Mangrove Ecosystems

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Mangrove Ecosystems
Presented By Katrina Aleksa
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Background
Subtropical and Tropical Wetland Utilized as a
nursery environment Protect against shoreline
erosion
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Structure
Shallow water Extensive Root System Thick Canopy
High Nutrients Dark Environment
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Mollusk Study
In The Caribbean Sea Collected One Root from 17
different Mangrove trees Found 5,771
individuals 21 species 17 families (Vilardy
and Polania 276)
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Juvenile Fish Hypotheses

• Structure and Root System
• Decrease in Predation
• Increase in Food Availability
• Not one, but all make it a productive nursery
  environment
• (Laegdsgaard and Johnson)

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Juvenile Fish Study
Conducted In Spanish Bay, Caribbean Sea Compare
and Discover the usage of mangroves, seagrass
beds, and shallow coral reefs Results- Smallest
size-classes utilize the seagrass beds Middle
size-classes utilize the mangroves Large
size-classes (mature/adult) utilize the reefs
(Cocheret de la Moriniere et al.)
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Juvenile Fish Study (cont.)
Conclusion- Seagrass Beds?Mangrove?Coral
Reef Some species only utilize one
habitat Mangroves more productive than
seagrass beds All three environments are
important (Cocheret de la Moriniere et al.)
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Human Use

• Aquaculture
• Agriculture
• Silviculture
• Urban Development
• Extraction of Products
• Tannins
• Food
• Medicine
• Timber

• Waste Disposal
• (Tam and Wong)

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Destruction

• 1 of the total mangrove area is being
  destroyed each year
• About 50 is already gone
• Considered one of the most threatened biomes
  in the world
• The mangrove trees themselves becoming
  threatened
• (Tam and Wong)

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Destruction Facts

• 60-70 of mangroves around Thailand and
  Philippines turned to shrimp farms and are
  destroyed within 3-5 years
• China in 1950s had 42,000 ha, now has 24,115 ha
• Hong Kong-
• Deep Bay- lost 85
• Tolo Harbor- lost 45
• (Tam and Wong)

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Conservation
Public Education International Policy to preserve
the Mangroves and other wetlands
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References
Cocheret de la Moriniere, E., B.J.A. Pollux, I.
Nagelkerken, and G. van der Velde.
Post-settlement Life Cycle Migration Patterns
and Habitat Preference of Coral Reef Fish that
use Seagrass and Mangrove Habitats as Nurseries.
Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. 55 2002.
309-321. Duke, N.C. and A.E. Schwartzbach. Life
on the edge Past and future of mangroves.
Wetlands Ecology and Mangement. 9 2001.
159. Laegdsgaard, Pia and Craig Johnson. Why do
juvenile fish utilise mangrove habitats?.
Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and
Ecology. 257 2001. 229-253. Mitsch, William J.
and James G. Gosselink. Wetlands. John Wiley
Sons, Inc. New York, NY. 2000. Tam, Nora F.Y.
and Y.S. Wong. Conservationans sustainable
exploitation of mangroves in Hong Kong. Trees.
16 2002. 224-229. Vilardy, Sandra and Jaime
Polania. Mollusc fauna of the mangrove
root-fouling community at the Colombian
Archipelago of San Andre and Old Providence.
Wetlands Ecology and Mangement. 10 2002.
273-282.