mangle

Plant communities and trees that inhabit tidal swamps, muddy silt, and sand banks at the mouths of rivers and other low-lying areas which are regularly inundated by the sea, but which are protected from strong waves and currents. Mangroves are the only woody species that will grow where the land is periodically flooded with sea water; individual species have adapted themselves to different tidal levels, to various degrees of salinity, and to the nature of the mud or soil. Mangrove swamps and thickets support hundreds of terrestrial, marine, and amphibian species; have a special role in supporting estuarine fisheries; provide shelter, refuge and food for many forms of wildlife.