Allometric relationships for estimating above-ground biomass in six mangrove species

Allometric relationships are described for estimating leaf biomass, branch biomass, stem biomass and total above-ground biomass from measurements of stem diameter ( DBH) in the mangrove species Rhizophora apiculata, R. stylosa, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, B. parviflora, Ceriops tagal var. australis and Xylocarpus granatum. A linear relationship was found when the biomass of each above-ground component was plotted against DBH on a log-log scale. The two Rhizophora species were found to have the greatest stem and total above-ground biomass for a given DBH, followed by B. parviflora, B. gymnorrhiza, C. tagal var. australis, and X. granatum, the last having a significantly lower biomass for a given DBH than the other five species. However, there was much less variation in stem volume for a given DBH amongst the six species, owing to differences in the specific gravity of their stems.