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MANGROVE FORESTS

What are “mangroves? Specialized tropical trees that grow in brackish wetlands Form mangrove forests or “mangals”

Most mangrove forests exist within 30 degrees of the Equator

In the U.S., South Florida, and isolated areas on the gulf coast of Louisiana and Texas. In the Florida Everglades is a large freshwater drainage basin that has developed an extensive system of mangroves.  

"If there were no mangroves, Florida would not be the angler's paradise that it is, " says Capt. Pete Greenan of Sarasota, "Mangroves are where you will find the snook, mangrove snapper and juvenile game fish. Mangroves are simply the base of the entire coastal food chain."

Most Common Species Red Mangrove White Mangrove Black Mangrove

Bark Identification

Tree Characters

Pneumatophores

Differences in leaf structure between the 3 species

Reproductive seeds of the 3 most prominent species

Mangrove Dispersal Fertilized Seed - Drops off maternal plant Floats horizontally initially Dispersal to novel environments ideally Float vertically with appropriate environmental conditions Rooting and growth

Mangrove Adaptations: Frequently inundated with water from changes in tides leads to… Greater root mass for…

Stabilization and air exchange

Mangroves release (extrude) salt by secreting it through the leaves or sequestering it in bark

Pneumatophores Aerating Roots that exit the soil to allow trees to exchange gases in waterlogged soil

Why are mangroves important to humans and ecosystems?

known as the "rainforests by the sea" breeding grounds for fish, shrimp, crabs, shellfish and snails. Ex. mudskippers LIFE - Mudskipper Mud Wrestles | Fish - YouTube

nesting sites for many shore birds and home to many monkeys and lizards, sea turtles Caiman/Crocodile Great Blue Heron

mangrove blossoms and fruit make up a large part of animals’ diets.

What kind of sport fish depend on mangroves? Snook, redfish, seatrout, tarpon, ladyfish, black grouper, sheepshead, mangrove snapper, black drum

“The world has lost about 20 percent of its wetland mangrove forests since 1980”, the United Nations said Thursday in a new report to mark World Wetlands Day, February 2!