Conservation Of Mangroves Essay

Mangroves are the single woody halophytes existing at the confluence of land and sea in the tropical and subtropical zones of the world. Trees in mangroves grow best in the places where wave energy becomes slow and facilitates deposition of fine sediment particles, allow these halotolerant plants to root and grow. Generally, mangroves can be compared with simple structured forest with a less floral diversity (Alongi 2002). It’s a densely vegetated mudflat coexist between marine and terrestrial boundaries (Massel et al. 1999) and typically distributed from highest spring tide to mean sea level, show a sequential pattern of change in trees species. Several factors like salinity, soil types, nutrient and its chemistry, physiological tolerances, predations and competition are responsible for zonation of mangrove flora and fauna (Robertson and Alongi 1992). Mangroves possesses some special morphological and ecological characteristics that provide a unique ecological and functional structure. Some morphological and eco-physiological characteristics and adaptations include pneumatophores, viviparous seeds, propagules dispersion through tidal actions, absence of growth rings, very functional nutrient retention capacity and ability to cope-up with salinity variations (Alongi 2002). Mangroves continuously interact with tidal flows and as a biogeomorphological agent it entrap sediment, create humus upon sedimentation, plays an important role in

Species composition and distribution

Along the tropics and sub-tropics mangroves occupy the landscape’s biogeomorphology (Kirk 1974). Mangroves are sensitive to frost and freezing, therefore mangroves are found with a latitudinal limitation (Clark 1997). With an increasing latitude mangroves biomass and tree height decrease because solar energy is a dominant control factor. Moreover, soil types, hydrodynamics, topography and water salinity are also crucial factors for growth and distribution of mangroves (Wheeler