Abstract
This study primarily deals with the mangrove forest, which is mainly composed of Rhizophora stylosa and Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, and is located in Iriomote Island. Its focus was the mechanism which Rhizophora stylosa and Bruguiera gymnorrhiza represent in the visible zonation pattern. The change of chemical elements of soil water and leaves were analyzed to clarify the mechanism. As a result, B and Ca of the leaves of Rhizophora stylosa showed correlations with the soil water EC at a depth of 60 cm. On the other hand, the elements of the leaves of Bruguiera gymnorrhiza that showed correlations with the soil water EC were N, P, S, Ca, Mn, and Fe. Particularly, the change of B content of Rhizophora stylosa and Mn content of Bruguiera gymnorrhiza were assumed to be restrictive factors in the zonation pattern of mangroves.
