Tropical Shoreline Plants: Open Beaches Dunes Rocky Shores Mangrove Communities
Tropical Shoreline Plants: Open Beaches Dunes Rocky Shores Mangrove Communities
Tropical Shoreline Plants: Open Beaches Dunes Rocky Shores Mangrove Communities
Open Beaches
Dunes
Rocky Shores
Mangrove Communities
Coccoloba uvifera
• Sandy seashores
• Grows 2m to 8m
• Small white flowers
Coccoloba uvifera
• up to 50 fruits on a
single cluster
• gives appearance of a
bunch of grapes
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
• “sea grape”
are needed to see this picture.
• Sandy seashores
• Grows to 30m
• Up to 100 years
• 1 - 2kg fruit
Cocos nucifera
• drupe
• light and buoyant
• floats long distances in water
• viable for a long time
• Salt water
• Salt spray
• High temperatures
• Dryness
Adaptations
• 23 - 28 C
Lenticels
prop roots
Aerobic mud
Anaerobic mud
Red Mangrove - Tolerating Anaerobic Mud
O2
[O2]
O2
To prop
root
48 h
time
Red Mangrove - dealing with salt
Pneumatophores
(air root)
Aerobic
Anaerobic
Anchor root Radial root
Black Mangrove pneumatophores
Black Mangrove - Coping with
salt
• 4 - 12m
• intolerant of salt
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Mangrove Succession and Zonation
Mangrove Reproduction - Red Mangrove
propagule
Mangrove Reproduction - Black Mangrove
Wind Pollinated
propagule
Mangrove Reproduction - White Mangrove
Insect Pollinated
Mangrove Food Chain Bacterial and fungal
recolonization
Particulate
organic matter Small fish
shrimp
Direct grazing by MANGROVE
crabs LEAF
detritus
Dissolved organic substances Small crustacea
Absorbed by bacteria
sediment
protozoa
algae algae