Socio-Ecological Effects of Mangrove Range Expansion

Global change is resulting in species shifts and range expansions worldwide, with effects not only community dynamics and ecosystem functions, but also human populations that depend on the ecosystem services of effected habitats. The expansion of tropical mangroves into temperate salt marshes has motivated research on temperature thresholds for a variety of species including black mangroves (Avicennia germinans; Osland et al. 2020) to better predict the consequent effects on recipient communities. With funding from the Gulf of Mexico Research Institute, we tested the effects of mangrove range expansion on the response of marsh ecosystems to disturbance (Hughes et al. 2018). We have also examined intraspecific variation in key mangrove traits, including freeze tolerance, to understand the implications for range expansion.

As for many marine species, changes in mangrove distributions depend not only on changing climatic conditions but also on anthropogenic activities. With new funding from NASEM’s Gulf Research Program and in collaboration with researchers from Northeastern University, The Nature Conservancy, and United States Geological Survey, we are assessing the combined effects of ecological and social drivers on current and future mangrove distributions in the Gulf of Mexico to inform management and policy conserving and protecting marsh and mangrove systems, as well as better predict the effects of mangrove range expansion on human communities and ecosystem services.