THE UGLY MANGROVE - a tree??

 

Mangroves?!.......you've got to be kidding me! 

What's so special about mangroves that we'd waste a whole article on that apology for a tree?                                                                                                                                    

They clutter up what could be a beaut beach, they stifle real estate development, they block magnificent water views, they trap town rubbish, they snag your tackle when you go fishing.......okay, that's the down side.

From mangroves we can obtain wharf pilings, tanning fluid, fuel, dyes, fruit, bush medicine, and they say mangrove honey is hard to beat. Native people use the timber to make durable implements. In the larger scheme of things mangroves provide a breeding habitat for most commercially fished species, they protect against coastal erosion, they slow river currents to trap silt, and when the weather and sea become life-threatening for us they provide a buffer against the ravages of tsunamis and hurricanes/cyclones/typhoons. In fact, where do sailors seek refuge?.....as far up a tidal stream as they can navigate, tying up securely......among the mangroves. Perhaps we should leave mangroves be. 

So how do they survive a wide range of salinity, from sea water to brackish to fresh, plus wild temperature fluctuations? However do they reproduce in such unsuitable conditions in the inter-tidal zone?

Mangrove knee-roots extend down from the branches, giving the tree great stability, and they are able to exclude 90% of the salt. Whatever salt is absorbed is excreted by special glands in the leaves or concentrated in the bark.  
So how do mangrove roots admit oxygen in such water-logged conditions?                    
No problem! They have been designed with pneumatophores - snorkels extending up from the roots with lenticel openings above the sand or silt! To reduce loss of moisture from the leaves in hot conditions, the leaf stomata are recessed.                                    

Very smart!...but how do they produce new seedlings in water-logged ground that's submerged half the time?  Mangroves are 'viviporous', hanging onto their youngsters until they are ready for the cruel world. Their seeds germinate and grow within the fruit to form a propagule (seedling) that extends a root ready for transplanting. Once released into the water the weight of the root holds the seedling upright, ready for establishing in its new home.                                                                                                                             
Would we be in big trouble without this uniquely designed plant?...thanks to our wonderful Creator.               

Why not click on our very first video/slideshow link - about mangroves: 
http://youtu.be/Gsrs2iuAMNo

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: wikipedia.com                

Photo credits:
Tony Sullivan