MangrovesMars 345010 October, 2013Florida Bay, FLMangroves – intertidal habitat1. Protected from waves2. Shallow intertidal slopes (muddy sediment)3. No freezing temperatures (tropical)http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/southflorida/mangrove/distribution.htmlWorldwide distribution of mangroves(Nybakken 2001)Worldwide Distribution of Coral ReefsFunctional Linkage – Mangroves provide protection from land, coral reefs provide protection from oceanPhysiological Linkage – Frost-free zoneMarshes and mangrovesFunctional equivalentsmarshesmangrovesmarshesmangrovesmarshesBiomass vs. latitudeLots of BiomassConcentrated in Low LatitudesSalt Marshes & MangrovesMangrove trees12 generaCommon trees:•Rhizophora(red)•Avicennia(black)• Laguncularia (white)• Buttonwood• Different Genera –convergent evolutionhttp://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/SouthFlorida/mangrove/Profiles.htmlReproduction and DispersalBlack and Red MangrovesObligateMarine dispersal by floating seeds!FlowersImmature seedsRipe seedsRootLeavesFloat upright and DriftObligate DispersalRed - 40 days. Black - 14 daysWhite - 5 daysRooting PeriodRed – 15 daysBlack – 7 daysWhite – 5 daysSeed SurvivalRed - 365Black - 110White - 35Red Mangroves (Rhizophora mangle)Large , glossy leaves, distinct prop roots, typically lining channelsWhite MangrovesLaguncularia racemosaFiner, whitish leaves, no prop roots, distinct pneumatophoresBlack mangrove (Avicenniagerminans)Dark trunk and stems, glossy leaves, pneumatophoresmangrove tree crabmangrove snapperschoolmasterraccoonhttp://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/SouthFlorida/mangrove/Profiles.htmlMangroves as EcosystemsTim Laman/National Geographic Image Collection Sunlight pours through the lens-clear waters that wash a Caribbean mangrove forest, flashing against a swirling school of fish and revealing the blaze of a sea star. By trapping sediments and contaminants flowing seaward from inland farms and towns, mangrove roots help maintain coastal water quality and shield fragile offshore coral reefs from damage.Tim Laman/National Geographic Image CollectionTim Laman/National Geographic Image Collection Roosting in Trinidad's Caroni Swamp, scarlet ibises are a beloved symbol of the Caribbean nation—and the inspiration behind thousands of acres of mangrove preserves.A male proboscis monkey tiptoes through a mudflat in a mangrove forest as he and members of his harem search for fresh foraging grounds. Travel on ground is rare since they live almost entirely in the treetops.Tim Laman/National Geographic Image CollectionLike the mangroves that edge this tidal mudflat in Malaysia, mudskippers flourish in high tides and low. Special adaptations allow these fish to breathe both underwater and in the air.Tim Laman/National Geographic Image CollectionMangrove Characteristics• Adaptations to handle salt (halophytes)– Rhizophora (tolerates 60-65 psu)• organic solutes in leaf cells• inorganic solutes in vacuoles– Avicennia (tolerates > 90 psu)• salt-secreting glands on leaveshttp://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0702/feature5/gallery4.htmlhttp://www.jonathanbird.net/browse/Plant.htmSalt (NaCl) crystalsMangrove Characteristics• Adaptations to handle salt (halophytes)• Adaptations for anaerobic sediment• Rhizophora (Red)• aerial prop roots• lenticels (pores for gas exchange)• Avicennia (Black) and Laguncularia (White)• pneumatophores• lenticels• spreading root systemsProp roots of the red mangrove© Cathleen Bester/FLMNHRhizophoraAvicenniahttp://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/SouthFlorida/mangrove/Profiles.htmlTim Laman/National Geographic Image Collection Sonneratia alba, MaylasiaTwo different rootsSpartina and sea grasses (e.g. Zostera, Thalassia) do the same thing!Mangrove Characteristics• Adaptations to handle salt (halophytes)• Adaptations for anaerobic sediment•ZonationHTLTuplandRed BlackWhiteWell-flushedTheories about mangroves(analgous for Spartina)1. Detritus-based food web is dominant2. OutwellingAre these correct?primary producersWhat is their relative contribution?detritusIs This The Mangrove Food Web?Top carnivoresStable Isotopes“you are what you eat”Dissecting FoodwebsBased in isotopic discrimination (or not) in biochemical reactions: activation energiesoffshore watercoastal watermangroveAnimals in mangroves consume food from a variety of sourcesSedimentSPMAnimalsoccurs along edges of estuaryoccurs on edge of a sheltered coastoccurs in inland depressionFunction varies depending on location, connectivityStored Litter CarbonLitter Carbon InputPeat formation and in situdecompositionStresses on mangroves1. Removal for development2. Clearing for timber/charcoal3. Introduced species4. Water pollution/oil spills5. AquacultureREADING (in the Readings folder):Mangrove Forests: One of the World’sThreatened Major Tropical Environmentsby Valiela et al.ConsequencesLoss of Ecosystem ServicesHabitatPrimary Production“Filtration” – nutrients and sedimentLoss of Shoreline ProtectionHurricanesTsunamisCard Sound Road, Dade County FLAlabama Jack’s, Card Sound Road, Dade County FLClose up of the “borrow pit” ditch along Card Sound RoadConnectivity maintained or enhancedProgresso, Yucatan, MxConnectivity eliminatedTurkey Point Nuclear Power Plant, Miami FLAmid twisting waterways, narrow pipeline channels cut paths across the Cawthorne Channel area of the southern Niger Delta. Spills in the Scotland-size delta, many caused by sabotage, have created one of the world's most polluted regions and threaten Africa's largest remaining mangrove forest. The swampy terrain makes roadbuilding difficult in the delta. Villagers mostly travel by ferry or dugout canoe; oil workers usually go by powerboat or helicopter. But rebels use the maze of creeks and channels to avoid capture by the military.Tim Laman/National Geographic Image CollectionHundreds of thousands of Bangladeshis—including these laborers transporting wood for charcoal production—depend on the natural riches of the Sundarbans for their livelihoods. Nearly half of Bangladesh's timber comes from these forests each year, along with a multimillion-dollar harvest of wild honey and plants used for roof thatching, baskets, even medicines.Tim Laman/National Geographic Image CollectionMalaysia has lost half of its mangrove forests—a million and a half acres (607,000 hectares)—in the past 50 years, much of that to aquaculture operations that feed the increasing global appetite for seafood. Tim Laman/National Geographic