Mangrove root system

Mangrove trees can help make islands.

40 million year old fossil mangrove roots from Wadi Al-Hitan

Mangroves are trees or shrubs that grow in salty water in hot places like the tropics.

Mangroves make a special saltwater woodland or shrubland habitat, called a mangrove swamp, mangrove forest, mangrove or mangal. Mangroves grow on 1/3 of tropical shores. They are also found in sub-tropical Africa, Asia, and the southwest Pacific.

Their twisted, tangled roots collect sediment. Over time, the sediment may become islands, or extend the shoreline.