Journal #2

Done by: Koh Wan Xin 2E2

Thanks to the article I read previously. I know that mangroves provide nursery grounds and food sources for many different animals because of its biologically complex ecosystems. I was amazed that mangroves could not be defined too closely as I formerly thought that mangroves a just a very complex group of plants. Although I knew that in the mangrove, there were a lot of different plants and animals. I did not recognize that because of that, they could not be classified too narrowly.

I found that this article to be more descriptive than the one from mangrovemania.com. It describes the size of the prostrate shrubs, 200-foot-high (60 meters) and where mangroves circle on the globe. Within 30 degrees of the Equator is where most of them live in however, there are a few adjusted to temperate climates. I knew mangroves stabilize sediments.

However this passage expressed it well because it told us about the plants' interlocking roots stop riverborne sediments from coursing out to sea. I also learnt more technical terms from this passage such as ultra filtration system that each mangrove has to be salt resistant and pneumatophoresare is a complex root system. An intertidal zone is the area of coastal land across which the tide rises and falls furthermore this passage states that their trunks and branches serve as a palisade that diminishes the erosive power of waves but the other passage just says that it shields the shoreline from erosion. Palisade means forming a defence barrier. I learnt Prop roots penetrate the soil and helps support the stem.

(261 words)


http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/02/mangroves/warne-text