Home/Ecosystems/ Caribbean Estuary Mangrove Forest

Caribbean Estuary Mangrove Forest

EVT 7867Caribbean Estuary Mangrove

CES411.443GNRTreeRiparian

Summary

This system consists mostly of inland mangrove forests, found less frequently in tidally flooded areas. It also includes shoreline vegetation of lagoons and salt ponds. The following list of species is diagnostic for this system: Avicennia germinans (= Avicennia nitida), Laguncularia racemosa, and Conocarpus erectus. It is found in hypersaline environments.

Source: NatureServe Explorer

Environment

Refer to the macrogroup for this field.

Source: NatureServe Explorer

Dynamics

Disturbance in mangrove forests may be caused by large-scale events such as hurricanes, frost damage or clearcutting, but also by small-scale events such as lightning, causing mangrove trees to die in small areas around lightning strikes, or attack by wood-boring beetles. The relative importance of these different types of disturbance varies with geography, with some localities more often subjected to the impact of hurricanes or lightning. Mangroves are considered pioneer species because of their ability to establish on otherwise unvegetated substrates. Once individuals begin to colonize a disturbed area, even-aged stands are established with little variation in the structure because new development of successive colonizers is arrested by the closed canopy. On shorter time scales, the pulses of the tides and freshwater runoff are very important factors in the dynamics of mangroves because these control the rates of sedimentation and vertical accretion and thus determine their intertidal position.

Source: NatureServe Explorer

Threats

Key threats include conversion for aquaculture and coastal tourism development. Over-harvest of mangrove wood for charcoal, fuelwood, and fodder impacts species composition and patch stability. Water pollution and alteration to hydrology from inland freshwater sources affect water salinity and hydrodynamics. Overfishing alters aquatic foodwebs in mangroves. Climate change and adjacent reef degradation can expose mangroves to destructive wave and overland wash stemming from sea-level rise and extreme storm events.

Source: NatureServe Explorer

Distribution

This system is found in Colombia, the Greater Antilles, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela.

Source: NatureServe Explorer

Ecologically Associated Plant Species

Plant species that characterize this ecosystem type, organized by vegetation stratum. These are species ecologically associated with the ecosystem, not confirmed present in any specific area.

Tree canopy

Avicennia germinans, Conocarpus erectus, Laguncularia racemosa

Source: NatureServe Ecological System assessment

Ecologically Associated Animals (14)

Animal species ecologically associated with this ecosystem type based on NatureServe assessment. These are species whose habitat requirements overlap with this ecosystem, not confirmed present in any specific roadless area.

Birds (10)

Common Name	Scientific Name	G-Rank
Great Egret	Ardea alba	G5
Least Bittern	Botaurus exilis	G4
Green Heron	Butorides virescens	G4
Mangrove Cuckoo	Coccyzus minor	G5
Fulvous Whistling-Duck	Dendrocygna bicolor	G5
Little Blue Heron	Egretta caerulea	G5
Common Gallinule	Gallinula galeata	G5
Black-crowned Night Heron	Nycticorax nycticorax	G5
Ruddy Duck	Oxyura jamaicensis	G5
Clapper Rail	Rallus crepitans	G5

Other (4)

Common Name	Scientific Name	G-Rank
Yellow-shouldered Blackbird	Agelaius xanthomus	G1
White-cheeked Pintail	Anas bahamensis	G4
West Indian Whistling-Duck	Dendrocygna arborea	G3
Green-throated Carib	Eulampis holosericeus	G5

Source: NatureServe Ecological System assessment

At-Risk Species Associated with this Ecosystem (2)

Species with conservation concern that are ecologically associated with this ecosystem type. G-Rank indicates global conservation status: G1 (critically imperiled) through G5 (secure). ESA status indicates U.S. Endangered Species Act listing.

Common Name	Scientific Name	G-Rank	ESA Status
Yellow-shouldered Blackbird	Agelaius xanthomus	G1	Endangered
West Indian Whistling-Duck	Dendrocygna arborea	G3	--

Source: NatureServe Ecological System assessment

Methodology and Data Sources

Ecosystem classification: Ecosystems are classified using the LANDFIRE 2024 Existing Vegetation Type (EVT) layer, mapped to NatureServe Terrestrial Ecological Systems via a curated crosswalk. Each EVT is linked to the USNVC (U.S. National Vegetation Classification) hierarchy through pixel-level co-occurrence analysis of LANDFIRE EVT and NatureServe IVC Group rasters across all roadless areas.

Vegetation coverage: Coverage percentages and hectares are derived from zonal statistics of the LANDFIRE 2024 EVT raster intersected with roadless area boundaries.

Ecosystem narratives and community species: Sourced from the NatureServe Explorer API, representing professional ecological assessments of vegetation composition, environmental setting, dynamics, threats, and characteristic species assemblages.

IVC hierarchy: The International Vegetation Classification hierarchy is sourced from the USNVC v3.0 Catalog, providing the full classification from Biome through Association levels.

Component associations: Plant community associations listed as components of each NatureServe Ecological System. Association data from the NatureServe Explorer API.

State ranks: Conservation status ranks assigned by NatureServe member programs in each state where the ecosystem occurs.