Caribbean Mangrove Food Web
Mangrove
Mangroves
Caribbean Basin — Florida Keys, Bahamas, Cuba, Belize
Description
Caribbean mangrove forests form a critical interface between land and sea, with prop roots creating nursery habitat for commercially important fish and invertebrates. Red, black, and white mangroves zonation reflects tidal inundation tolerance. These forests protect coastlines from hurricanes while exporting nutrients to adjacent coral reefs and seagrass beds.
Trophic Pyramid
Level 5
Decomposers
Mangrove crabs
Fungi
Detritivorous shrimp
3 species
Level 4
Tertiary Consumers
American crocodile
Osprey
Lemon shark
3 species
Level 3
Secondary Consumers
Barracuda
Green heron
Mangrove snapper
3 species
Level 2
Primary Consumers
Mangrove tree crab
Juvenile snapper
Mangrove oyster
3 species
Level 1
Producers
Red mangrove
Mangrove leaf litter
Epiphytic algae
3 species
Apex Predators
Tertiary Consumers
Secondary Consumers
Primary Consumers
Producers
Key Interactions
- Red mangrove prop roots provide nursery habitat for juvenile reef fish
- Mangrove leaf litter decomposes to form detritus that feeds estuarine food webs
- Lemon sharks use shallow mangrove channels as pupping grounds
- Mangrove tree crabs process up to 80% of leaf fall before it enters the water