Three transects through the mangrove, at right angles to the coastline and at increasing distance from the sea were studied. A number of pneumatophores was collected along each transect, the epiphytic vegetation identified and quantified , and the data analyzed with differend mathematical techniques. It was concluded that : 1, the lowest algal cover on each pneumatophore is in the basal zone (0-5 cm above the substratum); the cover of the other zones is not significantly different. 2, the total cover of the pneumatophores from one transect diminishes from the seaward margin towards the land ( due to increasing desiccation in higher zone) ; 3, there are no significant differences between the epiphytic vegetation on
Sonneratia and
Avicennia pneumatophore; 4,
Bostrychia>/i> is most resistant to desiccation (and correlation parameters) followed equally by Catenella>/i> and Caloglossa; 5, the differences between the vegetation on pneumatophores from the seaward transects and the most landward transect are more pronounced than those between the lowermost and the highest pneumatophore from a single transect.
