Wonders of Nature

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Functions of Mangroves

Mangrove swamps protect the land from soil erosion and the effects of storms. They also act as a form of pollution control, naturally filtering out industrial and human waste. Mangrove swamps, like other wetlands, are important components of the water cycle, absorbing excess water flow during times of flooding.

Mangrove swamps serve important functions:
they provide food, nesting and nursery areas for many animals which include at least 220 fish species, 24 reptile and amphibian species, 18 mammal species and 181 bird species. The dead leaves and twigs in the water grow microorganisms that provide food for young marine animals.
they protect the coastline by acting as wave breaks. They stabilise coastlines, promote coastal accretion and serve as natural barriers against torrential storms. In this way, they preserve the coastline and prevent shoreline erosion.
they trap debris, sediments, excess nutrients and toxicants through their natural filtering processes. This improves the water quality of tidal rivers that drain through mangroves.
they act as wind breaks which reduce the force of winds that may destroy and damage property.

be kind! 2/28/2007 05:11:00 PM

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Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Benefits of Mangroves

Mangrove Swamps offer mankind many benefits, including, but not limited to:

Mangroves are extremely important for supporting the fisheries industry which generates a high amount of revenue.

Mangroves are a rich source of timber which can be harvested on a sustainable basis.

Other mangrove products are also used, including the harvesting of mangrove plants for a wide range of medicinal uses.

Some mangrove animals, like the proboscis monkeys of Borneo with their unusual noses, are tourist attractions and thus generate income.

be kind! 2/27/2007 05:19:00 PM

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Monday, February 26, 2007

Harms Done to Mangroves

Mangrove forests are lost when they are torn up, filled in and dug under for other purposes such as agriculture, aquaculture and other development activities.
People often wrongly perceive Mangroves as unsightly and want them removed so as to enhance the environment. Mangroves then often become garbage dumps.
Pollution adversely affects Mangrove Swamps. Pollution degrades the quality of the plant life and the water in the swamp, which in turn adversely affects the insects and animals that also live there. The roots of the mangroves can become easily clogged with man-made sediments and petroleum as well as from other pollution.
Mangrove Swamps often are mistakenly thought to be breeding grounds for mosquitoes and either flooded with insecticides or filled in with dirt hoping to prevent a mosquito infestation..
Pruned mangroves grow fewer prop roots and fruit and this in turn provides a lower quality habitat. Pruning also diminishes shoreline protection and reduces the number of bird species using this habitat.
Mangroves are vulnerable to oil spills because oil floats into these swamps and strands among the roots and sediments, killing and damaging trees and fauna, and persisting in sediments afterwards.

oil stains on Rizophora apiculata

be kind! 2/26/2007 05:27:00 PM

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Sunday, February 25, 2007

What You Can Do To Help

Every time another house is built; a bigger shopping mall goes up; or another parking lot is paved, wildlife habitat is lost! You can voice your disapproval in a number of ways, one of which is: vote out of office those politicians who do not support the environment or wildlife.
Learn all you can about the importance of Mangrove Swamps. Teach others what you have learned. Be sure to impress others how important Mangrove Swamps are to biodiversity on Earth! Help others see the real beauty of this unique habitat area.
Buying organically grown vegetables, flour or meat reduces the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, which, in turn lessens the pollution killing the Mangrove Swamps.
Use environmentally-friendly cleaning products to avoid polluting water.
Dispose of oils, chemicals and old batteries at your local collection site. This will ensure that they are disposed of properly and will not end up in a Mangrove Swamp, if you live near one, or in your local river or stream that eventually will pass through a wetland area on its way to the sea.
Use less water.
Turn the water off while brushing your teeth.
Repair Leaks.
Using less petroleum products will mean less oil transportation thus resulting in less oil spills. Drive less in order to lessen your gasoline consumption. Carpool whenever possible. Better yet, bicycle or walk to work! It's healthier.

be kind! 2/25/2007 08:45:00 PM

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Root System of Mangroves

Now let us further understand the roots of the mangroves...

The Root System

Mangrove trees stand in mud on roots that look like stilts above water that contains a high degree of salt. This tangle of roots can be divided into three types:

the radiating cable roots with their tangle of anchor roots provide support against the ocean's strong waves and tides

little nutritive roots grow up out from the main cable root and feed on the rich soil just below the mud's surface

the third type of root collects oxygen for the plant
provide a hiding place for many small marine creatures

Mangrove root systems provide a filtering system for run-off from the guts of our islands, allowing the sediments to be removed before entering open water. This sediment would otherwise cover and kill coral reef colonies. The mangrove swamp is regularly inundated with salty seawater, but the trees are never fully submerged. With each high tide, the soil surface is covered and the soil often becomes waterlogged. The soil may also be shifted by the waves.

Mangroves at high tide

be kind! 2/25/2007 04:54:00 PM

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Saturday, February 24, 2007

Mangroves in Singapore.

Singapore, located 137km north of the Equator has an average daily temperature of 26.7ºC, annual rainfall of 2353mm. In the 1800s, 13% of Singapore's land was covered by the mangroves, however, today, only 2.4% of the land are mangroves found. Due to land reclamation , the percentage of mangroves found in Singapore had decreased.

Currently, most mangroves are found at the northern area. These mangroves are the last few left. The mangrove is a productive ecosystem and we rely on it heavily. Mangroves

seeds found in Ice provide us with food, e.g. the attap chee in ice-Kacang, Seafood. Mangroves do provide us with building materials such as wood use to build kelongs.

Mangroves are lost through land reclamation, IT's a must to protect the remaining and NOT let it LOST FOREVER!

be kind! 2/24/2007 08:24:00 PM

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Friday, February 23, 2007

Learning Points during Sungei Buloh Trip

Thank you for visiting the blog! In the previous posts, you had learnt many facts of the mangroves. Congratulations in completing these posts. To reward you, we will be bringing you to Sungei Buloh, the only Mangrove Reserve and the largest mangrove area in Singapore! :)
Sit Back, Hang On Tight, We'll be travelling to Sungei Buloh in another few scrolls down!

Sungei Buloh, here we COME!!!!
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WELCOME to Sungei Buloh! Please flash your admission ticket!

Sungei Buloh is one of the last few mangroves in Singapore. Even though Sungei Buloh is known as Wetland Reserve, human activities had made its way and affected the original mangrove. The area used to be prawn farms parts of the mangrove were cleared to build ponds. Later, the government resettled the farmers and Sungei Buloh was declared a Nature Reserve.

Refer to map:

Today, we'll take a walk at the Mangroves Broadwalk, getting to see all the plants from the inner land to the outer areas. Spot creatures living in the mangrove, be it the mudskipper, the migratory birds or even the hard to find kingfisher.

Trees found in mangrove have to be salt tolerant as they will be submerged in sea water at least twice per day. They have to cope with both salt and fresh water. These plants are called halophytes.

The plants have special adaptations to absorb water. All plants will absorb saltwater, however, some will store the salt while others excrete salt.

By storing salt, the salt concentration in the plant is higher than that of the water. Osmosis will then be made easier. This means that water molecules will then move into the plants quickly so that the amount of salt in the plant and water can be balanced.

When there is too much of salt, some plants do excrete the salt through the leaves while other plants will shed their leaves.

The soil in the mangroves consist of silt and clay. It is soft and the oxygen level in the mud is low, thus the roots of plants growing in the mangrove habitat have special adaptations to breathe and to support itself firmly to the ground. The roots can be classified into:

AERIAL ROOTS
A few hours of breathing each day is sufficient for the plants to grow.

PROP ROOTS

KNEED ROOTS

Not all species of plants can be found in the entire area. Some prefer more freshwater to salt water, others prefer more salt water to freshwater. Even though these plants grow in salt water, they are also able to grow well without any salt water. Take the Sea Hibiscus for example. The Sea Hibiscus prefers more freshwater to salt water. It can only be found in the inland zone where little or no sea water is able to reach.

The fruits of most mangrove tress are buoyant. They will be able to float and be carried away when it's time for dispersal. That is why, the same type of mangrove species in Singapore, can be found in other places in the world as long as the conditions are suitable for the fruit to germinate. However, some of the fruits have sharp tips which will help it to anchor itself firmly into the soil to allow germination to begin. However, fruits with sharp tips may have a disadvantage. When being dispersed, the fruit may anchor itself near the mother plant and thus the 2 plants will then compete with each other.