Mangrove forests are among the world's most productive and carbon‐rich ecosystems. Despite growing understanding of factors controlling mangrove forest soil carbon stocks, there is a need to advance understanding of the speed of peat development beneath maturing mangrove forests, especially in created and restored mangrove forests that are intended to compensate for ecosystem functions lost during mangrove forest conversion to other land uses. To better quantify the rate of soil organic matter development beneath created, maturing mangrove forests, we measured ecosystem changes across a 25‐yr chronosequence. We compared ecosystem properties in created, maturing mangrove forests to adjacent natural mangrove forests. We also quantified site‐specific changes that occurred between 2010 and 2016. Soil organic matter accumulated rapidly beneath maturing mangrove forests as sandy soils transitioned to organic‐rich soils (peat). Within 25 yr, a 20‐cm deep peat layer developed. The time required for created mangrove forests to reach equivalency with natural mangrove forests was estimated as (1) <15 yr for herbaceous and juvenile vegetation, (2) ~55 yr for adult trees, (3) ~25 yr for the upper soil layer (0–10 cm), and (4) ~45–80 yr for the lower soil layer (10–30 cm). For soil elevation change, the created mangrove forests were equivalent to or surpassed natural mangrove forests within the first 5 yr. A comparison to chronosequence studies from other ecosystems indicates that the rate of soil organic matter accumulation beneath maturing mangrove forests may be among the fastest globally. In most peatland ecosystems, soil organic matter formation occurs slowly (over centuries, millennia); however, these results show that mangrove peat formation can occur within decades. Peat development, primarily due to subsurface root accumulation, enables mangrove forests to sequester carbon, adjust their elevation relative to sea level, and adapt to changing conditions at the dynamic land–ocean interface. In the face of climate change and rising sea levels, coastal managers are increasingly concerned with the longevity and functionality of coastal restoration efforts. Our results advance understanding of the pace of ecosystem development in created, maturing mangrove forests, which can improve predictions of mangrove forest responses to global change and ecosystem restoration.

中文翻译：

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成熟的红树林下泥炭的快速发育：生态系统在 25 年的时间序列中发生变化。


红树林是世界上生产力最高、碳最丰富的生态系统之一。尽管人们对控制红树林土壤碳储量的因素有了越来越多的了解，但仍需要进一步了解成熟红树林下泥炭的发育速度，特别是在创建和恢复的红树林中，这些红树林旨在补偿红树林转变过程中失去的生态系统功能用于其他土地用途。为了更好地量化已形成、成熟的红树林下土壤有机质的发展速度，我们测量了 25 年的生态系统变化。我们将人工成熟的红树林与邻近的天然红树林的生态系统特性进行了比较。我们还量化了 2010 年至 2016 年间发生的特定地点的变化。随着沙土转变为富含有机物的土壤（泥炭），土壤有机质在成熟的红树林下迅速积累。 25 年内，形成了 20 厘米深的泥炭层。人工红树林达到与天然红树林相当所需的时间估计为 (1) 草本和幼年植被 <15 年，(2) 成年树木约 55 年，(3) 上层土壤层约 25 年（0-10 厘米），（4）~45-80 年的下土层（10-30 厘米）。就土壤海拔变化而言，人工建造的红树林在前5年内就相当于或超过了天然红树林。与其他生态系统的时间序列研究的比较表明，成熟红树林下土壤有机质积累的速度可能是全球最快的之一。在大多数泥炭地生态系统中，土壤有机质的形成过程缓慢（几个世纪、几千年）；然而，这些结果表明红树林泥炭的形成可能会在几十年内发生。 泥炭的发育主要是由于地下根系的积累，使红树林能够固碳，调整其相对于海平面的海拔，并适应动态的陆地-海洋界面不断变化的条件。面对气候变化和海平面上升，沿海管理者越来越关注沿海恢复工作的寿命和功能。我们的研究结果促进了对已形成、成熟的红树林生态系统发展速度的了解，这可以改善红树林对全球变化和生态系统恢复的响应的预测。