Assessment of natural regeneration of mangrove with reference to edaphic factors and water in Southern Gulf of Kachchh, Gujarat, India

The study was carried out to determine the natural regeneration of four species of mangroves along with estimation of physico-chemical characteristics of sediment and water from seven sites of mangroves in the southern Gulf of Kachchh. Spatial variation of different parameters of water and sediment investigated were: water-pH (7.87–8.04); Salinity (37.07–39.42 ppt); Nitrate (1.21–2.71 ppm); Nitrite (0.03–0.08 ppm); Phosphate (0.39–0.95 ppm) and sediment-pH (7.39–7.61); Bulk density (0.36–0.54 g/cc); Particle density (1.19–1.68 g/cc); Organic carbon (0.77–1.05%); and Organic matter (1.06–1.71%). The density (recruit/sq. m) of natural recruitment of four mangrove species was in order of Avicennia marina > Ceriops tagal > Aegiceras corniculatum > Rhizophora mucronata. Cluster analysis grouped seven sites in three major clusters i.e. Group A (Poshitra & Khijadiya - 91% similarity); Group B (Dedeka-Mundeka, Kalubhar & Pirotan- 94% similarity) and Group C (Sikka & Jodiya- 93% similarity) whereas Non-metric multidimensional scaling showed formation of two groups (Coastal and Islands) depending on the environmental conditions and mangrove natural regeneration. Principal component analysis showed the number of parameters such as salinity, texture and organic carbon which affects the natural regeneration of mangrove species in the study area.