Visit to Mangrove Sites in Singapore II

We went to keppel club on 9 june to visit the mangrove vegetation there! :)

Location of keppel club:
Keppel club is located at Bukit Kermin Road,Singapore and the mangrove vegetation in Keppel club is situated beside a sea which stretches to Harbourfront, Sentosa and Labrador park. The mangrove vegetation at the coastline outside keppel club thrives due to the large amount of nutrients it can get not only from the fertile muddy soil, but from the sea beside it. The salinity of the brackish water provides ample of nutrients for the mangrove vegetation.

The mangrove vegetation are adapted to the saline conditions there.
We spotted many different types of mangrove roots there,
mainly prop roots, pencil roots and knee-like roots. The roots that we saw are just like those of sketch 1 in the older post of "adaptations of mangrove."

Roots that different mangrove vegetation have:

Black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) : pencil-like roots
Red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) : prop roots, knee-like roots


Pictures speak a thousand words,
so below are the pictures that we have taken:

One fine sunny day, we made our way early to keppel club to take a look at the mangrove vegetation there!



... Finally we have reached keppel club!




Overview of the mangrove vegetation!

Do you see the coastline?

Such magnificent natural vegetation, isn't it?

Mangrove trees!

Mangrove trees grow where no tree has grown before. They are able to survive inundation by salt water twice a day, and in "soil" which is unstable and poor in oxygen (anaerobic). They also have to deal with swollen rivers carrying silt during the wet season, as well as violent storms that hit the coasts.

They exclude some salt at root level while some can tolerate the more salt in their tissues.

Mangrove trees by the coastline!

It is amazing that these trees can survive in such harsh conditions. (:

Pencil roots!
Mangrove trees develop pencil like roots to absorb oxygen from the air as the oxygen level in the mud of a mangrove is extremely low. They are like "straws" for the mangrove vegetation as an adaptation to low oxygen level. These "breathing tubes" typically reach heights of up to thirty centimeters, and in some species, over three meters.

Do you know that these roots are covered with lenticles that help in the taking in of oxygen?

Prop roots!

It grows from the lower part of the trunk or the stem of the trees.The prop roots also improve the stability of the tree by providing a broader base and support in the soft and unstable mud.
They also help in aeration as they are exposed for at least most of the day between tides.

Prop roots!

Pencil roots and prop roots!


And that's the end of the photos taken in keppel club mangrove vegetation.
Sorry for the many photos that we have uploaded in this post!
But, we just hope that you will be able to get a better picture of the mangrove vegetation found in S'pore. (:

Next up, below are videos that we have taken at keppel club too.




photo and video credits: All uploaded from Huiting's camera
credits: Keppel club, Singapore ,
Everybody in the group! (: