Abstract:To explore the eco-physiological adaptation strategies of mangrove plants to light intensity and guide the species configuration of different layers in artificial mangrove communities, eight common mangrove species, including Sonneratia apetala, Kandelia obovata, Bruguiera gymnorhiza, Aegiceras corniculatum, Acanthus ilicifolius, Acrostichum aureum, Heritiera littoralis, and Talipariti tiliaceum, were selected as research subjects. Through shading control experiments, the leaf gas exchange parameters, water use efficiency (WUE), and photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency (PNUE) of one-year-old seedlings under different growth light intensities (100%, 45%, 30%, and 10% of natural light intensity) were compared. The results showed that the net photosynthetic rate (Pn) of B. gymnorhiza, Aegiceras corniculatum, and Acanthus ilicifolius did not show statistical differences under different light intensities, while K. obovata, Acrostichum aureum, H. littoralis, and T. tiliaceum exhibited higher Pn under 45% or 30% light conditions, indicating that B. gymnorhiza, Aegiceras corniculatum, and Acanthus ilicifolius showed better adaptability to different light intensities in terms of Pn. The stomatal conductance (gs) and intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) of K. obovata, Aegiceras corniculatum, H. littoralis, and T. tiliaceum under 100% light intensity were significantly lower than those under shading treatments. The WUE of Aegiceras corniculatum and Acrostichum aureum under shading conditions was significantly higher than that under full light conditions, indicating that the WUE of Aegiceras corniculatum and Acrostichum aureum showed adaptability to low light. The PNUE of the seven mangrove species except Aegiceras corniculatum increased under shading conditions. The chlorophyll content of the eight mangrove species increased with the increase of light intensity, but their trends in chlorophyll a/b were different. Therefore, Bruguiera gymnorhiza, Aegiceras corniculatum, Acanthus ilicifolius, and Acrostichum aureum are more shade- tolerant and suitable for planting under the forest canopy, while K. obovata, H. littoralis, and T. tiliaceum are more suitable as middle and upper layer tree species or for planting under a less dense canopy.