Mangroves in Australia

Mangroves are plants which live between the sea and the land, where they are flooded by tides. This is called the 'intertidal zone'.
The word 'mangrove' is given to either an individual species or to a community of unrelated plants, living in areas which are flooded by tides. So a mangrove may be a tree, shrub, palm, fern, climber or grass - all of them able to live in salt water.
Mangroves exist in a constantly changing environment. The sea regularly floods the area with salty water, and at low tide, especially during periods of high rainfall, there may be floods of fresh water. This quickly alters the salt levels, and can alter temperatures as well.

Importance of Mangroves
Mangrove trees are an important habitat for birds, mammals, crustacea, and fish by providing a breeding place and by giving protection.

Mangroves improve water quality by filtering pollutants, stabilising and improving the soil and protecting shorelines from erosion.
Mangroves provide an important food chain for a number of animal species. Mangrove plants produce a large amount of litter such as leaves, twigs. bark, fruit and flowers. Some of this immediately becomes food for creatures such as crabs, but most breaks down before being consumed by other creatures. Bacteria and fungi break down the litter, increasing its protein, making it into food for fish and prawns. They in turn produce waste which, along with the even smaller mangrove litter, is consumed by molluscs and small crustaceans. Even dissolved substances are consumed by plankton or, if they land on the mud surface, by animals such as crabs and mud whelks.Every time the tide goes out, it takes with it carries a great deal of food out to sea, as much as 12,500 tonnes each year. This is dropped over a huge area of the seabed, and feed bottom dwellers, prawns and fish.
Mangrove Uses
Mangroves are rich in resources. Fish, crabs, shellfish, prawns as well as edible snakes and worms are found there. The fruit and the nectar of some species, including the Nypa palm, can be eaten after preparation. The best honey is considered to be that produced by bees feeding in mangroves, particularly the river mangrove.

Many medicines are made from mangroves, including those for treating skin disorders, headaches, rheumatism, snake bite, ulcers and many more.The sap from the 'blind-your-eye mangrove' can be used to treat sores and marine stings, though it can cause blindness if it gets into the eyes. The sap is being tested for its medicinal properties. The leaves are crushed and floated on the water, and stunned fish float to the surface.

Some mangrove trees are prized for their hard wood, and were traditionally used for making tools such as spears, digging sticks and boomerangs. Nypa palm fronds are used for thatching and basket weaving.

Some barks are used for tanning or fishing floats. The wood from yellow mangroves can apparently burn even when wet.
Competition
One advantage for mangroves is that in a salty environment there is less competition because so few plants are able to thrive in those conditions. There are in Australia about 30 species of mangroves, whereas in a rainforest for example, there are many species all competing to survive.

Zones in mangroves

Acknowledge this source in your bibliography like this:
Mangroves in Australia (2003). [Online], Available: www.kidcyber.com.au

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Updated February 2003