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Mangroves Adaptation

Mangroves create some of the richest ecosystems in the world. Their favored coastal habitats are often harsh, storm-wracked and oxygen-deficient, but they manage to flourish through unique adaptations.

Structural Adaptations
- Mangroves growing on the margin of saltwater exhibit a number of structural adaptations. Red mangroves drop distinctive prop roots to anchor themselves and for enhanced respiration in oxygen-starved sediments. Black mangroves protrude specialized roots called pneumatophores to take in oxygen at low water levels.
Salt
- The marine habitat of waterlogged mangroves obviously means they must contend with saline conditions. The root membranes of red mangroves bar salt from entering; black and white mangroves actively remove salt through special surface glands. As the Florida Museum of Natural History notes, the ability of these mangroves to deal with salt allows them to occupy habitats inhospitable to other plants.
Reproduction
- Mangrove reproduction is unique. Unlike many other plants, they bear live young: new plants called propagules are generated and set forth from parent trees after germination.

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