Estero Bay Aquatic Preserve

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Mangroves Red, black and white mangroves are vital to Florida's coast as the first stand of defense against storm surges, erosion and pollution. The mangrove forest provides nesting and nursery area for hundreds of Florida's animals. The salt-tolerant red mangroves (Rhizophora mangle) grow at the water's edge. They have long, deep-red, aerial, prop roots coming out of the main trunk and into the soil, providing oxygen for subterranean portions of the root system. The red mangrove root system holds soil in place, preventing erosion. It also filters harmful chemicals from the water, dampens the energy from tidal surges and provides food and habitat for 70% of the creatures in the Preserve. The leathery, elliptical, 3 to 6 inch leaves fall year round. The rotting leaves form detritus which serves as the foundation of the food web. The trees produce small, brown fruit which develop into a long, cigar-shaped seed called a "propagule". The bouyant propagule travels with the tide and can survive in salt water for 8 to 9 months. At journey's end, the propagule may become lodged in a cranny in the mud or between the shells on an oyster bar where the seed takes root. One propagule can begin a new island. Black mangroves (Avicennia germinans) have a dark trunk surrounded by pneumatophores. The cigar-shaped pneumatophores protrude from the soil and are connected to the underground lateral root system of the mangrove. This above and below-ground network provides oxygen for the entire tree. The black mangrove has dark-green, blunt-tipped leaves that are 2 to 6 inches long. Salt that has been filtered from the surrounding water is secreted on the underside of these leaves. The trees short limbs are tipped by clusters of small, white, sweet-smelling flowers. Its seeds resemble lima beans and reach about an inch in diameter. White mangroves (Laguncularia racemosa) are found at a higher elevation than the red or black mangroves. The rounded, thick leaves are equipped with a gland to secrete salt. The tree's whitish flowers produce small, velvety, tear-shaped fruit.