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Capricorn Coast Plants
Mangroves and Estuarine Plants |
Mangroves are a very common sight along the Queensland Coast and are one of the most misunderstood of our ecosystems, far from being "that swamp over there" they are a profuse floral habitat providing food and shelter to a wide range of birds and animals and exerting a vital influence on adjacent marine ecologies. A mangrove is not
a single species, but rather the name given to a community of otherwise unrelated plants living in
areas which are inundated by tides. Thus a mangrove may be a tree but (like a
rainforest plant) may also be a shrub, palm, fern, climber, grass or epiphyte all of them sharing the ability to live in salt water. |
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| Mangrove zones |
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| The Mangrove Environment |
The most diverse mangroves occur in tropical areas where the water temperature is greater than 24deg. in the warmest month, where the annual rainfall exceeds 1250mm and mountain ranges greater than 700 high are found close to the coast. (The proximity of mountains tends to ensure the rainfall.) In addition, they need protection from high waves which can erode the shore and prevent seedlings from becoming established. In north Queensland the Great Barrier Reef performs this function while to the south a chain of sand islands provide shelter. Shallow, gently-shelving shores allow mangrove seedlings to anchor, particularly in estuaries, rivers and bays.
Mangroves exist in a constantly changing environment, periodically the sea inundates the community with salt water while at low tide, especially during periods of high rainfall, it may be exposed to floods of fresh water, apart from suddenly altering the salinity levels, these fluctuations in water can alter temperatures as well. Because of their unique environment mangroves must cope with conditions radically different from other plants and have evolved a number of strategies to achieve this.
The greatest concentration of mangrove species is usually at the mouth of tidal creeks and rivers where salt and fresh water mix in ideal proportions and floodwaters deposit material to build up the banks, this poses two major problems; a strongly saline environment and water-logged, unstable and oxygen deficient soils.
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| The Capricorn Coast has four significant areas of mangroves |
Ross Creek;an extensive area of mangroves on the edge of Yeppoon and home to a large colony of Black Flying Foxes, at certain times of the year these are joined by migrating Little Red Flying Foxes and the combined colony presents quite a spectacle as they leave for their nightly foraging. This is a very accessible area with all the local species and associated plants and animals well represented, there are no crocodiles. |
| Corio Bay; 30km. north of Yeppoon and adjacent to the Byfield National Park the mangroves here extend up to Waterpark Creek National Park in the north and south as far as Rydges Capricorn Resort Wetlands Reserve. |
| Causeway Lake; a small sheltered estuary about 10km. south of Yeppoon, there is a boat hire service here with Kayaks, small tinnies etc. so you can paddle or motor up through the mangroves for a very close look at a mangrove community, there are no crocodiles. |
| Coowonga Creek; a sizeable estuary adjacent to Emu Park with an extensive network of mangrove creeks. |
| Links to mangrove sites; |
| Australian Institute of Marine Science; Mangroves |
| Environment Protection Agency; Mangroves |
| Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; Mangroves |
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| Mangrove species |
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| Animal associations |
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| Associated plants |
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