Mangroves: Difference between revisions
From coraldigest
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*Only grow at tropical and subtropical latitudes near the equator | *Only grow at tropical and subtropical latitudes near the equator | ||
*Grow in areas with low-oxygen soil | *Grow in areas with low-oxygen soil | ||
*Most in Southeast Asia, many in Florida | *Most in Southeast Asia, many in Florida<ref name="NOAA"> | ||
= What Benefits Do They Offer? = | = What Benefits Do They Offer? = | ||
*Stabilize the coastline, reducing erosion from storm surges, currents, waves, and tides | *Stabilize the coastline, reducing erosion from storm surges, currents, waves, and tides | ||
Revision as of 22:44, 5 March 2014
Mangroves
What are Mangroves?
- Groups of trees and shrubs that live in the coastal intertidal zone
- 80 different species (from shrubs to 200-foot-high trees)
- Slow moving waters allow fine sediments to accumulate and build up the muddy bottom
- Some have dense tangles of prop roots or buttresses that allow the trees to handle the daily rise and fall of tides
- Some have snorkel-like roots called pneumatophores that stick out of the mud to help them take in air[1]
Where are They Found?
- Only grow at tropical and subtropical latitudes near the equator
- Grow in areas with low-oxygen soil
- Most in Southeast Asia, many in FloridaCite error: Closing
</ref>missing for<ref>tag- In Americas, mangrove deforestation is 2,251 km2 per year, which is higher rate than tropical rainforest deforestation[2]
What lives in the Mangroves?
- Birds roost in the canopy
- Shellfish and organisms attach themselves to the roots, such as barnacles, oysters, crabs, sponges, anemones
- Snakes and crocodiles hunt there
- Nectar source for bats and honeybees
- Juvenile fish find shelter there during there vulnerable first weeks
What are the Common Types of Mangroves?
Red Mangrove
- Grows along the edge of the shoreline where conditions are harshest
- Tangled, reddish prop roots and gray bark over a dark red wood
- Grows to heights of 80 feet
- Clusters of white flowers bloom during the spring months
Black Mangrove
- Long horizontal roots with pneumatophores
- Bark is dark and scaly
- Grows to heights of 65 feet
- White flowers blossom in spring
White Mangrove
- Occupying higher land than the Red and Black Mangroves
- No visible aerial roots, but can develop peg roots
- The least cold tolerant
- Grows to heights of 50 feet
- Produce greenish-white flowers in spikes in spring
Buttonwood Mangrove
- Found in the upland transitional zone
- Sensitivity to frost
- Button-like appearance of the flower heads that grow in branched clusters, forming cone-like fruit
How Are They Linked to Coral Reefs?
- Provide nutrients to neighboring ecosystems such as coral reefs and sea grass beds
- Nearby coral reefs suffer further pressure from sedimentation when mangroves are removed and can no longer filter the water
- Mangroves in the Caribbean have a strong influence on the fish populations in reefs near them
- The largest herbivorous fish in Atlantic, Scarus guacamaia (rainbow parrotfish), is dependent on mangroves and has become locally extinct when they are gone[2]
- Decreased amount of herbivores will cause reefs to become less resilient to algal overgrowth
- Fisheries productivities are likely to decrease without mangroves
- The largest herbivorous fish in Atlantic, Scarus guacamaia (rainbow parrotfish), is dependent on mangroves and has become locally extinct when they are gone[2]
- In a study in Belize comparing mangrove-scarce reefs to mangrove-rich reefs, the biomass of nearly every fish studied was much greater in the mangrove-rich areas
- Biomass of the blue striped grunt on patch reefs in the mangrove-rich area increased by 2667%
- Biomass of all 6 species studied in the patch reefs increased from 191% to 2667% in mangrove-rich areas[2]
- Mangroves act as intermediate nursery between seagrass beds and patch reefs[2]
References
- ↑ http://www.habitat.noaa.gov/abouthabitat/mangroves.html
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 http://vb3lk7eb4t.search.serialssolutions.com.libproxy.lib.unc.edu/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&rfr_id=info:sid/ProQ%3Apqdiearthsci&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Nature&rft.atitle=Mangroves+enhance+the+biomass+of+coral+reef+fish+communities+in+the+Caribbean&rft.au=Mumby%2C+P+J%3BEdwards%2C+A+J%3BArias-Gonzalez%2C+JE%3BLindeman%2C+K+C%3BBlackwell%2C+P+G%3BGall%2C+A%3BGorczynska%2C+MI%3BHarborne%2C+A+R%3BPescod%2C+CL%3BRenken%2C+H%3BWabnitz%2C+CCC%3BLlewellyn%2C+G&rft.aulast=Mumby&rft.aufirst=P&rft.date=2004-02-05&rft.volume=427&rft.issue=6974&rft.spage=533&rft.isbn=&rft.btitle=&rft.title=Nature&rft.issn=00280836
1. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/02/mangroves/warne-text/6
- National Geographic Article
- Published February 2007
- By Kennedy Warne
2. http://www.habitat.noaa.gov/abouthabitat/mangroves.html
3. http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/southflorida/mangrove/profiles.html
- Nature
- Volume 427 Number 6974
- Mangroves Enhance the Biomass of Coral Reef Fish Communities in the Caribbean
- pages 533-536
- Published February 5th, 2004
- By Peter J. Mumby, et al
- Bioscience
- Volume 51 Issue 10
- Mangrove Forests: One of the World’s Threatened Major Tropical Environments
- pages 807-815
- Published October 2001
- By Valiela, I ; Bowen, JL ; York, JK