Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Mangroves once covered three-quarters of the world's tropical coastlines, with Southeast Asia hosting the greatest diversity. Only 12 species live in the Americas. Mangroves range in size from small bushes to the 60-meter giants found in Ecuador. Within a given mangrove forest, different species occupy distinct niches.
Mangroves are hardy shrubs and trees that thrive in salt water and have specialised adaptations so they can survive the volatile energies of intertidal zones along marine coasts. A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal ...
The mangroves live in the coastal zones in the more tropical southern parts of Florida; mangroves are particularly vulnerable to frosts. Mangroves are important habitat as both fish nursery and brackish water habitats for birds and other coastal species.
Mangrove crabs are predated on by wading birds, fish, sharks, [8] monkeys, hawks, and raccoons. [7] The larvae of mangrove crabs is a major source of food for juvenile fish in waterways near the crabs. [24] Adult mangrove crabs are food for the crab plover among other protected species. [17] To protect themselves the crabs can climb trees. [25]
Mangrove systems support a range of wildlife species including crocodiles, birds, tigers, deers, monkeys and honey bees. [7] Many animals find shelter either in the roots or branches of mangroves. Mangroves serve as rookeries, or nesting areas, for coastal birds such as brown pelicans and roseate spoonbills. Many migratory species depend on ...
The dugong (/ ˈ d (j) uː ɡ ɒ ŋ /; Dugong dugon) is a marine mammal.It is one of four living species of the order Sirenia, which also includes three species of manatees.It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest modern relative, Steller's sea cow (Hydrodamalis gigas), was hunted to extinction in the 18th century.
[37] [38] There are many mangrove species, not all closely related. The term "mangrove" is used generally to cover all of these species, and it can be used narrowly to cover just mangrove trees of the genus Rhizophora. Mangroves form a distinct characteristic saline woodland or shrubland habitat, called a mangrove swamp or mangrove forest. [39]
Mangroves consist of species that are not necessarily related to each other and are often grouped for the characteristics they share rather than genetic similarity. [52] Because of their proximity to the coast, they have all developed adaptions such as salt excretion and root aeration to live in salty, oxygen-depleted water. [52]