Florida Mangroves - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Florida mangrovesecoregion, of the Mangrove forest Biome, comprise an ecosystem along the coasts of

the Florida peninsula, and the Florida Keys.

1 Florida's Mangrove species

2 Zonation

3 Reproductive Strategy

4 Distribution

4.1 Preferred Climate

4.2 Habitat destruction

5 Associated Fauna and Flora

5.1 Fish

5.2 Birds

5.3 Endangered Species

5.4 Other fauna

5.5 Flora

6 Effects of Climate Change

6.1 Sea Level Rise

6.2 Temperature Shifts

6.3 Increased Storm Severity

6.4 Ways to Promote Resilience

7 See also

8 References

The Florida mangroves ecoregion includes three mangrove species:

Rhizophora mangle Red Mangrove.

Red mangroves are characterized by a dendritic network of aerial prop roots extending into the soil. This allows

them to live in anaerobic conditions by providing gas exchange. They obtain 82125 feet in height in deltas and

2633 feet along shoreline.The bark is gray on the outside with a red interior. These trees also have small white

flowers that are wind pollinated with 10-12 inch long pencil shaped seeds.[1]

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da mangroves - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_m

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Red mangrove tree in Everglades

National Park

Black mangrove flower

Excreted salt on the underside of a

mangrove leaf

Avicennia germinans Black

Mangrove

Black mangrove trees grow to a

heights of 133 feet and average

66 feet. They are characterized

by vertically erect aerating

branches (pneumatophores)extending up to 20 cm above the

soil. The bark is dark and scaly

and the upper surface of the

leaves is often covered with salt

excreted by the plant. This tree

has white flowers that are

bilaterally symmetrical and pollinated by Hymenoptera and is the source

of mangrove honey. The seed is a shaped and sized similar to a lima

bean when germinated. Younger black mangrove trees are shade

intolerant but become more shade tolerant as they mature.[1]

Laguncularia racemosa White Mangrove

White mangrove trees grow to 45 feet in height and up and tend to have

a more erect form than the other species. Thy have erect, blunt-tipped

pneumatophores that are used if they are growing in anaerobic

conditions. The bark is white, relatively smooth and the leaves are oval

shaped and flattened. Small yellowish flowers are located on the

terminal ends of the branches. These may germinate into football shaped

propagules. However this may not occur if they are in the northern part

of their range.[1]

Conocarpus erectus Buttonwood.(One species that is variously

classified as a mangrove or a mangrove associate)

Buttonwoods grow 3946 feet but do not produce a true propagule in

Florida. Tiny brownish flowers are located at the terminal ends of the branches forming a seed cluster known as

the button. These trees are able to grow in areas seldom inundated by tidal water. Two glands are located at the

apex of the petiole (leaf stalk) and excrete excess salts and extra floral nectar.[1]

All three mangrove species flower in the spring and early summer. Propagules fall from late summer through

early autumn.[1]These plants have differing adaptions to conditions along coasts, and are generally found in

partially overlapping bands or zones, roughly parallel to the shoreline. The Red mangrove grows closest to open

water. It has multiple prop roots, which may help to stabilize the soil around its roots. Further inland is the

Black mangrove lacking prop roots, but does have pneumatophores, which grow up from the roots to above the

water level. The White mangrove grows further inland. It may have prop roots and/or pneumatophores,

depending on conditions where it is growing. The Buttonwood grows in shallow, brackish water, Florida


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Attached propagules of the viviparousmangrove tree Rhizophora mangle,

Bragana, en:Par, North Brazil

Red mangrove tree fruits and

propagules

swamps, or on dry land (the furthest inland).

Mangroves have a very unique

reproductive strategy for a plant.

Like mammals they are

viviparious, or "bringing forth

live young". Instead of dormant

seeds, they produce propagules

that have embryonic development while still attached to the tree and

only release at the appropriate time into water. Once released from tree

they require various dispersal times or an "obligate dispersal periods"

(540 days depending upon the species) where the embryonic

development continues. Once favorable a favorable site is found there is

a obligate stranding period before tree emerges and begins to grow.

Florida mangrove plant communities covered an estimated

430,000 to 540,000 acres (1,700 to 2,200 km) in Florida in

1981. Ninety percent of the Florida mangroves are in

southern Florida, in Collier, Lee, Miami-Dade and Monroe

Counties.

Approximately 280,000 acres (1,100 km) of mangrove

forests are in the hands of the Federal, State and local

governments, and of private, non-profit organizations. Most

of those acres are in Everglades National Park. Mangroves

cover a wide band all along the southern end of the Florida

peninsula facing on Florida Bay, from Key Largo across to

close to Flamingo, then inland behind the beaches and marl

prairies of Cape Sable and all around Whitewater Bay. From

Whitewater Bay, a broad band of mangroves extends up the Gulf coast to Marco Island, including the Ten

Thousand Islands.


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Florida mangroves in the coastal Florida swamps.

Mangroves also extend throughout the Florida Keys, although coverage has been reduced due to development.

Florida Bay is dotted with small islands, which are often no more than mud flats or shoals more or less covered

by mangroves. Biscayne Bay also has extensive mangroves, but the northern part of the Bay has been largely

cleared of mangroves to make way for urban development. Mangrove coverage is limited elsewhere, with the

largest areas in the Indian River Lagoon on the east coast, and the Caloosahatchee River, Pine Island Sound and

Charlotte Harbor estuaries and Tampa Bay on the west coast.

Preferred Climate

Mangroves are tropical plants, killed by freezing temperatures. These trees can range about halfway up the coast

of the Florida peninsula due to mild winter climate and the moderating effect of the warm waters of the Gulf of

Mexico on the west coast and the Gulf Stream and Atlantic Ocean on the east coast. The Florida Mangrove

community is found as far north as Cedar Key on the Gulf coast of Florida, and as far north as the Ponce de

Leon Inlet on the Atlantic coast of Florida. Black Mangroves can regrow from roots after being killed back by a

freeze, and are found by themselves a little further north, to Jacksonville on the east coast and along the Florida

Panhandle on the Gulf coast. Most of Florida is sub-tropical, making it not ideal for mangroves, so the trees

tend to be shorter and the leaves smaller in northern and central Florida than in tropical regions. In deep south

Florida and the Florida Keys, the tropical climates allows mangroves to grow larger due to being frost free.[2][3]

Habitat destruction

Human activity has impacted the mangrove

ecoregion in Florida. While the coverage of

mangroves at the end of the 20th century is

estimated to have decreased only 5% from a century

earlier, some localities have seen severe reductions.

The Lake Worth Lagoon lost 87% of its mangroves

in the second half of the 20th century, leaving a

remnant of just 276 acres (1.12 km). Tampa Bay,home to the busy Port of Tampa, lost over 44% of

its wetlands, including mangroves and salt marshes,

during the 20th century. Three-quarters of the

wetlands along the Indian River Lagoon, including

mangroves, were impounded for mosquito control

during the 20th century. As of 2001, natural water flow was being restored to some of the wetlands.[2][4][5]

Fish

The Florida mangrove system is an important habitat for many species. It provides nursery grounds for young

fish, crustaceans and mollusks, and for sport and commercial purposes. Many fish feed in the mangrove forests,

including snook (Centropomus undecimalis), Gray or Mangrove snapper (Lutjanus griseus), Schoolmaster

snapper (Lutjanus apodus), tarpon, jack, sheepshead, red drum, Hardhead Silverside (Atherinomorus stipes),

uvenile Blue Angelfish (Holocanthus bermudensis), juvenile Porkfish (Anisotremus virginicus), Lined

Seahorse (Hippocampus erectus), Great Barracuda (Sphryaena barracuda), Scrawled Cowfish (Lactophrys

quadricornis) and Permit (Trachinotus falcatus), as well as shrimp and clams. An estimated 75% of the game

fish and 90% of the commercial fish species in south Florida depend on the mangrove system.


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Brown Pelican

Key Deer (Odocoileus viginianus

clavium)

Reef2576 - Flickr - NOAA Photo

Library

Birds

The branches of mangroves serve as roosts and rookeries for coastal and wading birds, such as the brown

pelican (Oelicanus occidentalis), roseate spoonbill (Ajajia ajaia), Frigatebird (Fregata magnificans), Double-

crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon), Brown Noddy (Anous

stolidus), Great White Heron and Wurdemann's Heron, color phases of the Great Blue Heron (Adrea herodias),

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), Snowy Egret (Egretta thula), Green Heron (Butorides striatus), Reddish Egret

(Dichromanassa rufescens) and Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca).

Endangered Species

Florida mangroves are also home to the following endangered species:

American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus)

Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)

Atlantic ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii)

Eastern indigo snake (Drymarchon corais)

Atlantic saltmarsh snake (Nerodia clarkii taeniata)

Southern bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus leucocephalus)

Peregrine falcon (Falco columbarius)

Brown pelican (Pelicanus occidentalis)

Barbados yellow warbler (Dendroica petechia petechia)

Key deer (Odocoileus virginianus clavium)

West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus)

Endangered Florida manatee

(Trichechus manatus) (7636814558)

Other fauna

Above the water mangroves also shelter and support snails, crabs, and spiders. Below the water's surface, often

encrusted on the mangrove roots, are sponges, anemones, corals, oysters, tunicates, mussels, starfish, crabs, and

Florida Spiny Lobster (Panulirus argus).[2][4][6][7]

Flora

The mangrove branches and trunks support various Epiphytes, such as Bromeliads. Those of the genus


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Tillandsiafound in them include Spanish moss, and Reindeer lichen. Below the water, spaces protected by

splayed mangrove roots can shelter seagrasses.

Climate change is a complex issue with numerous variables. Even when predicting the severity (such as how

much global temperatures will increase) scientists often disagree and cannot come to a consensus. The effects o

climate change to a particular species is even more difficult to discern. Despite the intricacy, scientists haveformulated several hypotheses of the effects of climate change to the mangroves of southern Florida. The

overall hypothesis is that mangroves are vulnerable to climate change, which will affect this ecosystem via three

main mechanisms: sea level rise, decreased cold weather events, and increased storm severity. A rise in sea

level is expected to affect the range of mangroves, the decrease in cold weather events will allow the range of

mangroves to shift further north, and the increase in the severity of storms is anticipated to change the species

composition and morphology of the mangroves.

Sea Level Rise

Between 1870 and 2004, the

current sea level rise has been

approximately 8 inches total, or

1.46 mm/yr.[9]and studies show

that mangroves in southern

Florida expanded their territories

3.3 km inland since the

1940s.[10]However, this

expansion inland is often at the

expense of freshwater

marsh/swamp habitats. As

climate change continues, this

could potentially negatively

affect wildlife resources that

depend upon freshwater habitats

over mangrove habitats, such as

the Everglades.[8]The figure at

the right shows projections of

mangrove distributions under

low(15 cm), moderate(45 cm),

and severe(95 cm) sea rise

scenarios by the year 2100. TheIPCC Fifth Assessment Report

which was finalized in 2014 is now predicting 5298 cm sea level rise by 2100. In addition, this report has often

been criticized as underestimating the severity of climate change making it even more likely for for the

moderate(45 cm) or severe(95 cm) sea rise scenarios to occur.[11]Despite the fact mangroves are currently

keeping pace with sea level rise, at rates greater than 2.3mm/yr there is potential for mangrove ecosystem

failure. A failure that is perhaps inevitable for mangroves inhabiting low lying islands that will be inundated.[9]

Sea level rise is expected to accelerate in the future and there is some indication already of this beginning to

occur.[12]However, there are examples from the past in which mangroves have both collapsed and survived at


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rates greater than 2.3mm/yr. Mangroves that are on continental coasts instead of low lying islands experience

reduced vulnerability and have greater opportunities to occupy new habitat.[13]

Temperature Shifts

Southern

Florida's

mangrovesare a tropical

species that

are limited to

the tip of the

Florida

peninsula

and the

Florida Keys

due to a

climate

preference.The upper

portion of

Florida falls

into a

sub-tropical climate hindering mangrove growth there due to cold weather events such as freezing.

Twenty-eight years of satellite imagery has shown that mangroves have shifted their range northward in Florida

in response to less harsh winters and less frequent cold events.[14]This is an issue apart from sea level rise

which will cause mangroves to move inland even though both are caused by climate change.

Increased Storm Severity

With climate change hurricanes in southern Florida are projected to become more severe[15]causing mangrove

populations to be shorter, of smaller diameter, and contain a higher proportion of red mangrove species.[8]

Mangroves could be further threatened by storms if the return time of major storms exceeds reestablishment.[9]

In addition, mangroves have been shown to reduce the flow pressure of water surges associated with tsunamis,

hurricanes, etc. and by doing so protect coastlines.[16]The loss of mangroves could therefore be detrimental to

coastal communities exposed to increased storm surges.

Ways to Promote Resilience

Due to the potential for the acceleration of sea level rise and increased storm severity in the future due to

climate change, mangroves of southern Florida may be in jeopardy. This has implications not only for

mangroves forests but also the freshwater habitats they encroach upon and the people and animals that depend

upon both these ecosystem resources and protection. While there is little local managers can do to prevent large

scale changes such as sea rise and increased storm severity, according to the International Union for

Conservation of Nature and The Nature Conservancy there are ten strategies land managers can do to increase

viability and promote resilience.

These are:


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Wikimedia Commons has

media related toMangroves

in the United States.

1) Apply risk-spreading strategies to address the uncertainties of climate change. (A range of mangrove

habitats should be protected to capture different community types to ensure replenishment following

disasters)

2) Identify and protect critical areas that are naturally positioned to survive climate change.

3) Manage human stresses on mangroves (such as waste, sediment, and nutrient runoff from urban areas

and human development).

4) Establish greenbelts and buffer zones to allow for mangrove migration in response to sea-level rise,

and to reduce impacts from adjacent land-use practices.

5) Restore degraded areas that have demonstrated resistance or resilience to climate change.

6) Understand and preserve connectivity between mangroves and sources of freshwater and sediment, and

between mangroves and their associated habitats like coral reefs and seagrasses (mangroves provide

services to coral reef and seagrass systems so coupling them preserving them together helps the other

ecosystem succeed).

7) Establish baseline data and monitor the response of mangroves to climate change.

8) Implement adaptive strategies to compensate for changes in species ranges and environmental

conditions (have flexible management plans).

9) Develop alternative livelihoods for mangrove dependent communities as a means to reduce mangrove

destruction (charcoal production using coconut shells instead of mangroves, and mangrove honey

production).

10) Build partnerships with a variety of stakeholders to generate the necessary finances and support to

respond to the impacts of climate change.[17]

Ecological values of mangroves

List of mangrove ecoregions

Mangrove tree distribution

Coastal biogeomorphology

âbcdeUS Fish and Wildlife Service. (1999). South Florida Multi-Species Recovery Plan.1.

âbcNewfound Harbor Marine Institute: Mangroves (http://www.nhmi.org/mangroves/index.htm) - retrieved June

5, 2006

2.

^Vieques Field Guide: White Mangrove (http://learningobjects.wesleyan.edu/vieques/fieldguide.php?record=86) -

retrieved June 6, 2006

3.

â

b

Everglades National Park Habitats (http://web.archive.org/web/20070807100550rn_1/www.nps.gov/archive

/ever/ed/resources/edhab.htm) - retrieved July 1, 2008

4.


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Îndian River Lagoon Update/Summer 2001 Issue: More marshland now connected to lagoon

(http://web.archive.org/web/20050309182527/http://sjr.state.fl.us/programs/outreach/pubs/irl_update/01sum02.html)

- retrieved February 2008

5.

^Mangroves-Florida's Coastal Trees (http://www.sfrc.ufl.edu/Extension/pubtxt/for43.htm) - retrieved June 5, 20066.

^Newfound Harbor Marine Institute: Mangroves: Flora & Fauna (http://www.nhmi.org/mangroves/flo.htm) -

retrieved June 5, 2006

7.

^

a

b

c

Doyle, T. W., Girod, G. F., Books, M. A., & Geological, U. S. (n.d.). Modeling Mangrove Forest MigrationAlong the Southwest Coast of Florida Under Climate Change, 211222.

8.

âbcDay, J. W., Christian, R. R., Boesch, D. M., Yez-Arancibia, A., Morris, J., Twilley, R. R., Stevenson, C.

(2008). Consequences of Climate Change on the Ecogeomorphology of Coastal Wetlands. Estuaries and Coasts,

31(3), 477491. doi:10.1007/s12237-008-9047-6

9.

^Ross, M.S., Meeder, J.F., Sah, J.P., Ruiz, P.L., & Telesnicki, G. J. (2000). The Southeast Saline Everglades

revisited: 50 years of coastal vegetation change. Journal of Vegetation Science, 101112.

10.

^Scientific American. How the IPCC Underestimated Climate Change. Dec. 2012.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-the-ipcc-underestimated-climate-change/

11.

^Church, J. a., & White, N. J. (2006). A 20th century acceleration in global sea-level rise. Geophysical Research

Letters, 33(1), n/an/a. doi:10.1029/2005GL024826

12.

Êllison, J. C., & Stoddart, D. R. (2014). Mangrove Ecosystem Collapse during Predicted Sea-Level Rise: Holocene

Analogues and Implications. Coastal Education and Research Foundation, Inc., 7(1), 151165.

13.

^Cavanaugh, K. C., Kellner, J. R., Forde, A. J., Gruner, D. S., Parker, J. D., Rodriguez, W., & Feller, I. C. (2014).

Poleward expansion of mangroves is a threshold response to decreased frequency of extreme cold events.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 111(2), 7237.

doi:10.1073/pnas.1315800111

14.

^Service, N. O., Oceanic, N., Spring, S., Survey, K. G., Wetlands, N., Survey, U. S. G., Agency, P. (2002).

Climate Change Impacts on U.S . Coastal and Marine Ecosystems, 25(2), 149164

15.

Âlongi, D. M. (2008). Mangrove forests: Resilience, protection from tsunamis, and responses to global climate

change. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 76(1), 113. doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2007.08.024

16.

^Mcleod, E., & Salm, R. V. (2006). Managing Mangroves for Resilience to Climate Change.17.

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