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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 ...
Mangrove forests, also called mangrove swamps, mangrove thickets or mangals, are productive wetlands that occur in coastal intertidal zones. [1] [2] Mangrove forests grow mainly at tropical and subtropical latitudes because mangrove trees cannot withstand freezing temperatures. There are about 80 different species of mangroves, all of which ...
Mangroves are often found near or around salt ponds because of their ability to exist in an ecosystem with high salinity, low dissolved oxygen levels, brackish water, and extreme temperatures. Mangroves’ unique prop roots function as a barrier to the salt water, limiting water loss, and acting as a snorkel for oxygen and nutrients.
The Lake Worth Lagoon lost 87% of its mangroves in the second half of the 20th century, leaving a remnant of just 276 acres (1.12 km 2). Tampa Bay, home to the busy Port of Tampa , lost over 44% of its wetlands, including mangroves and salt marshes, during the 20th century.
The Ten Thousand Islands are located near the south end of the Florida peninsula on the Gulf Coast, west of the Everglades Indian Key Pass - Ten Thousand Islands. The Ten Thousand Islands are a chain of islands and mangrove islets off the coast of southwest Florida, between Cape Romano (at the south end of Marco Island) and the mouth of the Lostmans River.
Mangrove trees begin to grow in fresh water ecosystems when the salt water goes far enough inland. [ 75 ] There are three species of trees that are considered mangroves: red ( Rhizophora mangle ), black ( Avicennia germinans ), and white ( Laguncularia racemosa ), although all are from different families. [ 76 ]
They can live in freshwater habitats but prefer brackish and saltwater when possible. Morelet’s crocodile , in contrast, is smaller, typically growing up to 10 feet long with a shorter snout.
In the wet season, fresh water pours into Florida Bay and sawgrass appears near the coastline. In dryer years, salt water creeps inland to the coastal prairie, an ecosystem that buffers the freshwater marshes by absorbing sea water. Mangrove trees grow in fresh water ecosystems when the salt water flows far enough inland. [64]