Mangrove Swamps
The mangroves are bushes or trees that live mainly in salt waters. The whole set of these plants is known as a mangrove.
They generally grow in temporarily submerged soils and can withstand saline conditions that would kill other plants.
Mangroves have developed ingenious methods to be able to live in these conditions, they dispose of excess salt in their systems, through their stems and leaves. Also, in some species, the seeds germinate before falling, already provided with roots.
As mangroves grow, these roots form an almost impenetrable tangle on which dead vegetation, sand, mud, shells, coral pieces, and other debris are deposited to help them continue to grow.
IMPORTANCE
During storms, it reduces the impact of waves and hurricane winds.
- They are the base of a food chain on which countless organisms depend.
- They keep the ocean and reefs clean.
In Quintana Roo there are four species of mangroves: the red mangrove, the black mangrove, the white mangrove, and the buttonwood mangrove. Mangrove species are not distributed arbitrarily, but generally, we find them in strips according to the degree of flooding they tolerate.
The red mangrove, which, due to its resistance to flooding and salinity, is in greater contact with water and in the most unstable substrates. The black mangrove can only withstand periodic flooding. The white mangrove and buttonwood located on firm land almost in contact with the jungle.