Mangrove Definitions

  Aerenchyma: Air spaces that allow gas (O₂) to reach underground roots.

  Annelida: Phylum including the feather duster and mobile polychaete worms found in mangroves.

  Arthropoda: Phylum that includes insects, crabs, shrimp, and barnacles.

  Cnidaria: Phylum that includes corals, anemones, and jellyfish.

  Diversity: A measure of the species richness in a given area.

  Echinodermata: Phylum that includes sea cucumbers.

  Ecosystem: A community (a level of biological study) that includes all of the living organisms and abiotic factors within an area.

  Halophytic: A term referring to those organisms that are specialized for high salt environments.

  Lenticels: Slits in the bark and roots of the mangroves that allow for gas exchange.

  Microfauna: Microscopic organisms present in a particular area.

  Mollusca: Phylum that includes periwinkles, clams, oysters, squid, and octopus.

  Non point-source pollution: Pollution that comes from many different sources such as agricultural runoff.

  Plankton: Aquatic organisms that cannot move against and are therefore moved by currents.

  Pneumatophors: Pencil like roots originating from cable roots that extend into the air (Black mangroves).

  Point-source pollution: Pollution that can be attributed to a specific source such as industrial discharge and oil spills.

  Porifera: Phylum name for the sponges.

  Prop Roots: Roots that are exposed to air for a large portion of their length (Red Mangroves).

  Salt exclusion: The roots of some mangrove species exclude salt.

  Salt pores: Pores located on the leaves, roots and branches. Excess salt taken up from the soil is secreted.

  Shrimp farming: A practice that often involves the cutting down of mangrove forests to make ponds for growing shrimp.

  Silvofisheries: A mariculture practice that involves growing commercially important species within mangrove forests. This practice takes advantage of the cover and nutrients provided by mangroves to grow these species.

  Urochordata: Tunicates

  Vertebrata: Larval and juvenile fish

  Viviparity : The seeds of mangroves germinate while still attached to the tree. As a result, fully developed seedlings are dropped from the trees.

  Zonation: The positioning of different mangrove species in monospecific stands from seaward to landward.