text1: Marco Island's fringe and the surrounding Ten Thousand Islands are mostly made up of mangrove trees. Mangroves are a Florida native plant that thrives in salty water. They are able to separate the salt from the water and use the fresh water to survive. These mangrove forest ecosystems trap and cycle organic matter, chemicals and nutrients. They are the nurseries for area fishes, crustaceans and shellfish. They also provide food for species such as snook, tarpon, jack, sheepshead, red drum, oyster and shrimp. Our recreational and commercial fisheries would drastically decline without healthy mangrove forests.
text2: Mangroves are a kind of tree.