Importance of Mangroves

By
Shreyas Phansalkar
Prerna Phadnis
Rudra Purohit
Advika Potdar
Kaustubh Pande
• What are Mangroves?

 A Mangrove is a shrub or small tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water.
Mangroves are salt-tolerant trees, also called halophytes, and are
adapted to live in harsh coastal conditions. They contain a
complex salt filtration system and complex root system to cope
with saltwater immersion and wave action. They are adapted to
the low-oxygen conditions of waterlogged mud.
The word "mangrove" is used in at least three senses:
(1) most broadly to refer to the habitat and entire plant
assemblage or mangal, for which the terms mangrove forest 
biome, and mangrove swamp are also used,
(2) to refer to all trees and large shrubs in a mangrove swamp,
and
(3) narrowly to refer just to "true" mangrove trees of the genus 
Rhizophora of the family Rhizophoraceae.
• Importance of Mangroves

 Mangroves protect shorelines from damaging storm and hurricane winds, waves and
floods.
 Mangroves also help prevent erosion by stabilizing sediments with their tangled root
systems.
Mangroves provide ideal breeding grounds for much
of the world's fish, shrimp, crabs, and other shellfish.
Many fish species, such as barracuda, tarpon, and
snook, find shelter among the mangrove roots as
juveniles, head out to forage in the seagrass beds as
they grow, and move into the open ocean as adults.
An estimated 75 percent of commercially caught fish
spend some time in the mangroves or depend on
food webs that can be traced back to these coastal
forests.
Fisheries: Mangrove forests are home to large
variety of fish, crabs, shrimp and Mollusca species.
• Biology of Mangroves

 There are 110 species of mangroves all over the world.

 But there are only 4-5 species in each single mangrove forest.
Of the recognized 110 mangrove species, only about 54 species in 20 genera from 16 families
 constitute the "true mangroves", species that occur almost exclusively in mangrove habitats.
Demonstrating convergent evolution, many of these species found similar solutions to the
tropical conditions of variable salinity, tidal range (inundation), anaerobic soils, and intense
sunlight. Plant biodiversity is generally low in a given mangrove. The greatest biodiversity of
mangroves occurs in Southeast Asia, particularly in the Indonesian archipelago.

Adaptations to low oxygen

Red mangroves, which can survive in the most inundated areas, prop themselves above the
water level with stilt roots and can then absorb air through pores in their bark (lenticels). 
Black mangroves live on higher ground and make many pneumatophores (specialized root-like
structures which stick up out of the soil like straws for breathing) which are also covered in 
lenticels.
These "breathing tubes" typically reach heights of up to 30 cm (12 in), and in some species,
over 3 m (9.8 ft). The four types of pneumatophores are stilt or prop type, snorkel or peg type,
knee type, and ribbon or plank type. Knee and ribbon types may be combined with buttress
roots at the base of the tree. The roots also contain wide aerenchyma to facilitate transport
within the plants.
• Limiting salt intake

 Mangroves exclude salt by having significantly impermeable roots which are highly
suberized acting as an ultra filtration mechanism.
Red mangroves exclude salt by having significantly impermeable roots
which are highly suberised (impregnated with suberin), acting as an
ultra-filtration mechanism to exclude sodium salts from the rest of the
plant. Analysis of water inside mangroves has shown 90% to 97% of
salt has been excluded at the roots. In a frequently cited concept that
has become known as the "sacrificial leaf", salt which does accumulate
in the shoot (sprout) than concentrates in old leaves, which the plant
then sheds. However, recent research suggests the older, yellowing
leaves have no more measurable salt content than the other, greener
leaves. Red mangroves can also store salt in cell vacuoles. White and
grey mangroves can secrete salts directly; they have two salt glands at
each leaf base (correlating with their name—they are covered in white
salt crystals).
• Limiting Water Loss

 There is limited fresh water available in salty intertidal soils, hence mangroves limit loss of
water.
 They can restrict opening of their stomata.
Because of the limited fresh water available in salty
intertidal soils, mangroves limit the amount of water they
lose through their leaves. They can restrict the opening of
their stomata (pores on the leaf surfaces, which exchange 
carbon dioxide gas and water vapor during photosynthesis).
They also vary the orientation of their leaves to avoid the
harsh midday sun and so reduce evaporation from the leaves.
Anthony Calfo, a noted aquarium author, observed
anecdotally that a red mangrove in captivity grows only if its
leaves are misted with fresh water several times a week,
simulating frequent tropical rainstorms.
• Impact of Mangroves

 Mangroves provide nursery habitat for many wildlife species.

 Mangroves improve coastal water, by removing pollutants from it.
• Area covered by Mangrove Forest
• Area covered by each Nation
• Area covered by India