pneumatophore avicennia marina

navigate by keyword : adaptation aerial air black breathe estuary exchange gas grey habitats lenticel mangroves oxygen plant plants pneumatophores pores root roots soil species surface tropical waterlogged avicennia marina

Mangrove pneumatophore roots stick up from the soil like snorkels. mangrove roots. Avicennia marina. Royalty Free Stock Photo

Pneumatophore of Avicennia marina Royalty Free Stock Photo

These specialized aerial roots enable plants to breathe air in habitats that have waterlogged soil, for example in a mangrove. The surface of these roots are covered with lenticel small pores which take up air into spongy tissue which in turn uses osmotic pathways to spread oxygen throughout the plant as needed. Pneumatophores differentiate the Black mangrove and Grey mangrove from other mangrove species.