Collaborative Research: Effects of tropical watershed deforestation on mangrove ecosystem function and services

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Deforestation of coastal watersheds is occurring throughout the tropics, altering transport of water, nutrients and sediments to mangrove estuaries and coastal oceans. This occurs because of powerful couplings linking land use changes on upland watersheds to receiving aquatic ecosystems down the topographical gradient. This research uses innovative multidisciplinary ecological, hydrological and biogeochemical approaches along six transects in Panama from watersheds subject to different degrees of deforestation to coastal mangroves. This layout will enable testing of hypotheses relating deforestation to functioning of mangrove ecosystems. Results will provide a fresh view of how coastal zones are organized and how human activities reshuffle natural couplings. The work will be based in the Liquid Jungle Laboratory, a research station that permits doing modern research in a remote setting.Broader impacts of the work include definition of the connections between land use practices and conditions in adjoining mangroves in tropical coastal areas. Results will furnish information needed for assessing impacts of deforestation on coastal mangrove ecosystems that provide a series of economically valuable ecological services, such as fish and shellfish nurseries, interception of land derived nutrients, export of energy rich materials, stabilization of shorelines, maintenance of biodiversity, and various harvestable yields. An education and outreach program will focus on training U.S. and Latin American postdoctoral, graduate and undergraduate students. Strong collaborations with Panamanian and Argentine colleagues will enable bilingual websites, presentations and new programs to help transfer results to local people, managers, decision-makers, and scientific colleagues by digital, printed and oral means.