Question

What are the three chief characteristics of littoral forests?

Answer 1

1. Adaptation to Salinity: These forests grow in wet, marshy places near beaches and river deltas where fresh river water combines with saline seawater. The vegetation is made up of specialised salt-tolerant plants (halophytes) that survive a regular flooding from high tides.
2. Stilt and Breathing Roots (Pneumatophores): Because of the waterlogged, oxygen-deprived clayey soil, the trees have developed distinct root systems. Many have breathing roots that grow upwards from the mud into the air to absorb oxygen, while others have tangled stilt roots that arch down into the mud to support the trees against heavy wave action.
3. Viviparous Germination: Because the surrounding muddy, salty water is hostile to seed survival, many littoral plants are viviparous. The seeds germinate while still attached to the parent tree, forming a lengthy root before falling off, helping the new seedling to quickly anchor itself in the mud when it drops.