The lush mangrove swamp forests that dominate the world's tropical and subtropical coasts provide a wealth of plant and animal habitats that are found in the trees above the tides, below the tides, and in the ever-changing intertidal zone. Life in each of these microhabitats is marked by constant change, which brings both a steady flow of nutrients and a daily set of hazards. Mangrove creatures have evolved methods of coping.

The biggest challenge for insects is the water itself--a changing mix of salt from the ocean and fresh water from rain and runoff. Water temperatures waver between extremely warm and cold with cruel regularity. Water levels rise and fall with the tides, first exposing roots to the air, then washing over the water-soaked land.

Wood-boring beetle and moth larvae carve galleries in wood, altering branching patterns in prop roots and tree limbs.

Termites (Order Isoptera) build huge nests and covered walkways between branches.

Mangrove leaves and branches support leaf-mining caterpillars, bagworms, crickets, and ants--the most abundant of the mangrove insects.

Land crabs (Class Crustacea) dig burrows that reach the cooling water table. They can plug the openings, which lock out enemies and reduce extreme temperature changes.

Sea grasses and mangrove stilt roots provide food and shelter for many arthropods including crabs, shrimps, and lobsters.

Mangrove animals such as the pistol shrimp and the blue crab, are able to regulate the concentration of seawater inside their bodies, allowing them to withstand changes in the salinity of the seawater aound them.

Mangrove crabs slow down their breathing to prevent hot air from drying out their gills.

Fiddler crabs, who live in burrows and mud flats, slow their breathing as temperatures rise, to protect themselves against the heat and drying action of the sun.