THE MANGROVES OF PUERTO RICO • SEE MANGROVES SLIDESHOW
Puerto
Rico has three types of mangroves: Red mangroves, Black mangroves
and White mangroves (named for the color of their bark) and Buttonwood
which is related and sometimes called a mangrove. All of these line
the lagoons and shorelines. What you most readily see from the water
is the Red mangrove with its noticeable prop roots. The black and
the white mangroves grow behind them. Under normal conditions these
trees would reach 60 to 100 feet high but almost all of these trees
were leveled by Hurricane Hugo and are recovering. They grow very
slowly.
The
Mangroves of Puerto Rico are found along the shorelines, fringing the
bays and around the lagoons, where there is no wave action
The
mangroves shed leaves copiously all year long, creating the basic
source of food. Bark, twigs, root material, guano from birds roosting
in the trees, and organic matter of all kinds including dead animals
and loose sea grass trapped in the maze of roots add to it. All
decompose to begin the food chain. Bacteria and fungi are the agents
that produce edible detritus and are themselves eaten by marine
animals often too small to see. They in turn are eaten by larger
animals. And finally, larger predators, including humans, come along
to harvest the bounty.
Private guided trips through the amazing mangrove channels. Tom offers this trip in Vieques that meets at 11 am and ends at 3 PM Tel. 787- 297-9888 or email: < biobaynights@hotmail.com >
See the birds, mangroves and fish, in a very protected
environment and learn of the importance of the mangroves.
People don't realize that the mangrove ecosystem
plays such an important role in our planets ecology.
Your guide, makes this educational and very enjoyable,
something you'll remember for years to come.
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