Mangrove Forests
![Picture](/uploads/1/6/4/3/16436240/63547.jpg)
Mangrove Forests make up 39.3 million acres of warm coastlines of tropical oceans, and they make up 75% of coastal vegetation in tropical and sub-tropical regions. 27% of these forests are found in Southeast Asia, or in other words, 10.7 milion acres. They are also found in central and south America, India, Madagascar, and South Africa. They are found when rain forests meet oceans, and the roots of the mangrove trees grow from below the water. The roots serve many purposes, such as acting as stilts for the mangrove trees, keeping the tree and the leaves above the water line, and filtering salt out of the water of the neighboring ocean (the trees manage to filter out 90-97% of salt!). The mangrove trees have roots to anchor it in place, and roots to pick up salt. The trees shed this salt when they shed their leaves. It is believed that mangrove trees originated in Southeast Asia, because that's where the most species of Mangrove trees are found. It is believed that the seeds of Mangrove trees were carried by ocean currents to India, Africa, and finally South and Central America 23 to 66 million years ago. Mangrove forests are becoming endangered, due to oils and pollutants clogging up the lenticels of the roots of the trees. Over time, the trees concentrate these pollutants, such as herbicides, pesticides, toxic minerals, and sewage, and causes large areas of these forests to be destroyed. Not only this, but mangrove trees are also used to make a superior type of charcoal, so many charcoal industries cut down many of these trees to support their business.
Here is a visual example of what a mangrove forest looks like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whvdSCNVR2I
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whvdSCNVR2I