Saving The Mangroves Carina A. James Year 5G March 31,2014

Well, first we need to know more about what ecosystems are, so let’s find out. Now where we live is a habitat (which is an ecosystem). Look at these picture of animals they are in their natural habitats and that’s their natural home.

Introduction As with most of the Caribbean Islands, varieties of Mangroves grow and fringe the coral atolls; offering a haven to sea creatures and interesting, colourful varieties of sponges and anemones.

Types of Mangroves Now that we know what ecosystems are, I can tell you about mangroves. But before we can go any further let me tell you about different types of mangroves found in the North Sound. 1. Red Mangroves 2. Black Mangroves 3. White Mangroves

About These Mangroves  The Red Mangroves – The red mangroves grow in the sea-salt water. You can tell it’s a red mangrove because of the red prop roots and the leaves, which are smooth and light green. The red mangrove is the only one that can live deep in the sea-salt water.  The Black Mangroves - The black mangroves grow on the shoreline (aka the line of the salt-water beach). You can tell it’s the black mangrove because of the gray bark and the little roots (aka the breathing roots). These help the black mangrove breathe and its leaves are thick and green with salt that taste great!!! The black mangrove is the only one that can grow on the sea-line, but the white mangrove is close to the black mangrove.  The White Mangrove - The white mangroves grow on land by the beach. You can tell it’s a white mangrove by the white bark and at the bottom of the leaves are 2 holes that have sugar that only a little ant can taste. If your tongue is small you might be able to taste the sugar too.

Uses and Benefits of Mangroves NNow that we know about mangroves, let me tell you about the uses and benefits.: AA habitat for animals: Mangroves provide nursery habitats for many wildlife species. Many animals find shelter either in the roots or branches of mangroves. PProtection of islands from storms: Mangrove communities protect shorelines during storm events by absorbing wave energy and reducing the velocity of water passing through the root barrier. Protecting mangroves sustains a natural protection, and is less expensive than seawalls and similar erosion control structures, which can increase erosion. TTourism Mangroves provides ecotourism. Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving visiting fragile, pristine, and relatively undisturbed natural areas which are used to educate the traveler, to foster respect for different cultures and for human rights.

A Food Web Here we can see how the mangroves provide food for other animals. Like the sun helps the mangrove to grow and soon the leaves drops in the water and turn into marine debris. Then a fish or crab eats the leaf litter. Then the fish eats the crab or a pied oyster catcher. After a seabird eats the fish and the cycle goes on and on. But I forgot to say something what there doing is inerindapentence. What that means is you depend on someone to do what they need to do like when you count on your mom to make you lunch or give you money. See now you know all about Mangroves. I will post this on my blog at http/carina. james.ky

Organisms in the Mangroves  Mangroves in the Caribbean have been found to support juvenile coral reef fish.  Mangroves serve as rookeries, or nesting areas, for coastal birds. While many species make good use of mangroves for roosting, feeding and breeding. Destruction of Mangroves  We tend to destroy the mangroves to expand land and in the creation of beach front properties.

Questions  Do you think anything will be affected if the mangroves where destroyed? YES. If the mangroves were destroyed, then when a hurricane, earthquake or even a storm comes, the mangroves would not be there to protect the island and the people.  Why should/shouldn’t the mangroves be destroyed to build the marina? I think that we should remove part of it for the marina because it would give the opportunity to use the mangroves left to educate others the value of the mangroves.  Why should/shouldn’t the marina be built? I think that the marina should be built between the mangroves, so that mangroves will be on each side. So when the boats come in they can see the types of mangroves that give protection.

How animals work together with mangroves

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