but they also – and quite literally – hold our earth in place. Their thick root systems help to maintain the shoreline and slow erosion dramatically. They protect the homes on that land as well, as they can act as a wind buffer. Did you know that it is estimated that 75 percent of the game fish and 90 percent of the commercial species in south Florida are dependent upon the mangrove system during at least part of their life cycles? From the smallest to the largest species, more than likely mangroves play a part in their lives. Mangroves are a messy tree, and that’s a good thing when it comes to nourishing the environment. Because of their ecosystem the leaves they drop rapidly decompose into what is known as detritus, and that quickly becomes food for shrimp, crabs and small fish. Many invertebrates make their home in the mangrove roots and feed from their residue, including snails, jellyfish, tunicates, sponges and many more. As the mangroves have disappeared the population of fish has declined as well. While some fish spend only part of their life around the mangroves, other species like snook live there their entire lives. Jacks, sheepshead, grunts and small grouper depend on mangroves to feed themselves. They have their young within the root systems, and those roots shield them from many predators. Everyone who has spent any time here at all has seen the cormorants and anhingas perching in the mangroves, spreading their wings to dry in the sun. Birds rely heavily on mangroves as their food source Three of the different types of mangroves common to our local waters: The red, the black and the silver Red Black Silver July/August 2017 GASPARILLA ISLAND 63
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