196
Once the plants begin to grow prop roots, they trap more sediment and help stabilize
the bank.
Black mangroves are found slightly inland from the shore, often in the lowerlying basins behind the coastal berms. They solve the problem of salty, wet soil by
sending up numerous small shoots above the surface of the ground (pneumatophores) that look like straws and allow the tree to get oxygen to the roots (Fig. 12.6).
Fig. 12.5 Dwarfed red mangroves along the berm of an island in Florida Bay. The reddish prop
roots are visible extending into the water. (USGS image)
Fig. 12.6 Juvenile black mangrove on mudflat of Florida Bay. The “sticks” projecting above the
water are the pneumatophores, which allow the roots to get oxygen. (Image by B. Stackhouse)
G. L. Wingard
Once the plants begin to grow prop roots, they trap more sediment and help stabilize
the bank.
Black mangroves are found slightly inland from the shore, often in the lowerlying basins behind the coastal berms. They solve the problem of salty, wet soil by
sending up numerous small shoots above the surface of the ground (pneumatophores) that look like straws and allow the tree to get oxygen to the roots (Fig. 12.6).
Fig. 12.5 Dwarfed red mangroves along the berm of an island in Florida Bay. The reddish prop
roots are visible extending into the water. (USGS image)
Fig. 12.6 Juvenile black mangrove on mudflat of Florida Bay. The “sticks” projecting above the
water are the pneumatophores, which allow the roots to get oxygen. (Image by B. Stackhouse)
G. L. Wingard