The diversity of mangrove species and its associates in Kuantan and Pekan, Pahang

Abstract

Mangrove ecosystems are home to numerous plant species, each with unique adaptations to the challenging coastal environment. Accurate identification enables scientists, conservationists, and policy makers to precisely catalogue and categorize these species, facilitating targeted conservation efforts and the preservation of rare or endangered mangrove plants. Our objectives can be restated as follows 1) to identify and record the diversity of true mangrove plant species and its associates in Kuantan and Pekan. 2) To produce distinct anatomical features for selected true mangrove species and its associates to be easily recognized and identified. 3) to determine the conservation status and population trend of true mangrove species and its associates in Kuantan and Pekan. The sampling was conducted using a random sampling method along the trails. For each plant species, three samples were taken in total. The samples were pressed, dried, and mounted on an herbarium sheet to be prepared into an herbarium voucher. The observation and recording of vegetative and reproductive, and anatomical structures were conducted for the purpose of species identification. The identification process was carried out by comparing with KEP herbarium specimens plus referring to specific keys of Mangrove and its associates provided by Giesen et al. (2006) and other previous studies. Based on this study, a total of 70 species from 39 families, which encompasses both true and associate mangroves, were collected and documented, enriching our understanding of the mangrove biodiversity in the studied area. This study has identified the characters and type of roots, stems, and fruits as important morphological structures for species identification between true mangrove and its associates’ species. Meanwhile, the anatomical characteristics of their leaves for selected species used in this study showed a lot of similarities between the true mangrove species and associate’ species. This is because the associates’ species had undergone adaptation to survive in the habitat. However, an advances microscopic analysis such as Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) can done in further study to get a strong supporting character between true mangrove species and associates’ species. In conclusion, the mangrove areas in Pekan and Kuantan exhibit a substantial diversity of species. Furthermore, the study highlights the importance of considering both morphological and anatomical characteristics for the identification of mangroves and associated species. Hence, the findings derived from this study have significant potential for shaping and guide future conservation strategies specifically tailored to the preservation and sustainable management of mangrove forests located in the Pekan and Kuantan.