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The mangrove biome, often called the mangrove forest or mangal, is a distinct saline woodland or shrubland habitat characterized by depositional coastal environments, where fine sediments (often with high organic content) collect in areas protected from high-energy wave action. Mangrove forests serve as vital habitats for a diverse array of ...
Among coastal ecosystems, mangrove forests are of great importance as they account for three quarters of the tropical coastline and provide different ecosystem services. [43] [44] Mangrove ecosystems generally act as a net sink of carbon, although they release organic matter to the sea in the form of dissolved refractory macromolecules, leaves ...
Mangrove tree in Cayo Jutías, Pinar del Río Province, Cuba. Because Cuba is an archipelago made up by about 4,197 islands (including the two largest: Cuba proper, and Isla de la Juventud), [1] the combined area of coast results in 5,746 square kilometers (3570.4 square miles); most of it (2,200 square miles or 5,967 square kilometers) being covered by mangrove forest. [2]
Mangroves are estimated to cover 5,569 km 2 in Cuba (or 4.8% of the country); 134 km 2 in Haiti; 325 km 2 in the Dominican Republic; and 106 km 2 in Jamaica. [1]Some ecoregion systems include the Greater Antilles mangroves, Bahamian mangroves, and Lesser Antilles mangroves within a single Bahamian-Antillean mangroves ecoregion.
This is a list of mangrove ecoregions ordered according to whether they lie in the Afrotropical, Australasian, Indomalayan, or Neotropical realms of the world. Mangrove estuaries such as those found in the Sundarbans of southwestern Bangladesh are rich productive ecosystems which serve as spawning grounds and nurseries for shrimp, crabs, and many fish species, a richness which is lost if the ...
As a result, they have more developed mangrove systems. The more northerly islands have higher salinity levels, and more diverse reefs and sea grass beds associated with mangroves. [3] The two most common mangrove species in the ecoregion are red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) and white mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa).
Venezuela's northern Caribbean island, Margarita, possesses mangrove forests in the Parque nacional Laguna de La Restinga. Venezuela has 4% of the world's mangroves, with an extension of 6,735 km 2 (2,600 sq mi). [36] Colombia possesses large mangrove forests on both its Caribbean and Pacific coasts.
The Belizean reef mangroves ecoregion (WWF ID: NT1406) covers the mangrove habitats along the islands and cayes of the Belize Barrier Reef.This ecoregion is distinct from the mainland Belizean Coast mangroves ecoregion, and may be considered a sub-unit of the overall Mesoamerican Gulf-Caribbean mangroves ecoregion.