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Red Mangrove

Flowering Plants

The red mangrove is a salt-tolerant tree found along tropical and subtropical coastlines throughout much of the Americas, West Africa and parts of the Pacific, easily identified by its distinctive tangle of reddish, arching prop roots that extend from the trunk down into the shallow coastal water and mud in which the tree grows. These specialized roots help anchor the tree in soft, unstable sediment while also allowing it to take in oxygen despite growing partly submerged in low-oxygen, waterlogged soil, and the tree further copes with its salty environment by filtering out much of the salt at the root before it enters the plant. Red mangrove forests form a critical coastal habitat, providing nursery grounds for many species of fish, crustaceans and other marine life among their tangled roots, while also helping to stabilize shorelines, buffer coastlines against storm surges and trap sediment that would otherwise wash out to sea. Once widely cleared for coastal development, aquaculture and fuel wood in many parts of the world, red mangrove forests are now recognized as ecologically vital and are the focus of restoration efforts in numerous countries.

Facts
Classification
Diet
Filter Feeder 1
System (Realm)
Marine 2
Relationship to People
Farmed or Commercially Raised 1
Living or Extinct
Yes 1
Derived from this species' own Conservation Status: this atlas's IUCN category list has no Extinct value, so a set conservation-status is itself evidence of living status.
Comparison
NatureServe Rank
G5 Secure 3
CITES Appendix
Not Listed 4
Identification
Distinguishing Appearance
Red mangroves are easily distinguishable through their unique prop roots system and viviparous seeds. 1
Scientific Name
Rhizophora mangle 1
Conservation Status
Least Concern 1
Connections

Child Taxon Of

Magnoliopsida, Taxa
Source Wikidata: Red Mangrove

In Biome

Source Encyclopaedia Britannica

In Ecosystem

Everglades, Ecosystems
Source Wikidata: Red Mangrove
Additional Source Everglades (Wikipedia)Article text
In the Other Atlases

Found In

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Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Sources
1. Rhizophora mangle, Wikipedia
  • Introduction
    Rhizophora mangle grows on aerial prop roots, which arch above the water level, giving stands of this tree the characteristic "mangrove" appearance.
  • Infobox: status
    LC
  • Description section
    Red mangroves are easily distinguishable through their unique prop roots system and viviparous seeds.
View the Source
2. World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS)
World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS)View the Source
3. NatureServe Explorer: Rhizophora mangle
NatureServe ExplorerGlobal rank (roundedGRank)
Quote, Global rank (roundedGRank)
"roundedGRank": "G5"
View the Source
4. UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat): Species+: Plantae
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat)Species+ taxon_concepts, id 45
Quote, Species+ taxon_concepts, id 45
"cites_listing":"I/II/III/NC","eu_listing":"A/B/C/D/NC","higher_taxa":{"kingdom":"Plantae","phylum":null,"class":null,"order":null,"family":null},"synonyms":[],"common_names":[{"name":"Plants","language":"EN"},{"name":"Flora","language":"EN"}],"cites_listings":[]
View the Source
Wikidata: Red Mangrove
  • Wikidata Q853914, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)
  • Child Taxon Of: Magnoliopsida, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chain
View the Source
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.In Biome: Mangrove ForestView the Source
Everglades (Wikipedia)
In Ecosystem: Everglades, Article text
Quote, In Ecosystem: Everglades, Article text
There are three species of trees that are considered mangroves: red (Rhizophora mangle), black (Avicennia germinans), and white (Laguncularia racemosa), although all are from different families.
View the Source
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