Abstract
The impacts of trial sediment accretion on the growth and survival of seedlings of Rhizophora apiculata are analyzed. The seedlings used for these tests were planted on an expanding mudflat in Pak Phanang Bay, Thailand. Increasing seedling mortality rates were associated linearly with elevated levels of sediment accretion. Seedling growth exhibited an inversely proportional linear relationship with increasing rates of sediment accretion. No substantial growth was observed in seedlings subjected to 32 cm of sediment accretion, the highest rate used in the tests. Data from these tests suggest that seedlings of Rhizophora apiculata will not provide acceptable colonization performance in coastal regions subjected to sudden high sediment accretion events.