Aims and methods: We examined porewater salinity, soil redox potential (Eh), soil extractable phosphate (extr.-P), leaf phosphorus (leaf-P) and plant growth in relation to inundation frequency (IF) and mangrove species distributions along a 600 m transect in the Bragança Peninsula, North Brazil. Results: The forest species composition changed across the tidal zone with Avicennia germinans dominating (99.1%) the high intertidal (HI) zone where the IF was 41-67 d. y -1, Rhizophora mangle, Laguncularia racemosa and A. germinans co-occured in the mid intertidal (MI), and a mixed R. mangle (47.1%) - A, germinans (41.2%) stand occupied the low intertidal (LI) zone with an IF of 124-162 d. y -1. Low IF resulted in high Eh levels (200 mV) in the HI zone relative to the LI where Eh ranged from 0-100 mV. The IF showed a significant positive correlation with extr.-P (r = 0,89; p = 0.05) and a negative association with Eh (r = -0,75; p = 0.05). Conclusion: An ANCOVA confirmed that Eh and extr. P were influenced by flooding. Variations in these factors were reflected in patterns of P leaf tissue concentrations across the gradient; however, a MANCOVA showed that leaf-P was not related to tree height, tree volume or basal area. Water-logging conditions, porewater salinity, and P dynamics in the sediment appear to influence the forest structure. We suggest that P availability plays an important role in controling mangrove species distributions but not their growth. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.