Mangroves & Seagrasses PR10_v0310
-
Upload
erin-britton -
Category
Documents
-
view
70 -
download
4
Transcript of Mangroves & Seagrasses PR10_v0310
Overview• Ecosystem Interactions
• Mangroves– What are Mangroves– Distribution– Adaptations– Associated Animals– Dispersal & Reproduction– Life Cycle
– Importance of Mangroves– Uses of Mangroves– Threats
• Seagrasses– Seagrass Beds– Morphology– Importance
Reduce wave action
Act as juvenile nursery ground / Source of leaf litterReduce coastal
erosion Freshwater buffer
Act as juvenile nursery ground
Trap sediment
Trap sediment
Slow wave action and currents
Ecosystem Interactions
What are Mangroves?
• Woody, seed bearing halophytes adapted for life in brackish and waterlogged soils that are acidic and often anoxic
• Shrubs to tall trees
• Found along sheltered tropical mudflats
• 54 species across 20 genera
Distribution
• Almost exclusively tropical.• Coastal zones and estuarine mouths• Correlates with sea temp.• Extend only a few km inland.
Dispersal and Reproduction
• Vivipary
• Spear shaped fruits called Propagules
• Fall and take root in the soil
• Increases chance of survival
Dispersal and ReproductionHydrochory:
• Dispersal by water
• Propagules dry out to enable them to float.
• Can travel great distances from the parent tree.
Importance of MangrovesCoastal protection• Prevents soil erosion• Trap excess
sediments and nutrients
Fisheries• Nursery • Spawning
What is seagrass?• Firstly it is not a seaweed
nor is it a true grass.• The only marine flowering
angiosperm.
Where is it found?• In both tropical and
temperate climates
Seagrass Beds
• Highest diversity is in Australia with 23 species found. The second highest area is in the Philippines with 13 species present.
• Tend to be found in the intertidal region but can be found to depths of 30m +
• Thalassia testudinum & Syringodium filiforme are the dominant species in the Caribbean.
Seagrass Beds
The Morphology of Seagrass
• Flowering plants• Root system to withstand
wave action• Reproductive system that
distributes pollen by water
• Normally found in areas with high light penetration
• Often found between mangroves and coral reefs