Implications for white mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa) restoration

My applied research project consists of three goals: (1) to inform site selection for white mangrove restoration in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and the greater Caribbean region, based on a zone of salinity tolerance; (2) to identify the invasive potential of Indian almond in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the greater Caribbean region; (3) to inform management decisions for white mangrove restoration, in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the greater Caribbean region. The growth response of white mangrove and Indian almond seedlings under different concentrations of salinity, 0, 5, 15, 35, and 55 practical salinity units (PSU) was investigated. The structural arrangement of white mangroves in Brighton Mangrove Forest was also investigated to further understand the invasive potential of Indian almonds. A two-way Anova was done to examine the effects of various saline levels on the two species of interest. The two-way Anova revealed no overall significant difference in growth response between the two species, however, revealed a notable interaction between species and saline levels. This is supported by trends in the figures, where white mangrove seedlings generally outgrew Indian almond seedlings, with increasing saline levels. The trends from the figures also highlight that white mangrove seedlings generally grew best at 15 PSU, while Indian almond seedlings grew best at 0 PSU. The results from the field analysis also revealed that white mangrove's density dropped from 23 individual trees to 0, immediately as they approached a landscape dominated by Indian almonds. Therefore, based on experimental design, field sampling, and literature analysis, non-native Indian almonds, could potentially be a stressor impeding white mangroves persistence and restoration, in the Atlantic, Caribbean, and eastern Pacific.