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Question: Forests that grow near the sea-shores are called...

Forests that grow near the sea-shores are called

Explanation

Solution

The forest which grows near the seashores must be salt-tolerant as the water surrounding them is highly salty. Pneumatophores are the characteristic feature of these plants.

Complete step by step answer:
The forest which are found near the sea-shores are called mangroves. As they are salt-tolerant trees, they are also called halophytes.
Mangrove forest:

  1. They are found in the coastal areas that are mostly attacked by tides. They are mostly found in the deltas of rivers. Example: the Ganga, the Mahanadi, The Godavari, and the Krishna.
  2. There are many characteristic features of mangroves trees and one of them and they have a complex root system to cope up with the Strong tidal wave and also they are always submerged in water and hence they are adapted to survive in low oxygen conditions (waterlogged condition).
  3. Another specialty of them is the presence of breathing roots or pneumatophores. They grow out of the water and have pores in them to facilitate breathing.
  4. They exhibit a viviparous mode of reproduction because seeds germinate on the tree itself before falling into the ground. This is important because down below the tree in the saline water, it is very difficult for the seed to germinate, but once it is germinated and falls down in the water it can easily grow.

Additional information: Generally viviparous means to give birth to young ones. Here it is used as the synonym for the condition where a plant, instead of producing seed, directly produces a plant (as the seed germinates on the plant itself).

Note: Importance of mangroves trees:

  1. They stabilize the coastal areas from tsunamis, floods, and hurricanes.
  2. It is the habitat for a large number of organisms.
  3. Provides woods, medicinal plants, and food products.
    But like with other natural habitats, it is also threatened by the humans activities, like:
  4. Excessive aquaculture leads to the destruction of the mangrove forests.
  5. Overexploitation occurs to procure fuel, fodder, etc.