### id253494345 how mangroves spread > A World Traveler > Botanists believe that mangroves originated in Southeast Asia, but ocean currents have since dispersed them to India, Africa, Australia, and the Americas. As Alfredo Quarto, the head of the Mangrove Action Project, puts it, “Over the millions of years since they've been in existence, mangroves have essentially set up shop around the world.” The fruits, seeds, and seedlings of all mangrove plants can float, and they have been known to bob along for more than a year before taking root. In buoyant seawater, a seedling lies flat and floats fast. But when it approaches fresher, brackish water—ideal conditions for mangroves—the seedling turns vertical so its roots point downward. After lodging in the mud, the seedling quickly sends additional roots into the soil. Within 10 years, as those roots spread and sprout, a single seedling can give rise to an entire thicket. It's not just trees but the land itself that increases. Mud collects around the tangled mangrove roots, and shallow mudflats build up. From the journey of a single seed a rich ecosystem may be born. - [View Highlight](https://amnh.org/explore/videos/biodiversity/mangroves-the-roots-of-the-sea/what-is-a-mangrove?__readwiseLocation=0%2F19%2F1%2F3%2F1%2F9%2F3%2F31%3A0%2C0%2F21%2F1%2F3%2F1%2F9%2F3%2F31%3A1071#:~:text=A%20World%20Traveler%0A%20%20%2Crich%20ecosystem%20may%20be%20born.) - [[What is a Mangrove And What Does It Do#id253494345 how mangroves spread|View in Vault]]