ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Mar. Sci.
Sec. Marine Conservation and Sustainability
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmars.2025.1626088
The response of mangrove degradation to mineral composition
Provisionally accepted
- Fourth Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Beihai, China
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Mangrove wetlands, serving as pivotal ecotones at land-sea interfaces, exhibit habitat stability critically modulated by sediment mineralogical composition. This study investigates the mineralogical evolution and associated ecological impacts in a degraded mangrove ecosystem within Tieshangang Bay (Beibu Gulf, China), employing integrated X-ray diffraction (XRD) and automated mineralogical parameter analysis (MapsMin) to decipher engineering-induced perturbations. Key findings reveal: (1) Pronounced kaolinite enrichment (48.97-66.35%) within surficial sediments (0-15 cm) of degraded zones (Area A), contrasting sharply with stable kaolinite levels (25.21-33.92%) and quartz dominance (59.90-83.12%) in preserved regions (Area B); (2) Diagnostic mineral assemblages implicate intensified terrestrial clay inputs from port infrastructure expansion and dredging operations, compounded by hydrodynamic attenuation from tidal channel obstruction; (3) Mechanistic analysis demonstrates kaolinite's platy morphology induces pore occlusion , triggering hypoxic rootzone conditions that drive mangrove community regression. We propose a synergistic remediation framework integrating tidal hydrology restoration, sediment source regulation, and substrate permeability enhancement, providing mineralogical benchmarks for coastal resilience management. These findings advance mechanistic understanding of anthropogenic-geochemical-ecological cascades in critical intertidal ecosystems, with direct implications for Nature-Based Solutions in global mangrove conservation.
Keywords: Kaolinite, Mineral composition, mangrove, Human Activities, Beibu Gulf
Received: 10 May 2025; Accepted: 15 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhao, Chen, Tan, Wang, Qiao and Xing. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Lintao Zhao, zhaolintao@4io.org.cn
Yongze Xing, xingyongze@4io.org.cn
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.