Mangrove Forest: Introduction, Adaptation, Location, and Importance

 What are Mangrove forests?

    The mangrove forests are unique coastal wetland ecosystem where shurbs and salt-tolerant trees grows. They are found at coastlands where saltwater mixes with freshwater. These are abundant in tropical(found between the equator) and subtropical regions(found outside the tropical region).  

Unique adaptations: 

    Thay have unique adaptations to survive in harsh environments.
  • They can tolerate high concentration of salt through two mechanisms.
              1. They filter 90% salt at root level.
              2. Some plants pump salt up to leaves and make crystals.
  • They have special aerial roots to take in oxygen in oxyden-depleted soil.
  • They have thich waxy cutical and succulent leaves(thick and fleshy) in order to store water and protect from dehydration.
  • Their stomata hidden under hairs.

Where to find mangrove forest?

    Mangrove forest found in coastline(where land meets ocean) and interdial zone(underwater specific part of coastal zone). They are found across 118 counteries. Only 15 counteries have 75% of all mangrove forest in the world. Here is breakdown of most notable countries and their forests.

Indonesia:

    Indonesia is first ranked country for mangrove forest. It holds approximately 23% of all world's mangroves. They are most abundant in Papua, Sumatra and Kalimantan.

Brazil:

    Brazil possesssed the secon-largest mangrove area in the world. It is a home to 1.39 million hectares of mangroves. Most part of it found in Amazon coastline.

Australia:

     1.11 million hectares area of Australia is covered by mangrove, making it one of the most important country. They are reletively untouched by humans because, they are located in remote areas with limited human disturbance.  So, considered to be most safest forest.  

Nigeria:

      Nigeria is also a home of mangrove forest. Most of mangroves are located in Niger Delta(a network of wetlands and river). It is most impportant ecosystem in west Africa for biodiversity and coastal protection.

Mexico:

    Mexico contain approximately a million hectars of mangroves. Its mangrove provide refuge to many rare and endangered species.

Bangladesh and India:

    Bangladesh and India has shared mangrove forest Sunderbans. They are famous because Sundarbans is world's largest mangrove forest.   
    Note: Bangladesh has largest mangrove forest on the other hand Indonesia has largest coverage of mangrove forest.

Why they are important?

    These are very important in maintaining climate and coastal defence. They act as bridge between land and sea. Their importance is described below.
  • They help in reducing global warming because they caputure 2 to 4 times more carbon dioxide during photosythesis than other plants. They store carbon in their bodies for years.
  • Their dense network of roots reduce flood, and absorb energy of waves.
  • It is a home to many animals like crabs, shrimps and some fishes. Their roots provide safety them from other large predators. It support large diversity of birds, mammals, and birds.
  • They filter pollutant from water.  Their tangled roots act as fance to stop sediments from mixing water.
  • They also support economy by providing different breeds of fishes, timber, and wood.

Conculsion:

    Mangrove forests are vey important and found all over the world. From past years due to human activities and other natural disasters badly affect these coastal protecters. It is ahome to many organisms. It is very important to protect them.

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