Macroflora and macrofauna associated with sumerged roots of Rhizophora mangle (Rhizophoraceae), in the Tampamachoco lagoon, Veracruz, Mexico

In the Tampamachoco lagoon, Veracruz, the diversity, abundance and similarity of the floristic and faunistic composition associated to R. mangle roots were determined; four sampling sites were distributed in the northern, central and southern portions of the lagoon, and 10 mangrove roots were searched for each site for collection, identification and quantification of the organisms. With the quantitative information, species richness, Simpson dominance, fairness and true diversity were estimated, and similarities/dissimilarities were determined between the sampling areas by sorting and ordering analysis. Ten species of algae, 26 invertebrate species and one vertebrate species were identified, totaling 37 species. A total of 10260 macrofaunal organisms were quantified, with an average abundance of 85.5 ± 71.2 ind/root being estimated. The most abundant species were Amphibalanus sp., Ischadium recurvum and Crassostrea rhizophorae. The remarkable abundance in the northern zone was significantly different from the central and southern zones. In general, the macrofaunistic community was equitable, and presented true diversity values from 2.8 to 3.7 effective species. The composition and abundance of macrofauna were similar in the three sampling zones. The submerged roots of R. mangle play a key role in the Tampamachoco lagoon by providing habitats for various aquatic organisms