Gordonious
Active member
Why have I not heard of anyone using white or black mangroves? It always seems as if reefers keep red.
Jon
Jon
White or black mangroves?
- Thread starter Gordonious
- Start date
Samala
New member
They do not tolerate full submersion in salt water. You typically see black mangroves colonize shorelines that are not consistently flooded, but do flood occasionally. Instead of prop roots, they have the pneumatophores, which look like small stalagmites. (Or as I tell kids, "dead zombie fingers poking up from underground!")
White mangroves are not fans of being submersed from what I see though they do grow in marshy areas with wet soils. The areas they colonize are almost never flooded unless we have very strong rains or tropical storms bring in large volumes of water. In typical subtrop areas they are found in a buffer zone before the forest turns into hardwook hammock, with trees like live oak.
Also, red mangrove propagules will start to root when they come in contact with substrate. Black mangroves, and sometimes white, are often growing roots while they are still adrift. I'm not sure why.
>Sarah
White mangroves are not fans of being submersed from what I see though they do grow in marshy areas with wet soils. The areas they colonize are almost never flooded unless we have very strong rains or tropical storms bring in large volumes of water. In typical subtrop areas they are found in a buffer zone before the forest turns into hardwook hammock, with trees like live oak.
Also, red mangrove propagules will start to root when they come in contact with substrate. Black mangroves, and sometimes white, are often growing roots while they are still adrift. I'm not sure why.
>Sarah
Gordonious
Active member
Sarah do you mean to say they would need soil? Are you saying that these plants would be found more terrestrial and wouldn't do well in a "tank" of water? The red mangroves usually have to have there leaves out of the water as well, so they can not handle full submersion for a long period of time.
Since I was already planning on having the red mangroves come out of the water I am not sure the difference. Perhaps only the root systems of them white and black can be submerged?
I care little about the nutrient uptake of these plants and just thing it's a good side note to a beautiful addition to my system. I had already planned to, and began, decorating my room with plants and trees.
Thanks for your response Sarah, please more info though.
Jon
PS Didn't you used to live in DE?
Since I was already planning on having the red mangroves come out of the water I am not sure the difference. Perhaps only the root systems of them white and black can be submerged?
I care little about the nutrient uptake of these plants and just thing it's a good side note to a beautiful addition to my system. I had already planned to, and began, decorating my room with plants and trees.
Thanks for your response Sarah, please more info though.
Jon
PS Didn't you used to live in DE?
graveyardworm
Premium Member
I think what she means is that black mangroves are found near shore where they occasionally come in contact with seawater, but prefer brackish conditions. White mangroves rarely come in contact with seawater and prefer freshwater.
Reds have developed specialized ways to cope with seawater that the other two have not devloped as well or at all. They are all terrestrial in a sense.
Reds have developed specialized ways to cope with seawater that the other two have not devloped as well or at all. They are all terrestrial in a sense.
Gordonious
Active member
Ahhh! thank you for clarifying.
Samala
New member
Ah, sorry about the confusion. Yes, when I say submersed, I mean it in the sense of their roots being submersed. Back mangroves need/want soil and dont do well long term in saturated soils full of saltwater like red mangroves do. They seem to prefer areas that drain well, though they certainly survive flooding and I find them in pockets where the ground is marshy, but not totally saturated.
I suppose its hard to explain.
The white mangroves I very rarely see in soil that would become flooded.
As for salinity tolerances, I really could not say. We get such large variances here locally that the red and black mangroves need to tolerate a wide range. In one spot inside of a week it could go from 18ppt to 29ppt. In the areas where there are inlets into the lagoons.. and where it is saltier more consistently (22ppt and up typically).. the red's do seem to dominate. And yet, on sandy slopes just at the water's edges, you can almost always find black mangroves.
In summer one of my favorite back holes that is only accessible by kayak becomes super salty.. pushing 39-40ppt as evaporation draws out the water and leaves behind the salt. Red and black mangroves are here (as well as two-year old juvie alligators..).
The white's are hard to identify in some cases from other trees native to this area. Its easiest to tell when they are bearing their own small propagules. So I might be underreporting their occurrence on the banks and in the water.
And yes, I did live in Del for quite some time.
>Sarah
I suppose its hard to explain.
The white mangroves I very rarely see in soil that would become flooded. As for salinity tolerances, I really could not say. We get such large variances here locally that the red and black mangroves need to tolerate a wide range. In one spot inside of a week it could go from 18ppt to 29ppt. In the areas where there are inlets into the lagoons.. and where it is saltier more consistently (22ppt and up typically).. the red's do seem to dominate. And yet, on sandy slopes just at the water's edges, you can almost always find black mangroves.
In summer one of my favorite back holes that is only accessible by kayak becomes super salty.. pushing 39-40ppt as evaporation draws out the water and leaves behind the salt. Red and black mangroves are here (as well as two-year old juvie alligators..).
The white's are hard to identify in some cases from other trees native to this area. Its easiest to tell when they are bearing their own small propagules. So I might be underreporting their occurrence on the banks and in the water.
And yes, I did live in Del for quite some time.
>Sarah
saltwater sam
New member
Bringing this thread back from the dead. While I can appreciate what has been said here, I have to throw out my two cents. I have personally seen black and white mangroves grown in saltwater aquariums. Avicennia actually has some of the highest salt tolerances of the mangrove family (which is large). As for them not being able to have their roots immersed in water, that is incorrect as well. They can certainly handle having their roots completely underwater. It's just a matter of making sure their leaves are not submersed. It is also vitally important to spray the leaves everyday if growing in saltwater because they expel salt through their leaves, which is a different mechanism than red mangroves whose roots prevent salt from getting into the plant.
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