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A
seed is jostled from a branch of a mangrove tree and floats to
a lagoon in the Caribbean Sea. It takes root, sprouts leaves,
and slowly begins to grow. Over many years, the mangrove will
provide a home and nourishment for numerous creatures of land
and sea. Among its roots come to live fiddler crabs and shrimp;
in its branches dwell lizards and hummingbirds.
Soon
the tree is dropping seeds of its own, and other mangroves are
growing, creating a tangle whose benefits extend even to large
mammals like dolphins and manatees. There are endpaper maps that
indicate where mangroves are located and the names of common animals
and plants found in them.
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