Duke and Larkum, 2008: 

"Mangroves are a diverse group of predominantly tropical trees and shrubs growing in the upper half of the intertidal zone of coastal areas worldwide. They are well known for their morphological and physiological adaptations for life coping with salt, saturated soils and regular tidal inundation, notably with specialised attributes like: exposed breathing roots above ground, extra stem support structures, salt-excreting leaves, low water potentials and high intracellular salt concentrations to maintain favorable water relations in saline environments and viviparous water-dispersed propagules. Mangroves are often mistakenly thought of as a single entity. But, like coral reefs, mangroves are as functionally diverse and complex as the range of species, variants and morphotypes present at particular locations. Also, like coral reefs, they provide essential structure and habitat for a host of marine and intertidal species, including residents including residents among their dense forests and complex roots, and as visitors with each flooding tide (Box16.1, Fig. 16.2).
Mangroves are also analogous in function to tropical rainforests, providing comparable canopy habitat for birds, mammals and insects. This overlap is reinforced by ancestral links between these plant habitats. But, despite the shared features, mangroves include specialist attributes and dedicated resident biota found no where else. Examples include specialist mangrove forms of the robin, mistletoebird, mistletoes, grapsidcrabs, molluscs, herbivorous insects, and numerous floral visitors."

 Figure 16.1 Distribution of mangroves along the GBR coastline of Queensland.

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Citation and/or URL

Duke , N.C. and Larkum A.W.D, 2008, Mangroves and Seagrasses, In, The Great Barrier Reef: biology environment and management, eds. Hutchings, P. Hoegh-Guldberg, O. and Kingsford, M., CSIRO, 156-170. © ACRS 2008.  CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Australia. http://www.publish.csiro.au/pid/5921.htm

Spatial Coverage

Great Barrier Reef-wide 

Temporal Coverage

 Not applicable

Update Frequency

Not applicable 

Other Information

 None