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Mangrove Drop Roots
Drop roots and prop roots are visible in a typical cluster of red mangrove in the Dominican Republic. The calm water is a result of the intricate root system absorbing wave energy.
Photograph by John Anton, My Shot
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Mangrove Forest
Mature red, black, and white mangrove trees in the Biosfera de la Reserva de Ra in Celestun, Yucatan, Mexico, create a leafy tunnel.
Photograph by Veronica Guerrero Cajiga, My Shot
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Crab in Mangroves
A small crab makes its home in mud surrounded by mangrove snorkel roots in a mudflat in Kenya, East Africa. Many invertebrates rely on mangroves for food and habitat.
Photograph by Lindsey Elliott, My Shot
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Mangrove Snorkel Roots
Black mangrove pneumatophores, or snorkel roots, emerge from the mud in Boca Ciega Millennium Park, Seminole, Florida. Densely packed mudflats are the usual habitat for this species of mangrove. Mangroves use lenticels, or tiny pores, located on these specialized roots to help the trees breathe in anoxic environments.
Photograph by Scott Sroka
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Mangrove Island
A salt-tolerant red mangrove tree grows in shallow subtropical waters. Mangrove trees stabilize sediment with their roots and create new land as their leaves fall into the water and the trees' drop roots expand outward.
Photograph by Carmen Hertel, My Shot
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Beneath the Mangroves
The roots of red mangrove trees create an ecologically diverse habitat in tropical waters, providing substrate, nursery grounds, and protection for local flora and fauna.
Photograph by Tay Tousey, My Shot
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