Waterlogging adaptation in mangroves: a review of aeration through aerenchyma and its functions.

Mangrove trees maintain an internal aeration network from aerial to submerged roots, but prolonged high-tide waterlogging still leads to root hypoxia and anaerobic fermentation.

• Why it matters: Understanding how mangroves grow under hypoxic, waterlogged conditions is key to explaining ecophysiological mechanisms and evaluating ecosystem functions.
• What they did: The review synthesizes evidence on aerenchymal tissues and their roles, including how aeration is linked to lenticels and cork warts that enable diffusion of oxygen, nitrogen, and methane.
• The result: It concludes that despite extensive ventilation, high-tide waterlogging inevitably causes hypoxia, while antioxidant defenses and root-surface oxidative layers can reduce phytotoxic uptake and support nitrification.

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