Chemical composition of the mangrove, Rhizophora mangle L.

Abstract

Enrichment and deposition of selected minerals in mangrove, Rhizophora mangle, plants grown under glasshouse conditions at near-constant salinity were investigated. The results show that R. mangle is capable of concentrating a variety of chemical elements by taking them up from salt water. Mean concentration factors for elements found in R. mangle lie in a higher range compared with those of a glycophyte, Brassica oleracea. Moreover, R. mangle plants seem to have higher affinities for elements such as sodium (Na), chlorine (CI), silicon (Si), cobalt (Co) and cerium (Ce), which may or may not be essential to them.