatments were: N as granular urea (NH4, 46 - 0 - 0), P as triple superphosphate (P2O5, 0 - 46 -0), and a control (no fertilizer). We applied nitrogen (N) or phosphorus (P) fertilizer in two doses of 75 g in February and May 2021, respectively. Over a six-month period (March to August 2021), three plants per islet were monitored monthly. Measurements included plant height, the number of leaves, the number of leaves damaged by herbivory, and the total number of leaves per plant.