### plant | tracheophyte | tree:

Mangrove
* All mangroves disperse their offspring by water
  - have a root system that sticks up in the air so the plant can breathe
* Most mangrove leaves provide habitats
  - mangroves develop roots
* Most mangroves grow in areas
  - beaches
  - fresh water
* Most mangroves grow on flat terrains
* Most mangroves have desert plants
  - extensive ranges
  - seedlings
* Most mangroves live on muddy soils, but they also can grow on sand, peat, and coral rock
  - but they also grow on sand, peat, and coral rock
  - look like trees
* Most mangroves produce flowers
  - seeds
  - white flowers
  - store fresh water
* Most mangroves thrive in environments
  - saltwater environments
  - usually form in tropical salty waters, typically near the mouth of a river
* Some mangrove leaves have low water potential.
* Some mangroves attain height
  - grow along the riverside
* Some mangroves grow in intertidal zones
  - on areas
* Some mangroves have aerial roots
  - develop aerial roots
  - salt-excreting glands on or near their leaves
  - seeds that float in the sea until they find suitable ground to grow on
* Some mangroves occur in intertidal zones
* absorb a a large amount of the nutrients.
* account for nearly half of the total forest cover.
* aid soil formation by trapping debris.
* also appear in home aquariums , and as ornamental plants, such as in Japan
  - assist in buffering the coastal zone when tropical storms and hurricanes strike
  - filter water and maintain water quality and clarity
  - form a buffer that defends coastlines from flooding and erosion
  - harbor many forms of marine life such as invertebrataes and juvenile fishes
* also have buoyant seeds that are suited to dispersal in water
  - roots that extend out of the water and into the air
  - occur on numerous offshore mudflats along the coast
  - provide food for migrating birds
* also provide shelter for organisms, both above ground and underwater
  - from the sun, wind, and rain
  - shoreline protection from wind, waves and floods
* also serve as bird sanctuaries
  - excellent rookeries for birds
  - yield thatch and paper pulp
* appear to be replaced by Australian pines and urbanization.
* arch their roots above the water like legs poised to step across the canal.
* are a crossroad where oceans, freshwater, and land area meet
  - distinctive type of tree that have adapted to living in or near saltwater
* are a group of trees and shrubs that live in the coastal intertidal zone
  - woody salt tolerant trees that are adapted to grow in the intertidal zone
  - kind of tree that lives in or around the water
  - special tree that can live in salty soil or water
* are a type of tree that can tolerate having it's roots submerged in salt water
  - wetland and are one of the most threatened habitats worldwide
* are also important nesting sites for several species of birds
  - present extensively in neighbouring Yemen
  - prime nesting and migratory sites for hundreds of bird species
  - sensitive to pollution, particularly oil pollution
  - tolerant of soils low in oxygen
* are also very important in the Caribbean
  - sensitive to herbicides
  - an ideal sanctuary for birds, some of which are migratory
* are an important habitat
  - natural barrier as well as a profitable timber resource
  - nursery for fish and shrimp and bird life
  - source of food and materials for many coastal people
  - breeding grounds for marine life, especially prawns and crabs
  - coastal trees or shrubs that are adapted to estuarine or even saline environment
  - enormously productive systems and feed large populations of fish
* are essential to maintain our fishing industries
  - the ecology of the coast and the island
  - essentially a tropical ecosystem and exist in Florida only up to the frost line
* are extremely important in preventing erosion
  - to the coastal ecosystems they inhabit
  - halophytic trees found in salty, saturated soils
* are highly dependent on freshwater runoff to maintain an optimum salinity balance
  - productive areas contributing to the food chains of coastal oceanic areas
  - home to and reinforce many different food webs
* are home to many animals
  - bird species and mollusks
* are important in shoreline stabilization
  - the maintenance of commercial offshore stocks of fishes
  - interesting plants because they have evolved to live in salt water
  - like botanical amphibians, and form some of the most productive ecosystems on Earth
  - maritime trees that send out many prop roots which intertwine to form islands
  - nursery areas for sport and commercial species of fish
  - one of Florida's true natives
  - prevalent along the world s tropical and subtropical coastlines
  - prime nesting and migratory resting and feeding sites for hundreds of bird species
  - protected in Northland
* are rich in fish, prawns, crabs and other aquatic life
  - fungi some of which are thought to contain a possible future cure for cancer
  - salt-tolerant trees that provide a nesting area for a variety of birds
  - saltwater plants that actually drive the local ecosystem
  - shrubs or small trees that grow in coastal saline or brackish water
  - small trees found in the tropics that root in shallow marine sand and mud
  - some of the most productive ecosystems in the world
* are the border between land and sea
  - common name for three species of trees and shrubs found along warm water coasts
* are the dominant intertidal plants of the tropics and subtropics
  - tree along the shorelines and winding channels of the keys
  - foundation of islands
  - only trees that are capable of thriving in salt water
  - rainforests by the sea
* are trees and shrubs that grow in coastal areas
  - in saline coastal habitats in the tropics and subtropics
  - or plants which grow in the area between the land and water
* are trees that are able to live in salt water
  - live in swampy environments along the coast in the tropics
* are tropical evergreen trees and shrubs
  - forests that occur within tidal zones along coastlines and river deltas
  - plants, killed by freezing temperatures
  - trees that are adapted to salt water and to the rigors of tides
  - unique trees that can withstand life in the saltwater environment
* are very interesting plants
  - productive coastal resources that are useful in many ways
  - vulnerable to oil, which can kill or cause lasting damage to the trees
  - well adapted to the anoxic sediments into which the roots extend
  - wonderful ecosystems found throughout the worlds tropical coastlines
  - woody plants that form the dominant vegetation of mangrove forests
* attract herons.
* begin as a seed, called a propagule, which germinates while still attached to the tree.
* benefit the environment by preserving water quality and reducing pollution.
* border the mile-long body of water.
* buzz with insects.
* can act as a barrier to neutralize or buffer wave action
  - adapt to slow sea level rise, for example
  - also act as a barrier to neutralize or buffer wave action
  - be surprisingly resilient to water salinity
  - help prevent erosion by stabilizing shorelines with their specialized root systems
  - take several decades to regenerate
* characteristically have roots growing above the mud.
* come in a variety of types that each like different water levels.
* contribute to the productivity of bordering estuaries.
* convert solar energy into plant tissue.
* cover most of the coastal areas, but occasionally there are golden, sandy beaches
  - much of the shore and coconut palms provide shade
* dominate three quarters of tropical coastlines.
* enjoy life without frosts.
* exhibit several different types of mechanisms for coping with highly saline conditions.
* face certain specific challenges to growth associated with tropical intertidal zones.
* form dense barriers against storms and tsunamis, saving lives and protecting property
  - dense, almost impenetrable thickets which buffer the physical forces of storms
* fringe long stretches of the coast as well as riverbanks
  - the northern coast's river inlets and cover many of the cays
* generally enjoy low energy, muddy shorelines, particularly tropical deltas
  - grow in areas where salt and fresh water mix
* give food and shelter to a unique group of organisms found nowhere else in the world.
* grow along shorelines where fresh river water and sea water mix together
  - the coasts and the mouths of rivers
  - flooded saltwater areas and are salt tolerant
  - saltwater swamps along the eastern and southern coasts
  - wet, muddy soil at the water's edge which can be subject to tides and flooding
  - prop roots that elevate foliage above fluctuating water tables
  - protected coasts where muddy sedi- ments accumulate
* have a long historical link with human culture and civilization
  - unique reproductive strategy for a plant
  - economic, social, cultural, scientific and aesthetic values to man
  - enormous ecological value
  - many adaptations to live in their extremely salty environment
  - one of the most unique reproductive strategies in the plant world
  - the ability to filter water through their diverse root system
  - three basic organs lika any other ordinary plant, the stem, the leaf and the root
* help protect coastlines from erosion, storm damage, and wave action
  - our coastlines from storm damage
* includes bark
  - cells
  - corpi
  - plasma membranes
  - trunks
* line the Belize coast and the mouths of rivers.
* live in a harsh environment at the very edge of the sea, where land meets water
  - shallow water areas and gather sediments that support the root structures
  - life on the edge
  - right in the water
* minimize the loss of property and human lives throughout the globe.
* mostly grow in warmer climates, reaching their greatest size and diversity in the tropics.
* need water.
* occupy positions.
* perform a vital ecological role providing habitat for a wide variety of species.
* play a role both on land and in the water.
* prevent erosion with their thick, extensive root systems, by holding sediments together.
* produce extensive root systems
  - leaves year around, shedding and growing new leaves on a continual basis
* protect both the saltwater and the freshwater ecosystems they straddle.
* protect the coast by absorbing the energy of high waves and storms
  - coastline from erosion and provide essential breeding grounds for fish fry
* provide an important habitat for a broad range of birds
  - benefits
  - energy for their respective ecosystems
* provide essential habitat for many species, from birds, to fish, to crabs
  - thousands of species
  - nesting sites for several rare bird species
  - one of the basic food chain resources for marine organisms
* provide protected nursery areas for fishes, crustaceans, and shellfish
  - juvenile reef fishes, crustaceans, and molluscs
  - safe havens and breeding grounds for a variety of birds, fishes and shellfish
  - wildlife with roosting sites, nesting locations, and bird and wildlife protection
* serve as feeding and breeding grounds for many fish species including the barramundi
  - storm buffers by reducing wind and wave action in shallow shoreline areas
* shelter other marine life, control erosion, and filter runoff.
* tend to replace salt marshes in tropical regions.
  - salty environments because they are able to obtain freshwater from saltwater
* typically form a woodland or shrubland habitat.
+ Kakadu National Park, Flora: Protected areas of the Northern Territory :: Ramsar sites :: Australian National Heritage List :: World Heritage Sites in Australia :: National parks in Australia
  * Varieties of water lilies, such as the blue, yellow and white snowflake, are commonly found in these areas. Estuaries and tidal flats are populated with varieties of mangroves, in fact 39 of the 47 Northern Territory species of mangrove are found in Kakadu. These are important for preventing erosion of the coast. Mangroves serve as feeding and breeding grounds for many fish species including the barramundi.
+ Mangrove, Description: Trees :: Wetlands
  * Mangroves live right in the water. Their seeds fall from the tree and will grow roots as soon as they touch any kind of soil. During low tide, they may fall in soil rather than water and start growing where they fell. If the water level is high, though, they can be carried far away from where they fell. Mangrove trees are often the beginning of what will one day be a small island. This is an example of seed dispersal by water.