Mangroves and sediment dynamics along the coasts of Southern Thailand dissertation : submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the Academic Board of Wageningen University and the Academic Board of the UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education : for t

Content: 1. Propagules, Seeds and Dispersal of Mangroves and their Potential Sensitivity to Sedimentation. A General Introduction 2. Colonization Success of Common Thai Mangrove Species as a Function of Shelter from Water Movement 3. The Effect of Increasing Sediment Accretion on the Seedlings of Three Common Thai Mangrove Species 4. Diameter and Height-Age Relationships for Common SE Asian Mangrove Taxa 5. Long-Term Mangrove Progression and Coastal Recession Along the Coasts of Southern Thailand 6. Predicting Mangrove Colonization Success: Development of a Simple, Integrative, Demographic Model 7. Conclusion and General Discussion Presents the quantification of mangrove responses to sedimentation and hydrodynamics. This work assesses coastal changes that revealed substantial on-going coastal erosion along the coasts of Southern Thailand. It shows that water turbulence and seedling herbivory had the most important impacts on mangrove colonization success.