
VUB research uncovers factors that prevent mangroves from spreading in South America
Mangrove ecosystems are distributed around the world, along tropical and subtropical coastlines. However, they do not extend beyond certain latitudes, even though the sites seem suitable for them. VUB researcher Ari Ximenes, with researchers from ULB and UCLouvain, has now cracked this question among mangrove bio-geographers, by studying sites off the eastern coast of South America.
Ximenes: "Our results show that here, several factors combine to prevent the southward spread of mangrove species. The northward longshore drift that prevails throughout the year is the biggest factor. Another factor is the chilling temperature. ...