Microbial mats associated with mangroves provide soil stabilization and modify nutrient chemistry over monsoon cycles

Microbial mats associated with mangroves provide soil stabilization and modify nutrient chemistry over monsoon cycles | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Microbial mats associated with mangroves provide soil stabilization and modify nutrient chemistry over monsoon cycles Yasmeen Zamir Ahmed, Seema Shafique, Zaib-Un-Nisa Burhan, Munawar Rasheed, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7096480/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract We examined sediment characteristics and water nutrient levels in channels of the Sandspit backwater mangroves. Using the bell jar method and analyzing soil physico-chemical parameters, we identified seasonal variations in water nutrients and edaphic features. Soils covered with microbial mats predominantly comprised fine sands, while fringe area soils showed higher medium sand content. The microbial mat positively impacted the mangrove soil, enhancing its nutrient profile. Statistical analysis revealed significant positive correlations (p < 0.05) between key soil variables temperature, pH, salinity, bulk density, chlorophyll a/b, total carbon, organic matter, moisture content, water holding capacity, and carbon–nitrogen ratio) and water channel nutrients (nitrite NO₂⁻, nitrate NO₃⁻, ammonia NH₄⁺, phosphate PO₄³⁻). Principal component analysis identified soil salinity-temperature, organic matter, water holding capacity, soil moisture, NH₄⁺, and PO₄³⁻ as significant variables differentiating the two soil types, and cluster analysis supported these findings. Seasonal variations within each soil type were minimal; rather, sediment properties were more influenced by the presence of microbial mats than by pre-monsoon, monsoon, or post-monsoon changes. The microbial mats played a major role in increasing total nitrogen and carbon percentages, whereas wastewater runoff predominantly influenced inorganic nitrogen and phosphate concentrations. These results highlight the complex interactions between hydrological and edaphic factors and offer valuable insight for future modeling and restoration of similar mangrove ecosystems. This study aids in establishing effective management strategies for tropical mangroves by interpreting how seasonal dynamics interact with sediment properties and nutrient fluxes. It provides baseline ecological knowledge relevant for Sandspit and other mangrove ecosystems impacted by marine pollution, with global implications. Microbial mat Mangrove sediment Nutrient flux Seasonal variation Edaphic factors Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 Introduction Mangroves are productive tropical and subtropical ecosystems, which serve as an efficient ecological and economic resource. Mangroves provide unique estuarine habitats for a variety of animals and act as an excellent breeding ground for shrimps(WWF, 2008). They protect against harmful effects of coastline erosion, thunder storms and tsunami. Mangrove is considered to be carbon sink as well as the site of accumulation of sediment and nutrients (Alongi, et al., 2008; Bouillon et al., 2008 ). Mangrove forest floor is covered by dense microbial mat. The mat is a complex community mainly structured by benthic bacteria, cyanobacteria and diatoms (Ahmed et al., 2016 ; Noffke et al., 2002 0) and serve as a food source for various members of benthic fauna (Anderson & Kristensen, 2002). The microorganisms in form of biofilms and microbial mats prevent sediment erosion and biologically stabilize the sediment substrate. These structures act as an efficient tool for sediment trapping and mineral-nutirent deposition (Friend et al., 2008 ; Noffke, 2010 ). Mangrove sediments entrap organic carbon from detrital and other marine sources. Microbial mat associated with mangrove environment influence the carbon sequestration resulting in an increased carbon budget (Alongi, 2007 ; Bouillon et al., 2004 ). The microbial mat also contributes to input of detrital material present in mangrove top soil which is consumed by fiddler crabs and gastropods (Kristensen & Alongi, 2006 ). The mangrove sediment degrades and stores organic material and other nutrient and minerals but it also transports these material selectively to adjacent ecosystems via tidal cycle (Dittmar et al., 2006 ; Kristensen, 2008 ). The remineralization of detrital material by fungi and bacteria, generates essential nutrients for microalgae present in form of microbial mat (Lee, 2018). The two main components soil and water, are extremely relevant to analyze because hydrological changes effect the soil and its associated flora (Decho et al., 1985 ) and the sediment structure directly and indirectly influences the associated habitat (Hogue & Miller, 1981 ). Properties of sediments such as porosity, grain size, water content, organic matter content (Chapman & Tolhurst, 2007 ), salinity (Jansen, 1985 ) play a significant role in maintaining the diversity and abundance of associated habitat. Pakistan has the world largest arid zone mangrove forest (Abbas et al., 2013 ). The coastal area of Pakistan is broadly distributed into Baluchistan coast (745 Km) and Sindh coast (245 km, including Karachi coastal area and Indus Delta) (GoP, 2007). Karachi coast is included in Global 200 Ecoregions and it consists of two significant sites: Karachi Harbour and Sanspit backwaters area. Sandspit is situated 18 Km southwest of Karachi city and runs parallel to the Arabian Sea coast (Damhoureyeh & Ghalib, 2014 ). The manora channel adjacent to Sandspit area is heavily polluted due to municipal and industrial waste that are discharged into backwaters area through Layari and Malir rivers respectively (Zaigham, 2004 ). This input directly influences the Mangrove ecosystem and causes poor water quality and reduced species diversity and flourishing of invasive pollution indicator species (Hu et al., 2024 ). Earlier studies showed that the mangrove ecosystem is under severe stress due to marine pollution caused by anthropogenic factors (Kausar et al., 2025 ; Suhail et al., 2024 ). In Pakistan, Studies on various aspects of Sandspit mangrove area were conducted including, sediment grain size (Qureshi & Sultana, 2001 ), vegetation (Rashid & Abbas, 2011 ), Mangrove flora and fauna (Shafique & Siddiqui, 2025 ; Siddiqui et al., 2008 ), Litter production and pore water nutrients (Farooqui et al., 2012 ), Benthic fauna and granulometric characters (Qureshi et al., 2015 ), Elemental Soil analysis (Noor et al, 2016 ), and Sediment chlorophyll content (Farooq & Siddiqui, 2011 ). But the seasonal studies related to Sandspit mangrove sediment and hydrological parameters were not up to date. The present work compares the dynamics of seasons; (pre monsoon, monsoon and post monsoon with physicochemical soil-water associated variables. The two types of sediment characteristics of mangrove forest floor: soil covered with microbial mat (M) and fringe area without microbial mat (WM), were defined using analytical tools such as total carbon (TC) and nitrogen content (TN), organic carbon (LOI), moisture, bulk density (B.D.), water holding capacity(WHC) and grain size analysis. Dissolved inorganic nutrients nitrite (NO 2 − ), nitrate (NO 3 − ), phosphate (PO 4 3− ) and ammonia (NH 4 + ) in channel water were also examined by the bell jar method. Methods Site description Sandspit mangrove backwaters forest area is situated at (24º49’05.63” N, 66º56’37.21” E) southwest of Karachi city (Fig. 1 ). The Sandspit study area is divaricated by land having mudflats and mangrove forest area on its northern side whereas, sandy coastal beach alongside the Arabian Sea on its southern site. The area is between Manora channel and Hawksbay area and adjacent to residential, industrial and navy dockyard area. It is heavily polluted and the waste water from northern sites of Lyari and Malir Rivers which flows into mangrove area. The mangrove belt is covered by monospecific Vegetation of Avicennia marina . This backwater forest is connected to Arabian Sea via Karachi harbor. The sea water enters from southeastern site of harbor area and pass through Chari Kund channel finally entering into the back water channel of Sandspit area. The forest floor is submerged under water 2 times a day due to tidal cycle. Average temperature is around 29 ºC ‰-30+ ºC. Salinity of water and soil may reach up to 40+ ‰, 50+ ‰. Average pH of water is usually 7.8 and soil is up to 8.5 respectively. Field Sampling The collection period was distributed into Pre-monsoon, Monsoon and Post-monsoon seasons. Samples dataset was compiled for the collection period 2010–2015. As the main aim of this study was to examine the relationship between seasons, sediment and inorganic nutrient, the ecological characteristics were determined within 1 sq. meter quadrates that were placed at two study sites of mangrove mat area (M) and, mangrove without mat area (WM). Data recorded form quadrates includes field parameters (temperature, salinity, pH) and sediments analysis (organic matter content, moisture content, bulk density, total carbon and nitrogen content, chlorophyll a and b content, grain size, water holding capacity). Bell jar was used to determine hydrological parameters. All the samples were collected and analyzed in triplicate and mean of data, ± standard deviation was computed. Sediment analysis Sediment samples were collected by core method. Plastic corers were used to retrieve 10 cm long core samples. The samples were wrapped in aluminum foil and stored in icebox. In laboratory, the cores were sectioned in to equal top mid and bottom sections (3.3 cm each). Each section was sub-sectioned into portions for different analysis. Sediment moisture content was determined by standard method. 1 gm of soil sample from each section was weighted before and after 24 hrs., 110 ºC oven treatment. Sediment organic content was recorded using standard A.O.A.C. method (AOAC, 1970 ). Difference of 1gm sample was taken after 8hrs-550ºC muffle furnace treatment. Sediment total organic carbon content was determined by the wet oxidation of carbon by acid dichromate and spectrophotometric method. Sediment Chlorophyll a and b content were examined spectrophotometrically (664,647nm) according to the Spectrophotometric methods (Strickland and Parson, 1972). Sediment Grain size analysis (100 gm, 50 cm iron corer was used) of sediment sample was determined using the method described in earlier studies (Alfaro, 2006 ). Soil pH was examined by using 1mM KCL (Merk) and salinity was recorded by using the methods described earlier (Pansu and Gautheyrou, 2007 ; Shafique, & Siddiqui, 2025 ). Sediment total nitrogen content was analyzed by Kjeldahl method (Mann, 1978). Soil bulk density was estimated according to the method of USDA-NRCS ( 1996 ) and finally, Water holding capacity was determined by method of ISO 11274/1998 (Wilke, 2005 ). Channel water analysis Bell jars capacity 21 liters were placed and manually operated (Asmis et al., 2000) at M and WM sites. Water samples were withdrawn at regular 45 minutes interval for 13 hours, one tidal cycle. Water samples were stored in ice box and analyzed within 24 hours. Samples were filtered (0.45 µm, Whatman GF/F) and analyzed by spectrophotometer (UV-1800 /Shimadzu). Nitrite, Nitrate, Ammonium and Phosphate were determined spectrophotometrically (Strickland and Parsons, 1972 ). Chlorophyll a and b ( Chl a , b) were examined by acetone extraction and dissolved oxygen (DO) was recorded by modified Winkler method. Other hydrological parameters were also detected; sediment-air-water temperatures were observed by thermometer (ºC mercury, standard). Water salinity was recorded by handheld field refractometer (ATAGO 0161633, Japan) and electrical pH meter (ELEMETRON, CP-401) was used for pH. Benthic Flux Formula and Statistical analysis Net benthic flux was calculated by the following equation, (Bartoli et al., 2003 ). F= {V. (C f -C i )/A. T} Where, F = element flux (µmol m − 2 h − 1 ), C i = Initial concentration of element (µM), C f = Final concentration of element (µM), A = measured surface area of the sediment (m 2 ), V = total volume of water (l) and T = total time of incubation (h). The positive values represented exchange from sediment into water column (release rate) and negative values corresponded with exchange from water to sediment (uptake rate) respectively. The observed data were computed by R programming for initial processing of raw data. Microsoft Excel, 2013 was used for graphical interpretations and estimation of flux rates within 24 hours. To examine correlation of physical and chemical factors under different seasonal conditions, Minitab 17.0 software was used for the determination of Pearson correlation (p < 0.05, double checked by statistical software PAST), one-way ANOVA (p α 0.05), Principle component analysis (PCA) and Cluster analysis (dendrogram). The graphical values plotted were of N = 3 means (± S.E). Results Sediment Characteristics Sediment characteristics in the mangrove with microbial mat (M) and without microbial mat (WM) areas exhibited notable differences in physico-chemical parameters. The M area demonstrated higher values of total nitrogen (TN%), total carbon (TC%), dissolved oxygen (DO), organic matter content (LOI%), water holding capacity (WHC%), moisture content, and chlorophyll a and b concentrations compared to the WM area. Seasonal variations were evident in sediment composition, particularly in grain size distribution, with the WM site exhibiting the highest percentage of medium sand during the post-monsoon season, whereas, the M site recorded elevated fine sand content in the pre-monsoon period. Profile suggests variation in sediment deposition during three seasons. The sediment was categorized into coarse (250 < 500µm/ 1–2ϕ), medium (125 < 250µm/ 2–3ϕ), fine sand (90 < 125µm/ 3-3.5ϕ) and silt (< 63µm/4–6ϕ). The medium sand was found to be in highest percentage followed by fine sands (Fig. 2 ). Total organic carbon ranged between 0.47–1.01 percent and was more concentrated in the M area. Vertical distribution indicated increased TC% with depth in M sites, while WM sites showed higher concentrations near the surface (Fig. 3 ). WHC% was higher in the M site, especially during the monsoon season (34%) and lowest in post-monsoon (16%). Top and mid-layers had higher WHC% than the bottom layer (Fig. 4 a). Moisture content ranged from 16–37% across sites and was highest during the monsoon at the M site (Fig. 4 b). Organic content observed via loss of ignition (LOI %) ranged between 13–38%, highest during the monsoon, and showed greater values in the mid-section at WM and top layers at M. Vertical profile showed high values in mid-section of WM site and top sections of M site. Loss of ignition was significantly positively correlated with TN%, B.D., WHC%, moisture content, Chl a , nitrate (Fig. 4 c). A positive correlation was found between TC% and air–water-soil temperatures, water pH, WHC%, LOI%, moisture content, nitrate and negative correlation with soil pH, water salinity and C: N. The vertical profile of C: N showed that the ratio was variable with depth. The C:N ratio varied by depth, with lower values observed in the deeper layers (Fig. 4 d). Total nitrogen levels ranged from 5.90–10.95%, with the highest concentrations found during the pre- and monsoon seasons. Vertical profiles indicated an accumulation of TN% in the bottom 10 cm layer across both sites. To examine the influence of microbial mat chlorophyll a ( Chl a ) were observed and it ranged from 0.17–1.41 µg. g − 1 and were comparatively higher than chlorophyll b ( Chl b ) levels (0.11–0.79 µg. g − 1 ). Chl a peaked in the monsoon, while Chl b increased post-monsoon (Fig. 4 e). There was a strong positive correlation between Chl a and TN%, TC%, soil-water temperature, soil pH, water salinity, NH 4 + and negatively correlated with PO 4 3− . Soil pH remained alkaline (8.43–9.44), with lower values in the monsoon. It was noted that the soil pH was alkaline at experimental site throughout all seasons ranging between 8.43 up to 9.44. Overall soil pH was basic during monsoon season and was positively correlated with DO, water salinity, C: N and negatively correlated with moisture content, LOI%, WHC%, and nitrate (Fig. 5 a). Soil salinity ranged from 35–69‰ and was consistently higher in WM across seasons (Fig. 5 b). Soil temperatures ranged from 15–28°C, peaking during monsoon. The soil temperature correlated positively with DO, water pH, NO 2 - , NO 3 - and negatively with soil pH, water salinity and C: N. (Fig. 5 c). Lastly, the soil bulk density of M site was lower than WM due to presence of organic content and the values were high during the monsoon season. B.D. was found within the range of 0.83–1.25 g.cm -3 and was correlated (+) with TN%, TC%, soil-water pH, nitrite, ammonia, C: N and negatively correlated to Chl b , phosphate (Fig. 5 e). Channel water characteristics The Sandspit mangrove area encompasses a complex network of estuarine water channels that experience regular tidal inundation. The sites under investigation in this study were 100% dominated by Avicennia marina , a common mangrove species of that area. Measurements from these locations provided insight into the interaction between seasonal changes and nutrient dynamics. The mean concentrations of nutrients exchanged between the water column and the sediment are detailed in Table 1 . Notably, salinity in the channel waters peaked at 42‰ during the pre-monsoon season, followed by a decrease during subsequent monsoon and post-monsoon seasons (Fig. 5 b). Salinity of water was very positively significant with total TN%, DO, C/N and negatively significant with B.D., NO 2 - , NO 3 - . We observed some variations in dissolved oxygen levels; the M site contained more DO as compared to WM site (Fig. 5 d). Dissolved oxygen concentrations displayed spatial variability, with the M site consistently recording higher levels compared to the WM site. The monsoon season exhibited the highest DO levels overall. DO was significantly positively correlated with TC%, Chl a , NH 4 + , Chl a /b, B.D. and negatively correlated with PO 4 3- . Table 1 Nutrient exchange rates of water samples, means (± S.D.), collected in microbial mat and without mat area M (µmol.m − 2 .day − 1 ) WM (µmol.m − 2 .day − 1 ) Seasons NO 2 − NO 3 − NH 4 + PO 4 3− NO 2 − NO 3 − NH 4 + PO 4 3− Pre-monsoon −6.88 (2.51) −9.20 (38.12) 13.04 (25.44) −3.58 (10.81) −1.41 (2.62) −4.50 (5.17) −10.96 (128.26) 7.63 (6.47) Monsoon 1.02 (1.46) 11.77 (10.89) 11.37 (61.97) −2.85 (18.01) 1.79 (2.22) 3.38 (17.01) 6.68 (69.09) −1.75 (15.18) Post- monsoon −3.05 (12.14) 12.41 (17.45) −17.48 (15.46) 15.85 (10.05) 2.63 (1.17) −2.00 (3.01) −10.13 (12.68) 14.97 (9.79) Where, –values: uptake rate, +values: release rate, M: bell jar over microbial mat covered soil, WM: bell jar over fringe area, without microbial mat, NO 2 − nitrite ion, NO 3 − nitrate ion, NH 4 + ammonium ion, PO 4 3− phosphate ion. Water pH measurements were lowest during the monsoon period, coinciding with increased freshwater inflow (Fig. 5 a). There was a positive correlation between NO 2 - , NO 3 - and negative correlation between soil pH, water salinity, C/N and Chl a /b respectively. The highest water temperature, reaching up to 28°C (Fig. 5 c), was also recorded during the monsoon. Seasonal fluctuations in these physico-chemical properties were clearly evident. Our observations indicated strong relationships between these parameters, including a significant positive correlation between temperature and DO, water pH, nitrite, and nitrate, and a negative correlation with salinity and the C:N ratio (Table 2). Additionally, nutrient concentration dynamics reflected seasonal influence, with site M demonstrating more pronounced nutrient exchange than site WM. Table 2 Pearson Correlations between soil properties (0–10 cm depth) and Mangrove channel waters properties for the studied sites in Sandspit, Karachi Where, p -value < 0.05, rows and columns abbreviations are as follows, (TN) total nitrogen, (TC) total carbon, (DO) dissolved oxygen, (AIR ºC) air temperature, (SOIL ºC) soil temperature, (WATER ºC) water temperature, (Soil ‰) soil salinity, (B.D.) soil bulk density, (Water ‰) water salinity, (LOI) organic matter via loss of ignition, (WHC) water holding capacity, ( Chl a ,b) chlorophyll a,b. (NO 2 − ) nitrite, (NO 3 − ) nitrate, (NH 4 + ) ammonia, (PO 4 3− ) phosphate, (C/N) carbon-nitrogen ratio, and ( Chl a /b) chlorophyll a,b ratio respectively. Among nutrients observed the ammonia levels increased during pre-monsoon, while during the monsoon season, there were elevated levels of nitrate and ammonia release along with phosphate uptake. Finally, in the post-monsoon period, phosphate release and ammonium uptake were most prominent (Table 1 ). Overall, ammonium consistently presented the highest concentrations throughout all seasons. Its uptake and release rates reached − 17.48 ± 15.46 and 13.04 ± 25.44 mmol·m⁻²·day⁻¹, respectively. Maximum average PO 4 3− concentrations were found to be (up take) -3.58(± 10.81) and (release) 15.85(± 10.05) µmol.m − 2 .day − 1 which was positively correlated with TN%, TC%, moisture, soil salinity, nitrite, nitrate and negatively correlated with Chl a : b. The increased concentrations of Nitrate (uptake − 9.2(± 38.12), release 12.41(± 17.45) µmol.m − 2 day − 1 ) and nitrite (uptake − 6.88(± 2.51) release 2.63(± 1.17) µmol.m − 2 .day − 1 ) were relatively low as compared to ammonium. No strong correlation was found between nitrite and other factors except for Chl b and LOI% having positive correlation. There was also a significant positive correlation between nitrate and DO, TN%, soil salinity, Chl a and a strong negative correlation with C/N. The highest rates of NH 4 + (uptake) -17.48(± 15.46) and (release) 13.04 (± 25.44) µmol.m − 2 .day − 1 . NH 4 + showed significant positive correlation with TN%, TC%, NO 2 − , NO 3 − , Chl a : b, C%, water pH, soil salinity, moisture content and a negative correlation with PO 4 3− respectively (Table 2). In both studied sites M and WM, the nitrite concentrations were lowest as compared to other observed nutrients. NH 4 + and PO 4 3− levels were found to be the highest during all seasons. PCA and Cluster analysis The PCA was applied to minimize the complexity of variables data. It showed how sediment relates to 20 different variables during seasons. The PCA ordination of sediment reveal positive aggregation of conditions 1, 2, 5, 6 9, 10 and negative group of conditions 3, 4, 7, 8, 11, 12 on PC1 axis. On PC2 axis positive cluster of conditions 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8 and negative aggregation of conditions 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 12 were recorded (Fig. 6 , S2 Fig.). PC1 axis was accounted for 44% of the variance and was strongly related to soil salinity (-0.65), LOI (0.38), WHC (0.26), Moisture content (0.40) and ammonia (0.34). The second significant axis PC2 was accounted for 32% of variance and was mainly related to soil temperature (0.24), soil salinity (0.49), ammonia (0.65) and phosphate (-0.43) respectively (Table 3 ). These are considered to be integral factors related to mangrove sediment associated microbes. A score plot of these two soil and nutrient parameters illustrates the strong relationship between soil site and presence or absence of microbial mat (Fig. 6 ). The seasons were not easily discerned. Mainly, clusters were formed on the basis of M and WM types. These sites were influenced by a combination of soil variables considered in this study. As such on PC1, WM soils of pre monsoon (conditions 3, 4) monsoon (7, 8) and post monsoon (11, 12) were clustered closely and M soil of pre monsoon (1,2) monsoon (5,6) and post monsoon (9,10) were expected to have a combined cluster. There was an exception of WM (conditions 7, 8) and M (9,10) on PC2 which were clustered with opposite soil types inferring some similarity in monsoon WM and post monsoon M soil condition. Ranking the variables by cluster analysis showed seasonal data was divided into three groups (Fig. 7 ) based on soil type. The sediments can be clearly differentiated in to M and WM, this distribution showed that there are no drastic changes within M and WM sediments (up to 10 cm depth) with respect to seasons except for post monsoon M soil (conditions 9, 10) that formed a separate cluster. One-way ANOVA analysis revealed that the cluster results were significantly different ( p < 0.05). These clusters appear to be based on sediment salinity, net moisture, N and P content at each sediment site, though other variables may also play a role in the cluster formation. The PCA and cluster analysis provides a qualitative analysis suggesting that the microbial mat plays an integral role in maintaining the complex nature of associated soil through all seasons and is an important part of mangrove vegetation. There must be other discriminating variables affecting these sites which were not revealed by our current physico-chemical measurements of two sediment types. Table 3 PCA results showing the first three components for twenty physico-chemical sediment and nutrient variables in twelve conditions at Sandspit mangrove Variables PC1 PC2 PC3 TN (%) 0.01 -0.01 -0.03 TC (%) 0.00 0.00 0.01 DO (mg/L) 0.01 0.01 -0.01 AIR (ºC) 0.04 0.21 0.18 SOIL (ºC) 0.03 0.24 0.32 WATER (ºC) 0.02 0.18 0.29 WATER pH 0.00 0.00 0.01 Soil pH -0.01 -0.01 -0.01 Soil (‰) -0.65 0.49 0.26 Water (‰) -0.01 -0.09 -0.13 B.D (g/cm − 3 ) 0.00 0.01 0.00 LOI (%) 0.38 0.03 0.26 WHC (%) 0.26 0.04 0.08 Moisture (%) 0.40 -0.07 0.25 Chl a (µg.g − 1 ) 0.01 0.01 -0.01 C hl b (µg.g − 1 ) 0.00 -0.01 0.01 NO 2 − (µmol.m − 2 .h − 1 ) -0.11 0.09 0.18 NO 3 − (µmol.m − 2 .h − 1) 0.15 -0.03 0.62 NH 4 + (µmol.m − 2 .h − 1) 0.34 0.65 -0.31 PO 4 3− (µmol.m − 2 .h − 1) -0.23 -0.43 0.23 Eigenvalue 339.643 244.852 157.003 % variance 44.277 31.92 20.467 Where, (TN) total nitrogen, (TC) total carbon, (DO) dissolved oxygen, (AIR ºC) air temperature, (SOIL ºC) soil temperature, (WATER ºC) water temperature, (Soil ‰) soil salinity, (B.D.) soil bulk density, (Water ‰) water salinity, (LOI) organic matter via loss of ignition, (WHC) water holding capacity, ( Chl a ,b) chlorophyll a,b. (NO 2 − ) nitrite, (NO 3 − ) nitrate, (NH 4 + ) ammonia, and (PO 4 3− ) phosphate. The twelve different conditions were as follows, (1)Pre-Monsoon M top, 2)Pre-Monsoon M bottom, 3)Pre-Monsoon WM top, 4)Pre-Monsoon WM bottom, 5)Monsoon M top, 6)Monsoon M bottom, 7)Monsoon WM top, 8)Monsoon WM bottom, 9)Post-Monsoon M top, 10)Post-Monsoon M bottom, 11)Post-Monsoon WM top, 12)Post-Monsoon WM bottom) at two sites mat area (M) and without mat area (WM) (top,0–5 cm and bottom,5–10 cm sediment section) Discussion Channel water characteristics The results suggested that fluctuations in salinity, DO, and nutrient concentrations were closely linked to tidal cycles, rainfall, evaporation, transpiration, and anthropogenic activities. The increased DO levels recorded during the monsoon can be attributed to enhance freshwater influx and elevated photosynthetic activity, supporting earlier studies of Saravanakumar et al. ( 2008 ). In addition, the reduced pH levels during monsoon seasons were likely influenced by dilution from freshwater input and increased CO₂ removal by photosynthesizing organisms (Lovelock et al., 2005 ). The elevated phosphate concentrations observed across multiple seasons reinforce the conclusion that phosphate is not a limiting nutrient in this ecosystem (Ishfaq et al., 2025 ). This finding aligns with Ariyanto & Pringgenies (2025), who noted that moderate salinity in wetland areas can support higher primary productivity. The source of high PO₄³⁻ concentrations may include tidal influxes of seawater containing dissolved phosphate (Chen & Twilley, 1999a ) and sediment resuspension due to water turbulence (Farooq & Arshad, 2021 ), and external loads from domestic and industrial effluents, as supported by Shafique et al. (2020). Additionally, the lack of strong correlation between nitrite and other parameters suggests that nitrite plays a relatively diminished role here. The high NH 4 + levels throughout the seasons may result from active microbial processes such as ammonification, influenced by organic matter decomposition and nitrification (Allen et al., 2011 ). These patterns reflect efficient nitrogen transformation, possibly including nitrate reduction into ammonium under specific anoxic conditions, consistent with earlier studies of Chen & Twilley ( 1999b ). The persistently low nitrate levels suggest that, denitrification processes might be occurring effectively, reducing nitrate to other nitrogenous compounds or gases (Rodríguez et al., 2024 ). These observations also indicate that nitrogen cycling in the studied mangrove ecosystem just like other mangrove systems is complex and likely mediated by microbial activity and sediment interactions (Sastranegara, 2025 ). Another reason for prominent NH 4 + levels may be due to microbial decomposition, nitrification, and detrital breakdown (Hu et al., 2024 ; Rajasekar et al., 2005 ). These biological processes likely convert nitrogenous organic compounds into ammonium ions, as discussed in recent work by Zhang et al. (2020). Cyanobacterial mats, present on the forest floor, could also enhance nitrogen transformation processes (Li et al., 2025 ), in addition to the influence of tidal and freshwater inputs (Rodríguez et al., 2024 ). Anthropogenic sources such as wastewater runoff and agricultural discharges may also increase nutrient loads, enhancing microbial respiration and transformation of nitrogen and phosphorus (Chen et al., 2012 ). Lastly, the physical and chemical parameters measured in this study showed patterns similar to those observed in other mangrove ecosystems in Southeast Asia (Farooqui, 2012; Saravanakumar et al., 2008 ; Shafique et al., 2020) and were also comparable to values reported at the Citanduy mangroves in Indonesia (Moll, 2011 ). This indicates that the increase in certain nutrient levels leading to environmental interactions observed in this study are not an isolated occurrences but are instead consistent with broader regional trends in tropical mangrove systems that may be partially or fully compromised with city runoff. Sediment Characteristics The sediment analysis revealed higher concentrations of TN%, TC%, DO, LOI%, WHC%, and chlorophyll content in the M area which indicate the influence of microbial mats, that promotes the accumulation of organic matter and enhance sediment quality. Such microbial associations are known to increase nutrient retention and microbial biomass, contributing to greater nitrogen and carbon levels in the soil (Bhavsar et al., 2014 ; Wooler et al., 2003). Seasonal variation in sediment texture reflects dynamic sediment deposition influenced by tidal inundation and monsoonal factors, such as storm surges and freshwater influx. This aligns with observations that monsoon enhances sediment deposition through biological activity like crab burrowing (author observation; Cuadrado et al., 2011 ). Surface areas with lower ranges of TC% may be due to root system of Avicennia which is present in close proximity of top soil (Marchand et al., 2004 ). The vertical increase of TC% in the M area can be attributed to microbial mat presence and reduced decomposition under anaerobic conditions, while surface accumulation in WM may be due to tidal wash and less microbial retention that may results in high content of organic matter on these sites at depths of 10 cm and more (Cerón-Bretón et al., 2011 ). The total organic content was not high as compared to other south-east Asian mangrove ecosystem studies (Bhavsar et al., 2014 ; Moll, 2011 ), but it was similar to Bangladesh mangrove study (Hossain et al., 2012 ). Increase in N content may also favor rapid mineralization and assimilation by microbial biomass (Levin et al., 2001 ). Sediment particles trap fine detritus matter generating an increased population of nitrifiers thus resulting high nitrogen levels in sediments up to 10 cm (Wheeller & Krichman, 1986), but the low C:N ratios in deeper soil suggest rapid degradation of organic matter and active microbial processes, consistent with other tropical mangrove systems (Marchand et al., 2003 ; Molnar er al., 2014). Higher WHC% in mat-covered sediments supports earlier findings that organic-rich sediments hold more water and facilitate root respiration and nutrient exchange (Ariyanto et al., 2025 ). Also Moisture content peaks during monsoon, possibly due to enhanced rainfall and flooding. The positive association with TN%, DO, and other nutrient factors reinforces that high-moisture sediments support greater microbial and primary productivity. LOI% trends also correlate with increased biological activity during monsoon and detritus settling on sediment surfaces (Shafique, & Siddiqui, 2025 ). The chlorophyll levels, particularly higher Chl a , signal active primary productivity and photosynthetic microbial presence. Seasonal peaks correspond with favorable monsoon conditions and cyanobacterial mat development (Facca et al., 2007) which unfortunately is an invasive pollution indicator species of mat observed in an earlier experiment (Ahmed et al., 2016 ). The pH variation is likely due to increased CO₂ solubility and freshwater dilution during monsoon, reducing alkalinity. Similar values have been observed in mangrove regions with regular tidal exchange (Ariyanto & Pringgenies, 2024 ). Soil salinity variations between sites and seasons indicate differential seawater intrusion and evaporation rates. The high values in WM suggest less organic buffering compared to M. Soil temperature patterns, consistent with earlier studies that highlight the influence of canopy shading and freshwater inflow (Saravanakumar et al., 2008 ; Talburst & Chapman, 2007 ). Lower bulk density in the M area confirms organic enrichment, while seasonal peaks suggest compaction during monsoon flooding. All of which contributes to soil transformation from uninhabitable area to fertile coastal ground. It was observed that researched site till present is quite compromised and is not suitable for recreational activities and commercial fishing due to contamination by wastewater which is detrimental to mangrove (Suhail et al., 2024 ), other immediate threats to the Sandspit mangrove ecosystem includes reclamation of land for building projects, development of cottage and heavy industries, desolation of habitat, overgrazing and seawater intrusion (Damhoureyeh & Ghalib, 2014 ). Effective remedial strategies are required to minimize current adverse conditions. Present study will initiate further assessment of significant coastal eco systems associated with Pakistan’s coastal belt. There is further need of an elaborate temporal scale study to analyze the intricacies of sediment associated microbial processes in the habitat and their long term impact on the productivity of the mangrove ecosystem. There is also a need to assess the long term changes to soil sediment which could benefit in future restoration of Sandspit and other related ecosystems. Conclusion This study highlights the critical role of microbial mats in shaping sediment composition and nutrient dynamics in the Sandspit mangrove backwaters. Seasonal variations influenced water nutrient levels and edaphic characteristics, but the presence of microbial mats had a more pronounced impact than monsoonal changes alone. Soils covered by mats exhibited higher organic content, finer texture, and increased levels of total nitrogen and carbon, contributing to enhanced water holding capacity and nutrient retention. In contrast, fringe areas without mats had coarser sediments and lower nutrient levels. The correlation of soil variables with waterborne nutrients such as nitrite, nitrate, ammonium, and phosphate underscores the intricate interactions between terrestrial and aquatic components of the mangrove ecosystem. Statistical analysis confirmed distinct sediment profiles associated with mat presence, regardless of seasonal shifts. These findings emphasize the ecological significance of microbial mats in maintaining soil stability, influencing biogeochemical cycles, and supporting the productivity of mangrove ecosystems, thereby offering essential insights for the management and rehabilitation of similar coastal habitats. Declarations Competing Interests The authors declare no competing interests. Funding No funding to declare. Author Contribution All authors contributed significantly to the study. Y. Z. A. led the conceptualization, data curation, field sampling, and original draft preparation, with key support from S. S. and Z. B. in analysis, methodology, and supervision. M.R. and T. A.provided methodological input, validation, and review, while C. H. assisted with formatting and supplementary research.P. J. A. S. contributed to project resources and oversight. Acknowledgement Authors would like to thank Dr. Stjepko Golubic, Professor Emeritus, Biological Science Center, Boston University, USA, for his kind comments and suggestions. Data Availability Data available upon request. References Abbas, S., Mueen, Q. F., Ghaffar, A. N. K. T., Khurram, S. R. S., & Gilani, H. (2013). An assessment of status and distribution of mangrove forest cover in Pakistan. International Journal of Environmental Sciences, 6 , 64–78. Ahmed, Y. Z., Shafique, S., Zaib-un-Nisa, B. U., & Siddique, P. 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Islamabad, Pakistan. Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7096480","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":498821975,"identity":"a6d182cc-e5ab-4724-9102-66723808e8b5","order_by":0,"name":"Yasmeen Zamir Ahmed","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA4klEQVRIie3PuwrCMBSA4VMCcal1Vbw+QqWgm75KRXAK7uLQQqGTPoBv4RQcWwSzxL0lg7dZ1E0HwdRVSDs65B9CCOcjCYBO968ZvlzY4rs3reKEc4BIElycJORLIJfYLIjgtaEtK73GlwcZNDCg0zlREb5zjSUXTk1Mx3ZMx/Jh2HGIiiSk/yyHYrQWpFeNKZLExHUlOdzuxjsU3jrlGfEKkMQEJG9x5SYj23xS4xMbNUPRXXHi2HvKTIxy/mKx7dG4hqJtMd49zuh8WCkFp4uKdKKfI6QYz2r7OQM6nU6ngw86ek62g2BWMQAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Dalian Maritime University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yasmeen","middleName":"Zamir","lastName":"Ahmed","suffix":""},{"id":498821976,"identity":"07163bab-8509-4d84-9435-fa61b733531a","order_by":1,"name":"Seema Shafique","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Karachi","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Seema","middleName":"","lastName":"Shafique","suffix":""},{"id":498821977,"identity":"3bea099e-1343-4000-9140-d2e4bfa96dd7","order_by":2,"name":"Zaib-Un-Nisa Burhan","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Karachi","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Zaib-Un-Nisa","middleName":"","lastName":"Burhan","suffix":""},{"id":498821978,"identity":"f1b165ce-2d95-4bd4-8d55-5b77128a8c5c","order_by":3,"name":"Munawar Rasheed","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Karachi","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Munawar","middleName":"","lastName":"Rasheed","suffix":""},{"id":498821979,"identity":"23191b5a-101c-4840-99bd-789855cc35bd","order_by":4,"name":"Tariq Ali","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Karachi","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Tariq","middleName":"","lastName":"Ali","suffix":""},{"id":498821980,"identity":"1d931641-952e-4b05-9b19-a4de818c27f6","order_by":5,"name":"Hui Chang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Dalian Maritime University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hui","middleName":"","lastName":"Chang","suffix":""},{"id":498821981,"identity":"78fae1a6-90f9-41bd-b91e-6536b1d2e25d","order_by":6,"name":"Pirzada Jamal Ahmed Siddique","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Karachi","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Pirzada","middleName":"Jamal Ahmed","lastName":"Siddique","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-07-11 00:08:08","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7096480/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7096480/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":88964154,"identity":"07536ddf-42bf-4330-a961-1c5732dd3b22","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-08-13 08:39:47","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":406794,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eMap showing studied area in Karachi coast (Sandspit)\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7096480/v1/2fe464cd3dba67d2696b6cbd.png"},{"id":88964115,"identity":"4d30a196-d6fa-4e64-8ec3-c002b2065eb4","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-08-13 08:39:44","extension":"png","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":313252,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eGrain size percent composition of mat covered (M) and without mat (WM) sediments during pre-monsoon, monsoon and post monsoon seasons\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7096480/v1/c62bb23ae8e6461a9d147bff.png"},{"id":88964151,"identity":"504ba70c-ba32-43a8-aefb-7aa0218db71a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-08-13 08:39:47","extension":"png","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":302069,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eMean (±S.E.) Total Carbon and Nitrogen composition of the sediment in the Sandspit Mangrove area, M=mat area, WM=without mat fringe area, N=nitrogen, C=carbon\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7096480/v1/327859b9d1a493e033bc3fca.png"},{"id":88964156,"identity":"44c4126a-de4a-4fe2-ba90-7f771000900c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-08-13 08:39:48","extension":"png","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":128597,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eVertical profiles of (A) Water holding capacity, (B) Moisture content, (C) Organic matter via Loss of ignition, (D) Carbon-Nitrogen ratio and (E) Chlorophyll a-b ratio measured at mat covered (M) and fringe (without mat) (WM) sites during pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon seasons. Plotted values are mean of triplicate, (±S.E.)\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"4.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7096480/v1/49d8ab9bde7a980165c78f5d.png"},{"id":88964934,"identity":"638cf7e6-bbd7-401b-8c70-e5b1a9906dff","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-08-13 08:47:47","extension":"png","order_by":5,"title":"Figure 5","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":265126,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAverage values (±S.E.) of soil and water (A) pH, (B) salinity, (C) temperature, (D) dissolved oxygen and (E) bulk density at the study sites of Sandspit mangrove mat area (M) and Fringe without mat area (WM) during the climatic pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon seasons.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"5.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7096480/v1/4e4a9f511e6e7259a93a9021.png"},{"id":88964124,"identity":"69385fb0-ac43-4a01-807f-a529c22c3999","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-08-13 08:39:45","extension":"png","order_by":6,"title":"Figure 6","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":76329,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eTwo dimensional PCA ordination of Sandspit mangrove channel waters variables and sediment characters in twelve different conditions\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"6.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7096480/v1/b1fdc2a374e6d9e81bcedadd.png"},{"id":88964111,"identity":"28db9028-c1bd-4cac-a1d5-59908be3d031","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-08-13 08:39:43","extension":"png","order_by":7,"title":"Figure 7","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":39649,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eDendrogram (Cluster analysis) of physical and chemical variables of channel water and sediments under different seasonal conditions up to 10 cm depth\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"7.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7096480/v1/7e66e944931ed573f6a0c255.png"},{"id":88964935,"identity":"fc475ae8-5138-4b85-bfdc-512391515dd1","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-08-13 08:47:53","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":2887638,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7096480/v1/d9a152a6-d19f-44f6-bb69-fa4f756b8d14.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Microbial mats associated with mangroves provide soil stabilization and modify nutrient chemistry over monsoon cycles","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eMangroves are productive tropical and subtropical ecosystems, which serve as an efficient ecological and economic resource. Mangroves provide unique estuarine habitats for a variety of animals and act as an excellent breeding ground for shrimps(WWF, 2008). They protect against harmful effects of coastline erosion, thunder storms and tsunami. Mangrove is considered to be carbon sink as well as the site of accumulation of sediment and nutrients (Alongi, et al., 2008; Bouillon et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e). Mangrove forest floor is covered by dense microbial mat. The mat is a complex community mainly structured by benthic bacteria, cyanobacteria and diatoms (Ahmed et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e; Noffke et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR52\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2002\u003c/span\u003e0) and serve as a food source for various members of benthic fauna (Anderson \u0026amp; Kristensen, 2002). The microorganisms in form of biofilms and microbial mats prevent sediment erosion and biologically stabilize the sediment substrate. These structures act as an efficient tool for sediment trapping and mineral-nutirent deposition (Friend et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e; Noffke, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR51\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e). Mangrove sediments entrap organic carbon from detrital and other marine sources. Microbial mat associated with mangrove environment influence the carbon sequestration resulting in an increased carbon budget (Alongi, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e; Bouillon et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2004\u003c/span\u003e). The microbial mat also contributes to input of detrital material present in mangrove top soil which is consumed by fiddler crabs and gastropods (Kristensen \u0026amp; Alongi, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR41\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e). The mangrove sediment degrades and stores organic material and other nutrient and minerals but it also transports these material selectively to adjacent ecosystems via tidal cycle (Dittmar et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e; Kristensen, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR40\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e). The remineralization of detrital material by fungi and bacteria, generates essential nutrients for microalgae present in form of microbial mat (Lee, 2018). The two main components soil and water, are extremely relevant to analyze because hydrological changes effect the soil and its associated flora (Decho et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1985\u003c/span\u003e) and the sediment structure directly and indirectly influences the associated habitat (Hogue \u0026amp; Miller, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1981\u003c/span\u003e). Properties of sediments such as porosity, grain size, water content, organic matter content (Chapman \u0026amp; Tolhurst, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e), salinity (Jansen, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1985\u003c/span\u003e) play a significant role in maintaining the diversity and abundance of associated habitat.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePakistan has the world largest arid zone mangrove forest (Abbas et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e). The coastal area of Pakistan is broadly distributed into Baluchistan coast (745 Km) and Sindh coast (245 km, including Karachi coastal area and Indus Delta) (GoP, 2007). Karachi coast is included in Global 200 Ecoregions and it consists of two significant sites: Karachi Harbour and Sanspit backwaters area. Sandspit is situated 18 Km southwest of Karachi city and runs parallel to the Arabian Sea coast (Damhoureyeh \u0026amp; Ghalib, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e). The manora channel adjacent to Sandspit area is heavily polluted due to municipal and industrial waste that are discharged into backwaters area through Layari and Malir rivers respectively (Zaigham, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR73\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2004\u003c/span\u003e). This input directly influences the Mangrove ecosystem and causes poor water quality and reduced species diversity and flourishing of invasive pollution indicator species (Hu et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e). Earlier studies showed that the mangrove ecosystem is under severe stress due to marine pollution caused by anthropogenic factors (Kausar et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2025\u003c/span\u003e; Suhail et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR67\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn Pakistan, Studies on various aspects of Sandspit mangrove area were conducted including, sediment grain size (Qureshi \u0026amp; Sultana, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR55\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e), vegetation (Rashid \u0026amp; Abbas, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR59\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e), Mangrove flora and fauna (Shafique \u0026amp; Siddiqui, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR64\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2025\u003c/span\u003e; Siddiqui et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR65\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e), Litter production and pore water nutrients (Farooqui et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e), Benthic fauna and granulometric characters (Qureshi et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR56\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e), Elemental Soil analysis (Noor et al, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR53\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e), and Sediment chlorophyll content (Farooq \u0026amp; Siddiqui, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e). But the seasonal studies related to Sandspit mangrove sediment and hydrological parameters were not up to date.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe present work compares the dynamics of seasons; (pre monsoon, monsoon and post monsoon with physicochemical soil-water associated variables. The two types of sediment characteristics of mangrove forest floor: soil covered with microbial mat (M) and fringe area without microbial mat (WM), were defined using analytical tools such as total carbon (TC) and nitrogen content (TN), organic carbon (LOI), moisture, bulk density (B.D.), water holding capacity(WHC) and grain size analysis. Dissolved inorganic nutrients nitrite (NO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e−\u003c/sup\u003e), nitrate (NO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e−\u003c/sup\u003e), phosphate (PO\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e3−\u003c/sup\u003e) and ammonia (NH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e+\u003c/sup\u003e) in channel water were also examined by the bell jar method.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Methods","content":"\u003cp\u003eSite description\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSandspit mangrove backwaters forest area is situated at (24º49’05.63” N, 66º56’37.21” E) southwest of Karachi city (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). The Sandspit study area is divaricated by land having mudflats and mangrove forest area on its northern side whereas, sandy coastal beach alongside the Arabian Sea on its southern site. The area is between Manora channel and Hawksbay area and adjacent to residential, industrial and navy dockyard area. It is heavily polluted and the waste water from northern sites of Lyari and Malir Rivers which flows into mangrove area. The mangrove belt is covered by monospecific Vegetation of \u003cem\u003eAvicennia marina\u003c/em\u003e. This backwater forest is connected to Arabian Sea via Karachi harbor. The sea water enters from southeastern site of harbor area and pass through Chari Kund channel finally entering into the back water channel of Sandspit area. The forest floor is submerged under water 2 times a day due to tidal cycle. Average temperature is around 29 ºC ‰-30+ ºC. Salinity of water and soil may reach up to 40+ ‰, 50+ ‰. Average pH of water is usually 7.8 and soil is up to 8.5 respectively.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eField Sampling\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe collection period was distributed into Pre-monsoon, Monsoon and Post-monsoon seasons. Samples dataset was compiled for the collection period 2010–2015. As the main aim of this study was to examine the relationship between seasons, sediment and inorganic nutrient, the ecological characteristics were determined within 1 sq. meter quadrates that were placed at two study sites of mangrove mat area (M) and, mangrove without mat area (WM). Data recorded form quadrates includes field parameters (temperature, salinity, pH) and sediments analysis (organic matter content, moisture content, bulk density, total carbon and nitrogen content, chlorophyll a and b content, grain size, water holding capacity). Bell jar was used to determine hydrological parameters. All the samples were collected and analyzed in triplicate and mean of data, ± standard deviation was computed.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSediment analysis\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSediment samples were collected by core method. Plastic corers were used to retrieve 10 cm long core samples. The samples were wrapped in aluminum foil and stored in icebox. In laboratory, the cores were sectioned in to equal top mid and bottom sections (3.3 cm each). Each section was sub-sectioned into portions for different analysis. Sediment moisture content was determined by standard method. 1 gm of soil sample from each section was weighted before and after 24 hrs., 110 ºC oven treatment. Sediment organic content was recorded using standard A.O.A.C. method (AOAC, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1970\u003c/span\u003e). Difference of 1gm sample was taken after 8hrs-550ºC muffle furnace treatment. Sediment total organic carbon content was determined by the wet oxidation of carbon by acid dichromate and spectrophotometric method. Sediment Chlorophyll a and b content were examined spectrophotometrically (664,647nm) according to the Spectrophotometric methods (Strickland and Parson, 1972). Sediment Grain size analysis (100 gm, 50 cm iron corer was used) of sediment sample was determined using the method described in earlier studies (Alfaro, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e). Soil pH was examined by using 1mM KCL (Merk) and salinity was recorded by using the methods described earlier (Pansu and Gautheyrou, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR54\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e; Shafique, \u0026amp; Siddiqui, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR64\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2025\u003c/span\u003e). Sediment total nitrogen content was analyzed by Kjeldahl method (Mann, 1978). Soil bulk density was estimated according to the method of USDA-NRCS (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR69\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1996\u003c/span\u003e) and finally, Water holding capacity was determined by method of ISO 11274/1998 (Wilke, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR70\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChannel water analysis\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBell jars capacity 21 liters were placed and manually operated (Asmis et al., 2000) at M and WM sites. Water samples were withdrawn at regular 45 minutes interval for 13 hours, one tidal cycle. Water samples were stored in ice box and analyzed within 24 hours. Samples were filtered (0.45 µm, Whatman GF/F) and analyzed by spectrophotometer (UV-1800 /Shimadzu). Nitrite, Nitrate, Ammonium and Phosphate were determined spectrophotometrically (Strickland and Parsons, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR66\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1972\u003c/span\u003e). Chlorophyll a and b (\u003cem\u003eChl a\u003c/em\u003e, b) were examined by acetone extraction and dissolved oxygen (DO) was recorded by modified Winkler method. Other hydrological parameters were also detected; sediment-air-water temperatures were observed by thermometer (ºC mercury, standard). Water salinity was recorded by handheld field refractometer (ATAGO 0161633, Japan) and electrical pH meter (ELEMETRON, CP-401) was used for pH.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBenthic Flux Formula and Statistical analysis\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNet benthic flux was calculated by the following equation, (Bartoli et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2003\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eF= {V. (C\u003csub\u003ef\u003c/sub\u003e-C\u003csub\u003ei\u003c/sub\u003e)/A. T}\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhere, F = element flux (µmol m\u003csup\u003e− 2\u003c/sup\u003e h\u003csup\u003e− 1\u003c/sup\u003e), C\u003csub\u003ei\u003c/sub\u003e= Initial concentration of element (µM), C\u003csub\u003ef\u003c/sub\u003e= Final concentration of element (µM), A = measured surface area of the sediment (m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e), V = total volume of water (l) and T = total time of incubation (h). The positive values represented exchange from sediment into water column (release rate) and negative values corresponded with exchange from water to sediment (uptake rate) respectively.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe observed data were computed by R programming for initial processing of raw data. Microsoft Excel, 2013 was used for graphical interpretations and estimation of flux rates within 24 hours. To examine correlation of physical and chemical factors under different seasonal conditions, Minitab 17.0 software was used for the determination of Pearson correlation (p \u0026lt; 0.05, double checked by statistical software PAST), one-way ANOVA (p α 0.05), Principle component analysis (PCA) and Cluster analysis (dendrogram). The graphical values plotted were of N = 3 means (± S.E).\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cp\u003eSediment Characteristics\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSediment characteristics in the mangrove with microbial mat (M) and without microbial mat (WM) areas exhibited notable differences in physico-chemical parameters. The M area demonstrated higher values of total nitrogen (TN%), total carbon (TC%), dissolved oxygen (DO), organic matter content (LOI%), water holding capacity (WHC%), moisture content, and chlorophyll a and b concentrations compared to the WM area. Seasonal variations were evident in sediment composition, particularly in grain size distribution, with the WM site exhibiting the highest percentage of medium sand during the post-monsoon season, whereas, the M site recorded elevated fine sand content in the pre-monsoon period. Profile suggests variation in sediment deposition during three seasons. The sediment was categorized into coarse (250\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;500\u0026micro;m/ 1\u0026ndash;2ϕ), medium (125\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;250\u0026micro;m/ 2\u0026ndash;3ϕ), fine sand (90\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;125\u0026micro;m/ 3-3.5ϕ) and silt (\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;63\u0026micro;m/4\u0026ndash;6ϕ). The medium sand was found to be in highest percentage followed by fine sands (Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTotal organic carbon ranged between 0.47\u0026ndash;1.01 percent and was more concentrated in the M area. Vertical distribution indicated increased TC% with depth in M sites, while WM sites showed higher concentrations near the surface (Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e). WHC% was higher in the M site, especially during the monsoon season (34%) and lowest in post-monsoon (16%). Top and mid-layers had higher WHC% than the bottom layer (Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003ea). Moisture content ranged from 16\u0026ndash;37% across sites and was highest during the monsoon at the M site (Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003eb). Organic content observed via loss of ignition (LOI %) ranged between 13\u0026ndash;38%, highest during the monsoon, and showed greater values in the mid-section at WM and top layers at M. Vertical profile showed high values in mid-section of WM site and top sections of M site.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLoss of ignition was significantly positively correlated with TN%, B.D., WHC%, moisture content, \u003cem\u003eChl a\u003c/em\u003e, nitrate (Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003ec). A positive correlation was found between TC% and air\u0026ndash;water-soil temperatures, water pH, WHC%, LOI%, moisture content, nitrate and negative correlation with soil pH, water salinity and C: N. The vertical profile of C: N showed that the ratio was variable with depth. The C:N ratio varied by depth, with lower values observed in the deeper layers (Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003ed). Total nitrogen levels ranged from 5.90\u0026ndash;10.95%, with the highest concentrations found during the pre- and monsoon seasons. Vertical profiles indicated an accumulation of TN% in the bottom 10 cm layer across both sites.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo examine the influence of microbial mat chlorophyll \u003cem\u003ea\u003c/em\u003e (\u003cem\u003eChl a\u003c/em\u003e) were observed and it ranged from 0.17\u0026ndash;1.41 \u0026micro;g. g\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e and were comparatively higher than chlorophyll \u003cem\u003eb\u003c/em\u003e (\u003cem\u003eChl b\u003c/em\u003e) levels (0.11\u0026ndash;0.79 \u0026micro;g. g\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e). \u003cem\u003eChl a\u003c/em\u003e peaked in the monsoon, while \u003cem\u003eChl b\u003c/em\u003e increased post-monsoon (Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003ee). There was a strong positive correlation between \u003cem\u003eChl a\u003c/em\u003e and TN%, TC%, soil-water temperature, soil pH, water salinity, NH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e+\u003c/sup\u003e and negatively correlated with PO\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e3\u0026minus;\u003c/sup\u003e. Soil pH remained alkaline (8.43\u0026ndash;9.44), with lower values in the monsoon. It was noted that the soil pH was alkaline at experimental site throughout all seasons ranging between 8.43 up to 9.44. Overall soil pH was basic during monsoon season and was positively correlated with DO, water salinity, C: N and negatively correlated with moisture content, LOI%, WHC%, and nitrate (Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003ea).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSoil salinity ranged from 35\u0026ndash;69\u0026permil; and was consistently higher in WM across seasons (Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003eb). Soil temperatures ranged from 15\u0026ndash;28\u0026deg;C, peaking during monsoon. The soil temperature correlated positively with DO, water pH, NO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e-\u003c/sup\u003e, NO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e-\u003c/sup\u003e and negatively with soil pH, water salinity and C: N. (Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003ec). Lastly, the soil bulk density of M site was lower than WM due to presence of organic content and the values were high during the monsoon season. B.D. was found within the range of 0.83\u0026ndash;1.25 g.cm\u003csup\u003e-3\u003c/sup\u003e and was correlated (+) with TN%, TC%, soil-water pH, nitrite, ammonia, C: N and negatively correlated to \u003cem\u003eChl b\u003c/em\u003e, phosphate (Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003ee).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eChannel water characteristics\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Sandspit mangrove area encompasses a complex network of estuarine water channels that experience regular tidal inundation. The sites under investigation in this study were 100% dominated by \u003cem\u003eAvicennia marina\u003c/em\u003e, a common mangrove species of that area. Measurements from these locations provided insight into the interaction between seasonal changes and nutrient dynamics. The mean concentrations of nutrients exchanged between the water column and the sediment are detailed in Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e. Notably, salinity in the channel waters peaked at 42\u0026permil; during the pre-monsoon season, followed by a decrease during subsequent monsoon and post-monsoon seasons (Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003eb). Salinity of water was very positively significant with total TN%, DO, C/N and negatively significant with B.D., NO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e-\u003c/sup\u003e, NO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e-\u003c/sup\u003e. We observed some variations in dissolved oxygen levels; the M site contained more DO as compared to WM site (Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003ed). Dissolved oxygen concentrations displayed spatial variability, with the M site consistently recording higher levels compared to the WM site. The monsoon season exhibited the highest DO levels overall. DO was significantly positively correlated with TC%, \u003cem\u003eChl a\u003c/em\u003e, NH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e+\u003c/sup\u003e, \u003cem\u003eChl a\u003c/em\u003e/b, B.D. and negatively correlated with PO\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e3-\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e\n \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNutrient exchange rates of water samples, means (\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;S.D.), collected in microbial mat and without mat area\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/caption\u003e\n \u003cthead\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"5\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eM (\u0026micro;mol.m\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;2\u003c/sup\u003e.day\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"4\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eWM (\u0026micro;mol.m\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;2\u003c/sup\u003e.day\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSeasons\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e+\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePO\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e3\u0026minus;\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e+\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePO\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e3\u0026minus;\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/thead\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePre-monsoon\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;6.88 (2.51)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;9.20 (38.12)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e13.04 (25.44)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;3.58 (10.81)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;1.41 (2.62)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;4.50 (5.17)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;10.96 (128.26)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7.63 (6.47)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMonsoon\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.02 (1.46)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e11.77 (10.89)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e11.37 (61.97)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;2.85 (18.01)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.79 (2.22)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.38 (17.01)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e6.68 (69.09)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;1.75 (15.18)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePost- monsoon\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;3.05 (12.14)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e12.41 (17.45)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;17.48 (15.46)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e15.85 (10.05)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.63 (1.17)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;2.00 (3.01)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;10.13 (12.68)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"char\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e14.97 (9.79)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhere, \u0026ndash;values: uptake rate, +values: release rate, M: bell jar over microbial mat covered soil, WM: bell jar over fringe area, without microbial mat, NO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/sup\u003e nitrite ion, NO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/sup\u003e nitrate ion, NH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e+\u003c/sup\u003e ammonium ion, PO\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e3\u0026minus;\u003c/sup\u003e phosphate ion.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWater pH measurements were lowest during the monsoon period, coinciding with increased freshwater inflow (Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003ea). There was a positive correlation between NO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e-\u003c/sup\u003e, NO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e-\u003c/sup\u003e and negative correlation between soil pH, water salinity, C/N and \u003cem\u003eChl a\u003c/em\u003e/b respectively. The highest water temperature, reaching up to 28\u0026deg;C (Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003ec), was also recorded during the monsoon. Seasonal fluctuations in these physico-chemical properties were clearly evident. Our observations indicated strong relationships between these parameters, including a significant positive correlation between temperature and DO, water pH, nitrite, and nitrate, and a negative correlation with salinity and the C:N ratio (Table\u0026nbsp;2). Additionally, nutrient concentration dynamics reflected seasonal influence, with site M demonstrating more pronounced nutrient exchange than site WM.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;2\u003c/strong\u003e Pearson Correlations between soil properties (0\u0026ndash;10 cm depth) and Mangrove channel waters properties for the studied sites in Sandspit, Karachi\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg 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\" width=\"746\" height=\"785\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhere, \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e-value\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05, rows and columns abbreviations are as follows, (TN) total nitrogen, (TC) total carbon, (DO) dissolved oxygen, (AIR \u0026ordm;C) air temperature, (SOIL \u0026ordm;C) soil temperature, (WATER \u0026ordm;C) water temperature, (Soil \u0026permil;) soil salinity, (B.D.) soil bulk density, (Water \u0026permil;) water salinity, (LOI) organic matter via loss of ignition, (WHC) water holding capacity, (\u003cem\u003eChl a\u003c/em\u003e,b) chlorophyll a,b. (NO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/sup\u003e) nitrite, (NO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/sup\u003e) nitrate, (NH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e+\u003c/sup\u003e) ammonia, (PO\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e3\u0026minus;\u003c/sup\u003e) phosphate, (C/N) carbon-nitrogen ratio, and (\u003cem\u003eChl a\u003c/em\u003e/b) chlorophyll a,b ratio respectively.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAmong nutrients observed the ammonia levels increased during pre-monsoon, while during the monsoon season, there were elevated levels of nitrate and ammonia release along with phosphate uptake. Finally, in the post-monsoon period, phosphate release and ammonium uptake were most prominent (Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). Overall, ammonium consistently presented the highest concentrations throughout all seasons. Its uptake and release rates reached \u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;17.48\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;15.46 and 13.04\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;25.44 mmol\u0026middot;m⁻\u0026sup2;\u0026middot;day⁻\u0026sup1;, respectively. Maximum average PO\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e3\u0026minus;\u003c/sup\u003e concentrations were found to be (up take) -3.58(\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;10.81) and (release) 15.85(\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;10.05) \u0026micro;mol.m\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;2\u003c/sup\u003e.day\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e which was positively correlated with TN%, TC%, moisture, soil salinity, nitrite, nitrate and negatively correlated with \u003cem\u003eChl a\u003c/em\u003e: b. The increased concentrations of Nitrate (uptake \u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;9.2(\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;38.12), release 12.41(\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;17.45) \u0026micro;mol.m\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;2\u003c/sup\u003eday\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) and nitrite (uptake \u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;6.88(\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.51) release 2.63(\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.17) \u0026micro;mol.m\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;2\u003c/sup\u003e.day\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e) were relatively low as compared to ammonium. No strong correlation was found between nitrite and other factors except for \u003cem\u003eChl b\u003c/em\u003e and LOI% having positive correlation. There was also a significant positive correlation between nitrate and DO, TN%, soil salinity, \u003cem\u003eChl a\u003c/em\u003e and a strong negative correlation with C/N. The highest rates of NH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e+\u003c/sup\u003e (uptake) -17.48(\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;15.46) and (release) 13.04 (\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;25.44) \u0026micro;mol.m\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;2\u003c/sup\u003e.day\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e. NH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e+\u003c/sup\u003e showed significant positive correlation with TN%, TC%, NO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/sup\u003e, NO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/sup\u003e, \u003cem\u003eChl a\u003c/em\u003e: b, C%, water pH, soil salinity, moisture content and a negative correlation with PO\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e3\u0026minus;\u003c/sup\u003e respectively (Table 2). In both studied sites M and WM, the nitrite concentrations were lowest as compared to other observed nutrients. NH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e+\u003c/sup\u003e and PO\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e3\u0026minus;\u003c/sup\u003e levels were found to be the highest during all seasons.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePCA and Cluster analysis\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe PCA was applied to minimize the complexity of variables data. It showed how sediment relates to 20 different variables during seasons. The PCA ordination of sediment reveal positive aggregation of conditions 1, 2, 5, 6 9, 10 and negative group of conditions 3, 4, 7, 8, 11, 12 on PC1 axis. On PC2 axis positive cluster of conditions 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8 and negative aggregation of conditions 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 12 were recorded (Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e, S2 Fig.). PC1 axis was accounted for 44% of the variance and was strongly related to soil salinity (-0.65), LOI (0.38), WHC (0.26), Moisture content (0.40) and ammonia (0.34). The second significant axis PC2 was accounted for 32% of variance and was mainly related to soil temperature (0.24), soil salinity (0.49), ammonia (0.65) and phosphate (-0.43) respectively (Table \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e). These are considered to be integral factors related to mangrove sediment associated microbes. A score plot of these two soil and nutrient parameters illustrates the strong relationship between soil site and presence or absence of microbial mat (Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e). The seasons were not easily discerned. Mainly, clusters were formed on the basis of M and WM types. These sites were influenced by a combination of soil variables considered in this study. As such on PC1, WM soils of pre monsoon (conditions 3, 4) monsoon (7, 8) and post monsoon (11, 12) were clustered closely and M soil of pre monsoon (1,2) monsoon (5,6) and post monsoon (9,10) were expected to have a combined cluster. There was an exception of WM (conditions 7, 8) and M (9,10) on PC2 which were clustered with opposite soil types inferring some similarity in monsoon WM and post monsoon M soil condition. Ranking the variables by cluster analysis showed seasonal data was divided into three groups (Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e) based on soil type. The sediments can be clearly differentiated in to M and WM, this distribution showed that there are no drastic changes within M and WM sediments (up to 10 cm depth) with respect to seasons except for post monsoon M soil (conditions 9, 10) that formed a separate cluster. One-way ANOVA analysis revealed that the cluster results were significantly different (\u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). These clusters appear to be based on sediment salinity, net moisture, N and P content at each sediment site, though other variables may also play a role in the cluster formation. The PCA and cluster analysis provides a qualitative analysis suggesting that the microbial mat plays an integral role in maintaining the complex nature of associated soil through all seasons and is an important part of mangrove vegetation. There must be other discriminating variables affecting these sites which were not revealed by our current physico-chemical measurements of two sediment types.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e\n \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e\n \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePCA results showing the first three components for twenty physico-chemical sediment and nutrient variables in twelve conditions at Sandspit mangrove\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n \u003c/caption\u003e\n \u003cthead\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\" style=\"width: 32.4535%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eVariables\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\" style=\"width: 29.9293%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePC1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\" style=\"width: 14.4238%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePC2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003cth align=\"left\" style=\"width: 11.2631%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePC3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/th\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/thead\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 32.4535%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTN (%)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 29.9293%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.01\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 21.3953%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.01\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 5.7695%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 32.4535%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTC (%)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 29.9293%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.00\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 21.3953%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.00\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 5.7695%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.01\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 32.4535%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eDO (mg/L)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 29.9293%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.01\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 21.3953%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.01\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 5.7695%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.01\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 32.4535%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAIR (\u0026ordm;C)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 29.9293%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.04\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 21.3953%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.21\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 5.7695%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.18\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 32.4535%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSOIL (\u0026ordm;C)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 29.9293%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 21.3953%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.24\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 5.7695%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.32\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 32.4535%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eWATER (\u0026ordm;C)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 29.9293%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.02\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 21.3953%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.18\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 5.7695%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.29\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 32.4535%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eWATER pH\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 29.9293%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.00\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 21.3953%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.00\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 5.7695%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.01\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 32.4535%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSoil pH\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 29.9293%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.01\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 21.3953%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.01\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 5.7695%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.01\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 32.4535%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eSoil (\u0026permil;)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 29.9293%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.65\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 21.3953%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.49\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 5.7695%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.26\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 32.4535%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eWater (\u0026permil;)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 29.9293%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.01\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 21.3953%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.09\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 5.7695%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.13\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 32.4535%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eB.D (g/cm\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;3\u003c/sup\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 29.9293%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.00\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 21.3953%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.01\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 5.7695%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.00\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 32.4535%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eLOI (%)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 29.9293%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.38\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 21.3953%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 5.7695%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.26\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 32.4535%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eWHC (%)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 29.9293%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.26\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 21.3953%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.04\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 5.7695%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.08\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 32.4535%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMoisture (%)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 29.9293%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.40\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 21.3953%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.07\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 5.7695%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.25\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 32.4535%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eChl a\u003c/em\u003e (\u0026micro;g.g\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 29.9293%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.01\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 21.3953%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.01\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 5.7695%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.01\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 32.4535%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eC hl b (\u0026micro;g.g\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 29.9293%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.00\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 21.3953%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.01\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 5.7695%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.01\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 32.4535%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/sup\u003e (\u0026micro;mol.m\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;2\u003c/sup\u003e.h\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 29.9293%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.11\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 21.3953%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.09\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 5.7695%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.18\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 32.4535%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/sup\u003e (\u0026micro;mol.m\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;2\u003c/sup\u003e.h\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1)\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 29.9293%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.15\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 21.3953%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 5.7695%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.62\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 32.4535%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eNH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e+\u003c/sup\u003e (\u0026micro;mol.m\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;2\u003c/sup\u003e.h\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1)\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 29.9293%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.34\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 21.3953%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.65\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 5.7695%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.31\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 32.4535%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePO\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e3\u0026minus;\u003c/sup\u003e (\u0026micro;mol.m\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;2\u003c/sup\u003e.h\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1)\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 29.9293%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.23\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 21.3953%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-0.43\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 5.7695%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.23\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 32.4535%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eEigenvalue\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 29.9293%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e339.643\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 14.4238%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e244.852\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 12.6208%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e157.003\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 32.4535%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e% variance\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 29.9293%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e44.277\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 14.4238%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e31.92\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd align=\"left\" style=\"width: 12.6208%;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20.467\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003ctfoot\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"4\" style=\"width: 89.5476%;\"\u003eWhere, (TN) total nitrogen, (TC) total carbon, (DO) dissolved oxygen, (AIR \u0026ordm;C) air temperature, (SOIL \u0026ordm;C) soil temperature, (WATER \u0026ordm;C) water temperature, (Soil \u0026permil;) soil salinity, (B.D.) soil bulk density, (Water \u0026permil;) water salinity, (LOI) organic matter via loss of ignition, (WHC) water holding capacity, (\u003cem\u003eChl a\u003c/em\u003e,b) chlorophyll a,b. (NO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/sup\u003e) nitrite, (NO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/sup\u003e) nitrate, (NH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e+\u003c/sup\u003e) ammonia, and (PO\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e3\u0026minus;\u003c/sup\u003e) phosphate. The twelve different conditions were as follows, (1)Pre-Monsoon M top, 2)Pre-Monsoon M bottom, 3)Pre-Monsoon WM top, 4)Pre-Monsoon WM bottom, 5)Monsoon M top, 6)Monsoon M bottom, 7)Monsoon WM top, 8)Monsoon WM bottom, 9)Post-Monsoon M top, 10)Post-Monsoon M bottom, 11)Post-Monsoon WM top, 12)Post-Monsoon WM bottom) at two sites mat area (M) and without mat area (WM) (top,0\u0026ndash;5 cm and bottom,5\u0026ndash;10 cm sediment section)\u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tfoot\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eChannel water characteristics\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe results suggested that fluctuations in salinity, DO, and nutrient concentrations were closely linked to tidal cycles, rainfall, evaporation, transpiration, and anthropogenic activities. The increased DO levels recorded during the monsoon can be attributed to enhance freshwater influx and elevated photosynthetic activity, supporting earlier studies of Saravanakumar et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR61\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e). In addition, the reduced pH levels during monsoon seasons were likely influenced by dilution from freshwater input and increased CO₂ removal by photosynthesizing organisms (Lovelock et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR45\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e). The elevated phosphate concentrations observed across multiple seasons reinforce the conclusion that phosphate is not a limiting nutrient in this ecosystem (Ishfaq et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2025\u003c/span\u003e). This finding aligns with Ariyanto \u0026amp; Pringgenies (2025), who noted that moderate salinity in wetland areas can support higher primary productivity. The source of high PO₄\u0026sup3;⁻ concentrations may include tidal influxes of seawater containing dissolved phosphate (Chen \u0026amp; Twilley, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1999a\u003c/span\u003e) and sediment resuspension due to water turbulence (Farooq \u0026amp; Arshad, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e), and external loads from domestic and industrial effluents, as supported by Shafique et al. (2020). Additionally, the lack of strong correlation between nitrite and other parameters suggests that nitrite plays a relatively diminished role here.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe high NH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e+\u003c/sup\u003e levels throughout the seasons may result from active microbial processes such as ammonification, influenced by organic matter decomposition and nitrification (Allen et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e). These patterns reflect efficient nitrogen transformation, possibly including nitrate reduction into ammonium under specific anoxic conditions, consistent with earlier studies of Chen \u0026amp; Twilley (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1999b\u003c/span\u003e). The persistently low nitrate levels suggest that, denitrification processes might be occurring effectively, reducing nitrate to other nitrogenous compounds or gases (Rodr\u0026iacute;guez et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR60\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e). These observations also indicate that nitrogen cycling in the studied mangrove ecosystem just like other mangrove systems is complex and likely mediated by microbial activity and sediment interactions (Sastranegara, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR62\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2025\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnother reason for prominent NH\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e+\u003c/sup\u003e levels may be due to microbial decomposition, nitrification, and detrital breakdown (Hu et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e; Rajasekar et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR58\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e). These biological processes likely convert nitrogenous organic compounds into ammonium ions, as discussed in recent work by Zhang et al. (2020). Cyanobacterial mats, present on the forest floor, could also enhance nitrogen transformation processes (Li et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR44\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2025\u003c/span\u003e), in addition to the influence of tidal and freshwater inputs (Rodr\u0026iacute;guez et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR60\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e). Anthropogenic sources such as wastewater runoff and agricultural discharges may also increase nutrient loads, enhancing microbial respiration and transformation of nitrogen and phosphorus (Chen et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLastly, the physical and chemical parameters measured in this study showed patterns similar to those observed in other mangrove ecosystems in Southeast Asia (Farooqui, 2012; Saravanakumar et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR61\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e; Shafique et al., 2020) and were also comparable to values reported at the Citanduy mangroves in Indonesia (Moll, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR49\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e). This indicates that the increase in certain nutrient levels leading to environmental interactions observed in this study are not an isolated occurrences but are instead consistent with broader regional trends in tropical mangrove systems that may be partially or fully compromised with city runoff.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSediment Characteristics\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe sediment analysis revealed higher concentrations of TN%, TC%, DO, LOI%, WHC%, and chlorophyll content in the M area which indicate the influence of microbial mats, that promotes the accumulation of organic matter and enhance sediment quality. Such microbial associations are known to increase nutrient retention and microbial biomass, contributing to greater nitrogen and carbon levels in the soil (Bhavsar et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e; Wooler et al., 2003). Seasonal variation in sediment texture reflects dynamic sediment deposition influenced by tidal inundation and monsoonal factors, such as storm surges and freshwater influx. This aligns with observations that monsoon enhances sediment deposition through biological activity like crab burrowing (author observation; Cuadrado et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e). Surface areas with lower ranges of TC% may be due to root system of \u003cem\u003eAvicennia\u003c/em\u003e which is present in close proximity of top soil (Marchand et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR47\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2004\u003c/span\u003e). The vertical increase of TC% in the M area can be attributed to microbial mat presence and reduced decomposition under anaerobic conditions, while surface accumulation in WM may be due to tidal wash and less microbial retention that may results in high content of organic matter on these sites at depths of 10 cm and more (Cer\u0026oacute;n-Bret\u0026oacute;n et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e). The total organic content was not high as compared to other south-east Asian mangrove ecosystem studies (Bhavsar et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e; Moll, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR49\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e), but it was similar to Bangladesh mangrove study (Hossain et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIncrease in N content may also favor rapid mineralization and assimilation by microbial biomass (Levin et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR43\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e). Sediment particles trap fine detritus matter generating an increased population of nitrifiers thus resulting high nitrogen levels in sediments up to 10 cm (Wheeller \u0026amp; Krichman, 1986), but the low C:N ratios in deeper soil suggest rapid degradation of organic matter and active microbial processes, consistent with other tropical mangrove systems (Marchand et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR48\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2003\u003c/span\u003e; Molnar er al., 2014). Higher WHC% in mat-covered sediments supports earlier findings that organic-rich sediments hold more water and facilitate root respiration and nutrient exchange (Ariyanto et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2025\u003c/span\u003e). Also Moisture content peaks during monsoon, possibly due to enhanced rainfall and flooding. The positive association with TN%, DO, and other nutrient factors reinforces that high-moisture sediments support greater microbial and primary productivity. LOI% trends also correlate with increased biological activity during monsoon and detritus settling on sediment surfaces (Shafique, \u0026amp; Siddiqui, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR64\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2025\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe chlorophyll levels, particularly higher \u003cem\u003eChl a\u003c/em\u003e, signal active primary productivity and photosynthetic microbial presence. Seasonal peaks correspond with favorable monsoon conditions and cyanobacterial mat development (Facca et al., 2007) which unfortunately is an invasive pollution indicator species of mat observed in an earlier experiment (Ahmed et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e). The pH variation is likely due to increased CO₂ solubility and freshwater dilution during monsoon, reducing alkalinity. Similar values have been observed in mangrove regions with regular tidal exchange (Ariyanto \u0026amp; Pringgenies, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e). Soil salinity variations between sites and seasons indicate differential seawater intrusion and evaporation rates. The high values in WM suggest less organic buffering compared to M. Soil temperature patterns, consistent with earlier studies that highlight the influence of canopy shading and freshwater inflow (Saravanakumar et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR61\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e; Talburst \u0026amp; Chapman, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e). Lower bulk density in the M area confirms organic enrichment, while seasonal peaks suggest compaction during monsoon flooding. All of which contributes to soil transformation from uninhabitable area to fertile coastal ground.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt was observed that researched site till present is quite compromised and is not suitable for recreational activities and commercial fishing due to contamination by wastewater which is detrimental to mangrove (Suhail et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR67\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e), other immediate threats to the Sandspit mangrove ecosystem includes reclamation of land for building projects, development of cottage and heavy industries, desolation of habitat, overgrazing and seawater intrusion (Damhoureyeh \u0026amp; Ghalib, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e). Effective remedial strategies are required to minimize current adverse conditions. Present study will initiate further assessment of significant coastal eco systems associated with Pakistan\u0026rsquo;s coastal belt. There is further need of an elaborate temporal scale study to analyze the intricacies of sediment associated microbial processes in the habitat and their long term impact on the productivity of the mangrove ecosystem. There is also a need to assess the long term changes to soil sediment which could benefit in future restoration of Sandspit and other related ecosystems.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis study highlights the critical role of microbial mats in shaping sediment composition and nutrient dynamics in the Sandspit mangrove backwaters. Seasonal variations influenced water nutrient levels and edaphic characteristics, but the presence of microbial mats had a more pronounced impact than monsoonal changes alone. Soils covered by mats exhibited higher organic content, finer texture, and increased levels of total nitrogen and carbon, contributing to enhanced water holding capacity and nutrient retention. In contrast, fringe areas without mats had coarser sediments and lower nutrient levels. The correlation of soil variables with waterborne nutrients such as nitrite, nitrate, ammonium, and phosphate underscores the intricate interactions between terrestrial and aquatic components of the mangrove ecosystem. Statistical analysis confirmed distinct sediment profiles associated with mat presence, regardless of seasonal shifts. These findings emphasize the ecological significance of microbial mats in maintaining soil stability, influencing biogeochemical cycles, and supporting the productivity of mangrove ecosystems, thereby offering essential insights for the management and rehabilitation of similar coastal habitats.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003ch2\u003eCompeting Interests\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare no competing interests.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eFunding\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo funding to declare.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eAuthor Contribution\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll authors contributed significantly to the study. Y. Z. A. led the conceptualization, data curation, field sampling, and original draft preparation, with key support from S. S. and Z. B. in analysis, methodology, and supervision. M.R. and T. A.provided methodological input, validation, and review, while C. H. assisted with formatting and supplementary research.P. J. A. S. contributed to project resources and oversight.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eAcknowledgement\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAuthors would like to thank Dr. Stjepko Golubic, Professor Emeritus, Biological Science Center, Boston University, USA, for his kind comments and suggestions.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eData Availability\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eData available upon request.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAbbas, S., Mueen, Q. F., Ghaffar, A. N. K. T., Khurram, S. R. S., \u0026amp; Gilani, H. (2013). An assessment of status and distribution of mangrove forest cover in Pakistan. \u003cem\u003eInternational Journal of Environmental Sciences, 6\u003c/em\u003e, 64\u0026ndash;78.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAhmed, Y. Z., Shafique, S., Zaib-un-Nisa, B. U., \u0026amp; Siddique, P. J. A. (2016). 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Islamabad, Pakistan.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Microbial mat, Mangrove sediment, Nutrient flux, Seasonal variation, Edaphic factors","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7096480/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7096480/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eWe examined sediment characteristics and water nutrient levels in channels of the Sandspit backwater mangroves. Using the bell jar method and analyzing soil physico-chemical parameters, we identified seasonal variations in water nutrients and edaphic features. Soils covered with microbial mats predominantly comprised fine sands, while fringe area soils showed higher medium sand content. The microbial mat positively impacted the mangrove soil, enhancing its nutrient profile. Statistical analysis revealed significant positive correlations (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05) between key soil variables temperature, pH, salinity, bulk density, chlorophyll a/b, total carbon, organic matter, moisture content, water holding capacity, and carbon\u0026ndash;nitrogen ratio) and water channel nutrients (nitrite NO₂⁻, nitrate NO₃⁻, ammonia NH₄⁺, phosphate PO₄\u0026sup3;⁻). Principal component analysis identified soil salinity-temperature, organic matter, water holding capacity, soil moisture, NH₄⁺, and PO₄\u0026sup3;⁻ as significant variables differentiating the two soil types, and cluster analysis supported these findings. Seasonal variations within each soil type were minimal; rather, sediment properties were more influenced by the presence of microbial mats than by pre-monsoon, monsoon, or post-monsoon changes. The microbial mats played a major role in increasing total nitrogen and carbon percentages, whereas wastewater runoff predominantly influenced inorganic nitrogen and phosphate concentrations. These results highlight the complex interactions between hydrological and edaphic factors and offer valuable insight for future modeling and restoration of similar mangrove ecosystems. This study aids in establishing effective management strategies for tropical mangroves by interpreting how seasonal dynamics interact with sediment properties and nutrient fluxes. It provides baseline ecological knowledge relevant for Sandspit and other mangrove ecosystems impacted by marine pollution, with global implications.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Microbial mats associated with mangroves provide soil stabilization and modify nutrient chemistry over monsoon cycles","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-08-13 08:38:17","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7096480/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"63aaae84-5e2e-4a70-9676-9dd01155d5e0","owner":[],"postedDate":"August 13th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-08-13T08:38:17+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-08-13 08:38:17","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7096480","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7096480","identity":"rs-7096480","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}