Mangroves

EDUCATOR RESOURCES

LATEST TODAY'S CATCH

West Indian Manatee Portrait

May 17, 2013 - 9:24AMWest Indian Manatees, Trichechus manatus, are found in warm, shallow coastal ecosystems along the southeastern North America and northeastern South America. They graze plants in mangrove ecosystems and seagrass beds, occasionally...

Dancing Bulb
May 7, 2013 - 9:45AM
This beautiful bromeliad, also called an air plant because it gets its...

Investigating Nutrient Pollution's Impact on Mangroves
Apr 26, 2013 - 9:47AM
At Carrie Bow Cay in Belize, Dr. Candy Feller explains her research on the...

SPOTLIGHT

Mangroves

Mangroves are survivors. With their roots submerged in water, mangrove trees thrive in hot, muddy, salty conditions that...
The Mudflat Fiddler Crab
Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am
A male mudflat fiddler crab (Uca rapax) waves its huge claw to impress females and threaten male competitors. More about the animals and plants living in mangrove ecosystems can be found in the Mangroves section.
American Crocodile
Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am
An American crocodile, Crocodylus acutus, resting on a bed of seagrass. These medium-sized crocodiles live in freshwater and saltwater habitats of Central America, the northern coasts of South America, the Caribbean Islands, and the southern tip of Florida. They're most commonly found in mangrove-...
Sunset Over Marshland
Jul 22 2010 - 6:28pm
The sun sets over marshland near Ocean City, N.J.
Mangrove Roots Above Water
Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am
Here’s a view of mangrove roots above the water. The roots extend far below the water’s surface, anchoring the forest to the sea and providing a tangled habitat for a variety of marine organisms. These mangroves are in Salinas, Puerto Rico. More about mangroves can be found in the the Ocean...
Mangroves abut blue ocean waters.
Mangroves: One Species at a Time
Jul 14 2010 - 10:01pm
Follow researchers Candy Feller and Dennis Whigham from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center as they scramble, climb, crawl, and creep through the tangled roots of a mangrove forest. In this episode of the  Podcast of Life, learn what’s threatening these unique ecosystems where the...
Investigating Bacteria
Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am
Marc Frischer, a microbial ecologist at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, collects bacteria at the Smithsonian Institution’s field station in Belize. Smithsonian scientists and colleagues from around the world are studying mangrove diversity and the threats they face.
CO2 Marsh Study
Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am
How do plants respond to rising CO2 levels? To find out, plant physiologist Bert Drake at SERC exposed marsh plants near the Chesapeake Bay to CO2 levels expected in 50 and 100 years. Different species and ecosystems respond differently—leaving uncertainty about the ability of plants to act as...
Mangrove Orchid (Brassavola sp.)
Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am
This orchid (Brassavola sp.) grows in the mangroves of Belize—providing a spot of grace and beauty amidst the mud. More about the plants and animals found in mangrove forests can be found in the Mangroves section.
Smithsonian Research Stations
Nov 19 2009 - 5:01pm
Smithsonian scientists and their colleagues are investigating important questions and issues related to mangrove ecosystems. • At the Smithsonian Marine Field Station on Carrie Bow Cay in Belize, scientists from a wide variety of disciplines examine the impacts of environmental change on...
Caribbean Mangroves
Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am
This creek lined with mangroves is located near the Smithsonian Institution’s field station in Bocas del Toro, Panama. The tangled roots support an amazing array of life. Learn more about mangroves in the Ocean Portal's mangrove section.  
Slug Caterpillar
Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am
This slug caterpillar (Acharia horrida) turns into a very plain brown moth with stinging spines that are very nasty to rub up against. Although the slug caterpillar family occurs worldwide, this species is found only in the tropics. More about mangroves can be found in our Mangroves featured story.
Oil in the Ocean
Oil in the Ocean
Jun 11 2010 - 5:30pm
In summer 2009, in the heart of New Orleans, a 600-foot tanker collided with a 200-foot fuel barge, tearing the barge in half. Several hundred thousand gallons of oil leaked out of the barge and into the fast-flowing Mississippi River, heading quickly towards the ocean. The oil spread down the...
Pelican Nest in Mangroves
Dec 7 2012 - 9:13am
In Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands, brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) nest at the top of a mangrove tree. Many other kinds of birds—as well as insects, frogs, snakes, and lizards—live in the canopy of mangroves. More about mangroves can be found in our Mangroves featured story.
Dr. Candy Feller Explores Mangroves
Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am
Dr. Ilka C. "Candy" Feller calls mangroves the 'nursery of the sea.' These important coastal habitats face many threats, including nutrient pollution from fertilizer runoff. That's the focus of much of Feller's work; she's a scientist at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. In this short...
Make Me Care About Phragmites Video
Make Me Care About: Phragmites (Video)
Mar 31 2011 - 1:41pm
Dennis Whigham, a senior botanist at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, makes his quick pitch for why you should care about the wetland plant Phragmites australis. A European strain of phragmites has established itself in wetlands along the East Coast of the United States.
On the Hunt for a Perfect Photo in the Mangroves
May 25 2012 - 11:40am
Photographer Brian Skerry hikes through a mangrove in Bimini (The Bahamas) to scout locations to photograph baby sharks. Learn more about Brian's life in the field.