Like the mudflats in Northern Europe, the mangrove forests are stretching in an intertidal zone. Along with coral reefs and tropical rain forests, they belong to the most productive ecosystems of the Earth.
For a long time, the important role of the mangrove in the food chain had not been recognized. Meanwhile, approximately a half of the world's mangrove forests has been destroyed.

What are mangroves?

The term mangrove refers to wood plants or plant communities that flourish in the tidal regions of the seas. They consist of up to 30 metres high trees and smaller bushes.
The mangroves live in a constantly changing environment. During high tide, the plants are regularly flooded with seawater. In the periods of heavy rainfalls, the evergreen forest is flooded with fresh water from the land. Therefore, the muddy soil is particularly rich in nutrients.
 
A characteristic feature of the mangroves is their impenetrable tangles of roots that keep them anchored in the light and fine soil.
During low tide, they arch high above water, forming narrow channels in the mangrove forest. During high tide, only the treetops are visible.

Region of occurrence

Mangrove forests are located in the tropical and sub-tropical climate zones near the equator. They need a maximum water temperature of over 24 Celsius. Annual rainfall should amount at least to 1,250 mm.
Mangroves are divided into three types according to the place of occurrence:
coastal mangroves, estuary mangroves and reef mangroves.
In Ecuador especially coastal mangroves are present. The red mangrove (Rhizophora) is prevalent in this biotope.

Reproduction

All sprouts and fruits of the mangroves can swim on water. More than 55 different varieties have developed various reproduction methods.
A particularly interesting method is viviparity, which is also applied by the red mangrove. The seeds develop at the tree in up to three years to spear-like, about one meter long sprouts with roots before falling to the water.
The sprouts grow horizontally to the seawater until reaching brackish water (a mixture of sea and fresh water). Here, their roots turn down and drill into the sand. This way, mangroves avoid residing in heavily saline water.

The significance of the mangroves for the marine ecosystem had been undervalued for a long time...more