Mangroves: The Basics

What are mangroves? CHOOSE ALL THE CORRECT ANSWERS

• Trees and bushes that don't need as much oxygen as most plants

• Trees and bushes that live on the coast, where land meets water

• Trees and bushes that live in deserts, where there is very little water

• Trees and bushes that thrive (grow well) in saline (salty) water, which kills many plants

Why are many animals and fish born in mangroves and live in mangroves when they are young? Choose all of the correct answers.

• The roots and branches provide safety by protecting them from predators.

• They climb the trees to eat the salt on the leaves.

• They naturally prefer to be with other young creatures.

• They eat the leaf litter from the fallen leaves of mangroves.

• This statement is false.

How do mangroves filter water?

• They release chemicals into the water that purify it.

• They make it more saline (salty) by releasing salt.

• Some mangroves make it less saline (salty) by absorbing salt with their roots and excreting it in their leaves.

• This statement is false. They don't filter the water.

How do mangroves help protect humans from hurricanes and tsunanis?

• They release salt into the air, which neutralizes these events.

• The birds, animals, and fish in the mangroves get killed instead of the humans.

• They absorb up to 90% of the impact of these events.

• This statement is false. Mangroves help cause hurricanes and tsunamis.

How do mangroves mitigate against (lessen the damage from) climate change?

• They store carbon--up to 50 times more carbon than a rainforest.

• The salt that they absorb makes the air around them cooler, which slows down global warming.

• They provide a safe habitat for animals whose ecosystems have been destroyed by climate change.

• This statement is false.

How do humans depend on mangroves? Choose all of the correct answers.

• They eat food, such as oysters and fish, from mangroves

• They get wood from mangroves to build homes and burn for fuel.

• They sell products that they have gathered from mangroves to earn money.

• All of the above.

How do humans modify mangroves? CHOOSE ALL OF THE CORRECT ANSWERS.

• They cut them down to set up shrimp farms.

• They cut them down to build roads, buildings, and farms.

• They restore them by planting new mangroves.

• All of the above.

What are the main TWO kinds of mangroves in Senegal?

• Rhizophora, or red mangroves

• Avicennia, or white mangroves

• Annipetula, or purple mangroves

• Nulannium, or black mangroves

True or false: Oyster collectors in the Sine Saloum used to cut the roots of mangroves to collect the oysters.

• True

• False

True or false: Mangroves are beautiful but don't contribute to the economies of the countries where they are located.

• True

• False