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Mangrove

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Mangrove
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The Mangrove Ecosystem is essential for both the environment and humans, human intervention has damaged this environment and now we are learning to restore it.

The Mangrove Ecosystem is a type of specialized coastal wetland found in tropical and subtropical regions. It is characterized by salt loving trees, shrubs and other plants that grow in brackish saline tidal waters. These wetlands are found where freshwater meets saltwater and are infamous for their impenetrable maze of woody vegetation. The Mangrove swamp is inherently a depositional anoxic environment. They can incorporate, trap inorganic nutrients, heavy metals, and pesticides that would otherwise flow to the sea, degrading the quality of coastal waters. Mangrove swamps are also important in regard to shoreline erosion control and ecological productivity. There are three species of the mangrove tree, red, black and white. The red mangrove are easily recognized by its distinctive arching roots because the bottom part of its trunk branches that arch in the air before the entering the water. Black mangrove, often grow more inland, help in supplying the plant with air in submerged soils, it is easy to identify from its belowground roots, gray-brown, pencil-like items that emerge vertically from the mud, their physical stability helps to prevent shoreline erosion, shielding inland areas from severe damage during hurricanes and tidal waves. The intricate tangle of springy prop roots and low tangled growth make them especially resistant to uprooting by hurricane winds and waves. . While the white grow even farther inland with no outstanding root structures. Human interaction from clearing the area have been using the wood from the black mangrove and buttonwood trees to produce charcoal and its leaves have been used in tea, medicine and livestock feed. Mangroves are the breeding ground for many kinds of fish and shellfish. The maze of roots offers their larvae and juveniles food and protection against



References: (n.d). Retrieved from http://www.earthwatch.org/europe/newsroom/science/news-3-carboncredit.html Mcs. (n.d). Retrieved from http://www.marine-conservation.org.uk/mangroves.html

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