Because they have access to more oxygen they don’t need
specialized roots like the red and black mangroves do.
Why are they called the “walking trees?’’ Because all three
species trap, hold, and stabilize sediments that come in with
the tide. They aid in holding the soil in place, especially during
extreme storms. As the soil builds up, the trees migrate
toward the water. If storms are few, the trees move out into
the water increasing the land mass. They also protect the
shoreline. During extreme storms and hurricanes, mangrove
forests protect landward coastal area by mitigating damage
from waves, currents, and winds.
A wide variety of species utilize mangrove habitats.
Coastal birds such as pelicans, spoonbills, and osprey use the
mangroves as a nesting site, and the mangroves are home to
many food sources for the birds. In the waters around the
mangrove roots, especially the prop roots of the red mangrove,
a variety of juvenile game fish can be found. Algae
and marine invertebrates such as sponges, corals, and
anemone attach to prop roots while clams, sea snails, shrimp,
and other organisms use the mangroves for shelter and a
feeding ground.
Florida mangrove communities provide habitat for a number
of threatened and endangered species. Among the
Florida endangered species are the wood stork, American
crocodile, which is found in the Keys, hawksbill and Atlantic
ridley sea turtles, bald eagle, peregrine falcon, and Atlantic
saltmarsh snake. Species that are declining, such as the little
blue heron, white ibis, snowy egret, and loggerhead sea turtle,
also rely on mangroves.
Unfortunately in recent years, humans have severely
threatened the health of mangroves. A variety of stresses on
this unique habitat has included dredging, filling and dining;
oil spills; herbicide and human waste runoff.
In Florida, scientists are able to evaluate habitat changes
by analyzing aerial photographs from the 1940s and 1950s
compared to recent satellite imagery and aerial photography.
Frequently, these images illustrate loss of mangrove acreage.
Research has shown that these losses are often attributed to
human activity. In the Indian River lagoon, 76 percent of the
existing mangrove areas are no longer productive as fisheries
habitat, while 86 percent of former mangrove areas have
been lost for fisheries use since the 1940s.
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All mangroves bear seeds during the fall. Seeds from the white mangrove,
above, fall off on the shoreline and are carried away by the tides to
colonize elsewhere. Birds, such as the little blue heron, opposite page, use
mangrove trees for nesting and roosting.