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Copyright of Ecosistemas y Recursos Agropecuarios is the property of Universidad Juarez Autonoma de Tabasco and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Ecosistemas y Recursos Agropecuarios is the property of Universidad Juarez Autonoma de Tabasco and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Tecnología y Ciencias del Agua is the property of Instituto Mexicano de Tecnologia del Agua (IMTA) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Stored carbon varies among wetlands, yet they rank among the highest carbon accumulating ecosystems. Leaf litter production and aboveground carbon storage are frequently used as proxies for estimating primary productivity, which can be affected by flooding, salinity and other environmental factors. The objective of this study was to quantify leaf litter production and soil carbon density in two coastal tropical wetland types, namely mangrove swamps and forested freshwater wetlands. Water and soil physicochemical properties, together with leaf litter production, were measured bimonthly between 2007 and 2009 in wetlands of both types, located on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The soils ranged from entirely mineral to entirely organic in the top metre. Mangrove sites had relatively uniform hydroperiods and moderately reductive soils, whereas forested freshwater wetlands had reducing conditions. Electrical conductivity was lower and pH less acidic in forested freshwater wetland soils. Litterfall was around 1000 g m-2 yr-1 and annual production did not differ significantly between wetlands, despite the presence of acidic soils with prolonged flooding and high salinity in the mangrove swamps. Also, there were no consistent differences in soil carbon density between the two wetland types. Some forested freshwater wetlands had low litter production and high soil carbon density, whereas some mangrove swamps had high litter production and low soil carbon density. We present information regarding aboveground biomass turnover and belowground carbon storage in coastal tropical forested wetlands which is greatly needed to support us in understanding, valuing and conserving these neglected ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]