Stuff You Should Know Mangroves: Nature's Best Tree?
Jul 12, 2022
Discover the resilient world of mangroves, nature's surprising survivors thriving at the land-sea interface. Dive into their unique adaptations, including specialized roots that breathe and stabilize. Learn how these trees are crucial in mitigating climate change and protecting against storms and tsunamis. Explore their fascinating reproductive strategies and role as habitats for diverse wildlife. Plus, get the scoop on their impressive carbon sequestration abilities and the challenges they face, from deforestation to conservation efforts.
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Mangrove Diversity
- Mangroves aren't a single species or family of tree, but rather a diverse group of around 80-90 species.
- They are classified by their shared ability to thrive in salty, oxygen-poor environments, unlike most trees.
Mangrove Habitat
- Mangroves are woodland trees or shrubs growing in the intertidal zone between land and sea.
- They thrive in brackish water, occupying a narrow band along coastlines where terrestrial and marine environments meet.
Mangrove Forest Size
- Mangrove forests cover about 85,000 square miles globally, roughly the size of Arkansas.
- The largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans, is in the Bay of Bengal, home to the Bengal tiger.