North Shore - Zoom meeting & talk by Robert King: Mangroves

Robert King spent much of his academic life as Professor of Botany at the University of NSW. His general research interests centred on the taxonomy, distribution and ecology of macroalgae (seaweeds) and seagrasses in south eastern Australia. He had a particular research interest in the algae associated with mangroves worldwide, with specific attention to salt tolerance in an environment with rapid changes in salinity.


Mangroves - flowering plants at the land sea interface

The term mangrove refers to both an unusual group of essentially tropical plants and the communities. We only have two mangrove species in the Sydney region, but in northern Australia there is a rich and varied collection of species all coping with an environment that appears inimical to flowering plants.

photo supplied by Robert King

Mangroves exhibit a range of adaptations enabling them to cope in an environment with regular inundation, variable salinity, unstable sediments and wave action. The term has no taxonomic significance but is an ecological category of plants defined by this challenging environment. Mangroves occur in a surprising range of familiar plant families, and are related to many genera which are well known as garden plants.

APS members from other groups may contact Sue Fredrickson paulandsuefreddo@bigpond.com or 0401 362 921 for a Zoom invitation.