Stage I   Stage II   Stage III

Not obvious from casual observation, the early stage of development produces an efficacious root system anchoring the plant inside the encasement. This anchoring phenomenon is so strong that after the first three months, the physical body of the seedling will actually break if an attempt is made to pull it from the encasement.

The photograph on the right reveals the roots of two seedlings that have been encased for 24 months. The encasement of the first seedling has been cut away and the other has had its encasement completely removed to provide an inside look at root development. As is evident from these examples, the mangrove root system has readily adapted to the encasing PVC tube.

In both cases, the seedlings have sprouted prop roots that occupy the majority of the inside volume immediately below the body of the seedling. As the seedling grows, the root bundles will follow the encasement penetrating the natural substrate.

As the plant grows and expands to fill the inside of the encasement, typically a single root will begin to venture through the longitudinal split. This initial egression of a root segment occurs as the growth inside the encasement pushes outward with sufficient force to cleave the split in the encasement. A comparison of the developing root system and egression through the widening split are exhibited in the photo on the left. The proliferating root system ensures stability of the tree and provides essential nutrients for accelerated growth inside this isolated environment.

Roots first emerge from the encasement, as shown in the two photos above, as the longitudinal split is forced open by the increasing cross-sectional area of the developing tree. Over the next several years the split will continue to enlarge and the root system will extend beyond the confines of the protective encasement. As the plant develops, growth in the main stem and root bundles pushes outward against the walls of the encasement expanding the longitudinal split. On the right, two photos of the same plant demonstrate over time how the split will continue to enlarge. The first photo was taken in February 1995 and the other in February 1997. It is this progressive widening of the longitudinal split that facilitates the principle of spontaneous adaptation in REM methodology.