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Mangrove forests play a vital role in the environment. They provide a number of ecosystem services for supporting marine biodiversity, humans, and other living organisms inhabiting the area. This study aimed to determine the community structure and regeneration capacity of mangrove forests in Lebak, Sultan Kudarat, Philippines. Community structure was determined through relative density, relative frequency, relative dominance, and importance value. Using the center point circular plot method, 13 plots with 40 m diameter were established in two sampling sites: natural stand and reforested. Shannon-Weiner diversity and evenness indexes were used to determine species diversity and distribution, respectively. This study recorded a total of 14 462 individuals within the 1256 m² sampling plots, having Rhizophoraceae as the most abundant family with seven species that cover about 71% of both mangrove ecosystems. The vegetation analysis revealed that Ceriops tagal (70.35%) and Rhizophora mucronata (96.51%) had the highest importance value in the natural stand and reforested mangrove forests, respectively. Furthermore, these two species were also accounted for having the highest regeneration contribution among all species in each site. Shannon-Weiner diversity index revealed that the natural stand was more diverse compared to the reforested mangrove forest. However, the Shannon-Weiner evenness index showed that species in the reforested mangrove forest are more evenly distributed than species in the natural stand. Natural mangrove stands in Lebak have complex community structure and have higher regeneration capacity than the reforested mangrove forest. With this, the study suggested continuing the best practices employed for mangrove conservation in the area and crafting a strategic plan for sustainable mangrove resource utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gmelina arborea Roxb. is a fast-growing plant that has been utilized as feed resource for livestock production particularly for goat production. However, this plant was noted to contain toxic compounds which can affect the production and performance of livestock animals. These contradictory results is the primary reason of determining the localization of secondary products which is commonly noted as toxic compounds in plants. Thus, this study aims to provide baseline information on cell and tissue localization of different plant secondary products present in Gmelina arborea. Methods: Field-laboratory investigation was conducted in the last quarter of 2021. Localization of these compounds were determined by sectioning and histochemical analysis. Stains and reagents were used to detect the location of these compounds. Result: Most of the secondary products were detected in the epidermis, parenchyma and collenchyma in the cortex and near vascular tissues and mesophyll cells of the lamina. The results of this study support the results of different phytochemical studies conducted using this plant. This is an indicator that plant secondary products are widely distributed in the different parts of the plant. Considering plants as forage for livestock, especially for goats, necessitates the consideration on the presence and localization of these phytochemicals as these may have nutritional and toxic effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]