Quick Definition
Tropical coastal forests of salt-tolerant trees growing in intertidal zones, providing critical nursery habitat and storm protection.
📖 Full Definition
Mangroves are salt-tolerant trees and shrubs that grow in intertidal and supratidal coastal zones throughout the tropics and subtropics (within the 20°C winter isotherm). Their complex root systems create sheltered, food-rich environments that serve as critical nursery habitats for juvenile fish and invertebrates. Over 50% of the world's tropical commercial fish species depend on mangroves at some stage of their life cycle. Mangroves have been lost at rates of 1–3% per year, primarily to aquaculture and coastal development.
💡 Examples & Context
Juvenile lemon sharks (Negaprion brevirostris) in the Bahamas rely on mangrove prop-root habitats as nurseries in their first years of life.