2024年9月6日, 超强台风“摩羯”正面登陆海南文昌、海口, 对登陆区域的海南东寨港红树林造成严重破坏。该研究在台风袭击后一周后, 对海南东寨港红树林自然保护区内的4个代表性地点的9个红树植物群落进行受损程度调查。结果表明: 1)与台风路径相距约4.5 km的演丰红树林和6.5 km的三江红树林受损严重, 其中拉关木(Laguncularia racemosa)群落和无瓣海桑(Sonneratia apetala)群落受损极严重; 距台风路径2 km的塔市鸟岛红树林中度受损; 距台风路径0.3 km的博度红树林轻度受损, 结合无人机影像发现在潮沟边缘的群落受损程度大于连片分布区中心。2)在踏查的6个物种中, 海莲(Burguiera sexangula)、秋茄(Kandelia obovata)、桐花树(Aegiceras corniculatum)和角果木(Ceriops tagal)植株的机械性损伤多表现为分枝折断和部分叶片脱落; 外来物种无瓣海桑和拉关木比乡土物种受损程度更高, 表现为冠层叶片几乎全部脱落, 群落中96.62%-99.70%的个体受到不同程度的损伤, 9.64%个体的主干被折断, 甚至整株被连根拔起; 3)除了博度低矮的角果木群落外, 同一群落不同地点距台风路径直线距离越近群落受损程度越高; 树高、胸径、冠幅与受损程度显著正相关, 树木越高大受损程度越高。根据受损程度预测, 未来乡土植物群落将比外来物种群落恢复得更快。台风灾害往往在短时间内对红树植物造成严重损害, 因此在红树林修复工程中要重点考虑其抗风能力, 可采取多物种混合种植, 以提高红树植物群落的稳定性和防风能力。

Aims On September 6, 2024, super typhoon “Yagi” made landfall in Hainan Province, China, causing severe damage to mangrove forests in the region.

Methods A systematic field survey was conducted in the Dongzhaigang Mangrove Nature Reserve one week after the typhoon, selecting four representative locations, encompassing nine mangrove communities and seven typical mangrove species in total, to assess the extent of damage caused by the typhoon.

Important findings The results revealed that 1) the mangrove forests at Yanfeng, situated 4.5 km from the typhoon’s path, and Sanjiang, situated 6.5 km away, incurred severe damage, with the non-native populations of Laguncularia racemosa and Sonneratia apetala being the most severely affected. In contrast, the mangrove forests at Tashi, 2 km from the path, experienced moderate damage, while those at Bodu, a mere 0.3 km away, sustained only light damage. Field survey, complemented by UAV imagery, found that mangrove communities along tidal creek edges were more severely impacted than those in contiguous areas. 2) Among the six species surveyed, mechanical damage to the native species Bruguiera sexangula, Kandelia obovata, Aegiceras corniculatum, and Ceriops tagal was primarily characterized by branch breakage and partial defloration. The non-native Sonneratia apetala and Laguncularia racemosa populations suffered greater damage than the native communities, with nearly complete canopy defoliation and 96.62%-99.70% of individuals sustaining damage. Approximately 9.64% of individuals experienced trunk breakage or complete uprooting. 3) With the exception of the short Ceriops tagal community at Bodu, which had a maximum tree height of 2 m, mangrove communities with same species closer to the typhoon’s pathway exhibited more severe damage. Tree height, diameter at breast height, and crown size were significantly and positively correlated with damage severity; the taller the trees, the more severe the impact. Based on these damage assessments, it is anticipated that native communities will recover much more rapidly than non-native populations. The typhoon caused considerable short-term damage to the mangrove forests. Therefore, future mangrove restoration efforts should consider species-specific wind resistance, and mixed-species planting strategies are recommended to enhance the stability and wind resilience of mangrove communities.