Tropical Rainforest Mangroves

Distribution and conditions  Area between 20  Same but sheltered

deg N and 20 deg S environment close
of equator to coast eg river
 High temp (26 deg) mouth, behind
and rainfall islands with calm
(1500mm to waters with
2000mm) year round accumulation of
 Amazon Basin sediment
 Congo Basin  High water salinity
 SE Asia
Characteristics  Evergreen  Evergreen
 Diversity  Not Diverse
o Dense, o Low density
o Many types o Cannot
of plants, tolerate
fruits, spices, shaded
veg, nuts
 Structure  Uniform height
o Emergent o Horizontal
(>30m, tall, zonation
straight, determined
smooth by low and
trunks with high tide
few o Inland –
branches) Bruguiera
o Canopy (20- o Midzone –
30m, Rhizophoria
interlocking o Seaward -
crowns, Avicennia
prevents
most sunlight
reaching
ground)
o Undergrowth
(<20m,
sparse
vegetation,
moss, ferns
lianas,
epiphytes,
larger leaves,
thin leaf
litter)
 Adaptations  Leaves  Leaves
o Broad, waxy, o Salt-secreting
 leathery, Avicennia
hairy o Deposit in old
o Drip tip leaves –
 Trunk Sonneratia
o Straight  Roots
 Fruits/Flowers o Prevent salt
o Colourful, intake – Brug
strong o Aerial -allows
smelling root to take
 Seeds - winged in Oxygen, eg
 Roots – shallow, knee bend,
widespreading, cone, pencil,
buttress prop
(Rhizophora)