Mangrove

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Above and below water view at the edge of the mangal
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Above and below water view at the edge of the mangal

Mangrove are woody trees or shrubs that grow in coastal habitats or mangal (Hogarth, 1999), for which the term mangrove swamp also would apply. Mangrove plants occupy shallow water and intertidal zones in tropical and subtropical coastal regions, usually where protected from direct wave action, and thus characterized by muddy or fine sediment substrata.

The mangal is often considered a type of biome. Mangrove habitat is exclusively tropical and tidal, and therefore having soil or sediment that is water-logged and saline or of variable salinity. Areas where mangal occurs includes estuaries and marine shorelines. A wide variety of plant species can be found in mangrove habitat, but some 54 species in 20 genera, belonging to 16 families constitute the "true mangroves" — species that occur almost exclusively in mangrove habitats and rarely elsewhere (Hogarth, 1999).

The roots of the mangrove plants stabilize the sand and mud. In areas of the world where mangroves have been removed for development purposes, the coastline has been subject to rapid erosion. They also provide a habitat for wildlife and serve as a natural buffer to strong winds and waves produced by cyclones. In Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, and India, mangrove plantations are grown in coastal regions for this purpose. They can protect against tsunamis.

The mangrove species, Sonneratia, growing on the landward margin of the reef flat on Yap and showing abundant pneumatophores
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The mangrove species, Sonneratia, growing on the landward margin of the reef flat on Yap and showing abundant pneumatophores

Contents

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Species of mangroves

The following listing (after Tomlinson, 1986) gives the number of species of mangroves in each listed plant genus and family.

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Major components

Family Avicenniaceae
Family Combretaceae
  • Laguncularia – 1
  • Lumnitzera – 2
Family Arecaceae
Family Rhizophoraceae
  • Bruguiera – 6
  • Ceriops – 2
  • Kandelia – 1
  • Rhizophora – 8
Family Sonneratiaceae
  • Sonneratia – 5
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Minor components

Family Bombacaceae
  • Camptostemon – 2
Family Euphorbiaceae
  • Excoecaria – 2
Family Lythraceae
  • Pemphis – 1
Family Meliaceae
  • Xylocarpus – 2
Family Myrsinaceae
  • Aegiceras – 2
Family Myrtaceae
  • Osbornia – 1
Family Pellicieraceae
  • Pelliciera – 1
Family Plumbaginaceae
  • Aegialitis – 2
Family Pteridaceae
  • Acrostichum – 3
Family Rubiaceae
  • Scyphiphora – 1
Family Sterculiaceae
  • Heritiera – 3
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Mangrove ecoregions

Afrotropic ecozone

Australasia ecozone

Indomalaya ecozone

Neotropic ecozone


Terrestrial biomes
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests | Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests | Tropical and subtropical coniferous forests | Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests | Temperate coniferous forests | Boreal forests/taiga | Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands | Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands | Flooded grasslands and savannas | Montane grasslands and shrublands | Tundra | Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and shrub | Deserts and xeric shrublands | Mangrove


Ecozones
Afrotropic | Antarctic | Australasia | Indomalaya | Nearctic | Neotropic | Oceania | Palearctic
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Reference


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External link

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangrove"
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