Table 2. Mangrove tree size by species and forest type in Tampa Bay 
(Williamson and Mosura 1979). DBH - diameter at breast height, 
numbers in parentheses are sample sizes. 
CUMULATIVE MEAN DBH (cm) 
Forest type 
Fringe 
Overwash 
Tributary 
Rhizophora 
2.69 + 2.26 
(139) 
3.37 + 2.04 
(90) 
2.91 + 2.01 
(50) 
Avicennia 
4.59 + 3.16 
(186) 
5.27 + 1.37 
(7) 
1.85 + 0.99 
(17) 
Laguncularia 
2.31 + 2.64 
(203) 
2.57 + 0.38 
( 10 ) 
Although the necessary habitat utilization studies have not been 
conducted for Tampa Bay, the value of mangroves to Florida’s fisheries is 
well documented (Lewis et al. 1985). Mangroves are known to serve as one 
of several critical habitats in the life history of many fish and 
shellfish species important in commercial and recreational fisheries, 
including pink shrimp ( Penaeus duorarum ), redfish or red drum ( Sciaenops 
ocelJLatus), tarpon ( Meoaloos at1anticus h and snook ( Centropomus 
undecimal is ) (Odum, Mclvor and Smith 1982; Lewis et al. 1985; Haddad, 
this volume). 
All major rivers and streams entering the bay have floodplain 
forests and adjacent wetlands that drain eventually into the bay. These 
freshwater wetlands serve as the first of a series of filters to cleanse 
upland drainage before it enters the bay, and they also act as 
contributors of dissolved and particulate organic matter and nutrients. 
Typical of these wetlands are those bordering the Alafia River. 
Clewell, Goolsby and Shuey (1983) described these wetlands as supporting 
409 plant species, including 84 tree species, dominated by red maple 
( Acer rubrum ) and swamp tupelo ( Nvssa biflora ). 
Total streamflow input to Tampa Bay is estimated to average 2,011 
cfs (Flannery, this report). If it can be assumed that total organic 
carbon concentration (TOC) averages 10 mg C/1 (Dooris and Dooris 1985), 
then TOC input via streamflow would be 2 x 107 kg C/yr. TOC measurements 
of this sort are typically made on unfiltered water samples, but do not 
take into account bedload transport of organic material derived from 
adjacent wetlands and uplands, or pulse events when large amounts of 
organic matter may be moved in a relatively short period of time. For 
this reason, the above input value should be considered conservative. 
96 
