Community Structure and Diversity of Mangroves at Kannur District of Kerala, Southwest Coast of India

Mangrove forests are among the world’s most productive ecosystems situated at the interface between land and sea/backwaters in tropical and subtropical latitudes. Mangrove vegetation in three geographical regions of Kannur on the southwest coast of India was assessed for its community structure and diversity indices. Thirteen true mangrove species belonging to 9 genera and 7 families formed the mangrove vegetation of the region. Highest density was recorded for Acanthus ilicifolius (7953 stems/ha), followed by Rhizophora mucronata (3750 stems/ha). A. ilicifolius is the most common species with maximum important value index (IVI) of 49.19. Shannon-Weiner Index of diversity ranged from 2.249 to 2.527. Kunhimangalam region have more species richness with a Simpson dominance index of 0.920 and Shannon - Weiner index of 2.527. The sites selected were distinct from each other as the species diversity varied due to the climatic, biotic, anthropogenic stresses at each location. The need to gain further knowledge about the mangrove flora of the region to help the conservation of mangrove ecosystems is highlighted.