Mangrove Forest

The mangrove forest forms the buffer zone between the freshwater prairies of the interior Everglades and the saltwater Florida Bay. The forest is comprised of three mangrove species with the addition of the silver buttonwood.  The most salt tolerant of the three mangrove species, and also the most visually intriguing, is the red mangrove.  This tree is easily recognized due to its countless prop roots that drop from the trunk and branches to help support the mangrove during high winds such as hurricanes.  These roots not only support the tree during rough weather but provide hiding places for thousands of marine species that take shelter here.  These roots form the estuary that is home to small fish and provide the site where the majority of the open water species breed.  These small fish and crustaceans feed on the decaying leaves that fall from the mangroves on a regular basis. 

As the forest extends inland, black mangroves begin to dominate the forest canopy.  These trees get their name from their dark black trunks which make them easily identifiable.  Instead of prop roots, black mangroves have root extensions, known as pneumatophores, which protrude up through the surface of the soil and act as a site of gas exchange and a way for the black mangrove to release excess salt.  The forest floor under a black mangrove is thick with these pneumatophores that allow the tree to survive in such harsh conditions. 

The white mangroves and buttonwoods can be found anywhere in the forest but are most common on higher ground where flooding is less frequent.  Unlike the extreme adaptations of the black and red mangroves the white mangroves have similar but much more subtle adaptations. 

All of these species help to protect coastal portions of the region during storms and high surf.  The prop roots of the red mangrove and the pneumatophores of the black mangrove are specially adapted to provide support for the tree as well as secure soil around the roots.  During calmer conditions these roots also help to trap sand and debris and help in land formation.  These important functions, coupled with the formation of estuaries and their importance to hundreds of marine fish species, make the mangrove forest one of the most important communities in the region.