Mangrove

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/mangrove

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the global extent (2010)?Estimated at 137,600 km2 (53,100 sq mi), spanning 118 countries and territories
2. What makes mangrove trees special in salty water?Mangroves can tolerate high salt by filtering it at the roots or excreting it through leaf glands. They are called halophytes because they live in salty water.
3. How do mangrove roots help the trees breathe in water?Mangrove roots like prop roots and pneumatophores grow above water so the trees can get oxygen from the air, even when the soil is waterlogged and low in oxygen.

Halophyte: A plant species that is adapted to grow in saline soil or near saline water.
Anoxic Substrate: Soil or sediment that lacks oxygen, a common condition in waterlogged mangrove environments.
Blue Carbon: Carbon captured and stored by coastal and marine ecosystems, such as mangroves, seagrasses, and salt marshes.