Florida Florida
Introduction. Mangrove swamp is an easily recognized habitat along tropical and subtropical coastlines and brackish estuaries and deltas, where evergreen trees and shrubs thrive in tideland mud or sand flats inundated daily with sea water. These flats are found mostly along bays and inlets protected from heavy waves. Species that are less resistant to salt damage grow on the landward edge of mangal, where high tides reach only infrequently, or along river banks (estuarine mangrove), where freshwater mingles with sea water due to tidal influences. The mangrove biome, or mangal, is a distinct saline woodland or shrubland habitat characterized by depositional coastal environments, where fine sediments (often with high organic content) collect in areas protected from high-energy wave action. The unique ecosystem found in the intricate mesh of mangrove roots offers a quiet marine region for young organisms. In areas where roots are permanently submerged, the organisms they host include algae, barnacles, oysters, sponges, and bryozoans, which all require a hard surface for anchoring while they filter feed. Avicennia spp., black mangrove, is ubiquitous in mangal. In the Western Hemisphere, A. germinans is codominant with red mangrove, R. mangle, and a variant of this Avicennia occurs along the coastline of West Africa. Two other species in the genus may be found in the New World. Species that are less resistant to salt damage grow on the landward edge of mangal, where high tides reach only infrequently, or along river banks (estuarine mangrove), where freshwater mingles with sea water due to tidal influences. Florida's Mangroves. Worldwide, more than 50 species of mangroves exist. Of the three species found in Florida, the red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) is probably the most well-known. It typically grows along the water's edge. The red mangrove is easily identified by its tangled, reddish roots called prop-roots. These roots have earned mangroves the title, walking trees.  It is usually found growing with the white mangrove, upland of the red and black mangroves. Mangroves grow in saltwater and in areas frequently flooded by saltwater. Top right: Buttonwood. Normally found with the white mangrove, upland of the red and black mangroves. White mangroves are normally found upland of the red and black mangroves. The white mangroves are a bit harder to identify than red or black mangroves, since they don't have any obvious features like prop roots or pneumatophores. White mangroves usually grow on higher land, landward of red and black mangroves. They are often found in association with black mangroves. The white mangrove belongs to the family Combretaceae.  Black mangrove leaves are oblong, shiny green on top and covered with short dense hairs on the underside. Black mangroves are usually found in slightly higher elevations upland from red mangroves. White mangroves have no visible aerial root system like red and black mangroves. The leaves are up to 3 inches long, elliptical (rounded at both ends), yellowish in color, and have two distinguishing glands at the base of each leaf blade where the stem begins. White mangroves are usually located in elevations higher and farther upland than either the red or Tests have been done with mangrove seeds and it has been found that they grow even faster and taller in fresh water compared to salt water if competition with other species is reduced [ ]. Around the world, mangrove communities are often found in river deltas where salty oceanic water meets freshwater from river output. Rhizophora mangle, a mangrove tree species generally found farthest out in the water, have aerial roots that look like a network of stilts standing out of the water. Rhizophora sp. is often what people first think of when talking about mangrove trees. Three species of mangroves are found in Florida: the red mangrove, black mangrove, and white mangrove. Typically, red mangroves grow along the water's edge, black mangroves grow on slightly higher elevations than the red mangrove, and white mangroves grow upland from the red and black. White mangroves are normally found upland of the red and black mangroves. The white mangroves are a bit harder to identify than red or black mangroves, since they don't have any obvious features like prop roots or pneumatophores. Mangroves are tropical plants that are adapted to loose, wet soils, salt water, and being periodically submerged by tides. Four major factors appear to limit the distribution of mangroves: climate salt water tidal fluctuation soil type There are more that 50 species of mangroves found throughout the world. Three species of mangroves are native to Florida: red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle), Black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) and White mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa). The leaves are up to 3 inches long, elliptical (rounded at both ends), yellowish in color, and have two distinguishing glands at the base of each leaf blade where the stem begins. White mangroves are usually located in elevations higher and farther upland than either the red or black mangroves.
http://www.botgard.ucla.edu/html/botanytextbooks/worldvegetation/marinewetlands/mangal/fulltextonly.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangrove http://www.botgard.ucla.edu/html/botanytextbooks/worldvegetation/marinewetlands/mangal/fulltextonly.html http://dep.state.fl.us/coastal/habitats/mangroves.htm http://sofia.usgs.gov/virtual_tour/ecosystems/index.html http://www.pbcgov.com/erm/natural/mangroves.htm http://dep.state.fl.us/water/wetlands/mangroves/mangrove_facts.htm http://www.explorebiodiversity.com/habitats/mangroves.html http://sofia.usgs.gov/virtual_tour/ecosystems/index.html http://dep.state.fl.us/water/wetlands/mangroves/mangrove_facts.htm
where mangroves are generally found