It is commonly accepted that vegetation patterns and water supply mutually define each other. In 28 mangroves, soil water salinity and the corresponding osmotic potential are the main drivers of plant water supply. Below-ground processes thus may be key for the structure and dynamics of mangrove 30 stands. Nevertheless, existing simulation models describing mangrove forest dynamics do not quantify the water uptake of the single plant from the soil and traditionally neglect any feedback of 32 the vegetation on the water availability, but instead use empirical, statistical models for plant competition affecting growth. We provide a brief review on the state of the art of mangrove forest 34 models with an emphasis on how below-ground processes are regarded. We follow mainly two directions: 1) phenomenological concepts for competition for below-ground resources and 2) 36 assessing the impact of salinity and water supply on the vegetation and possible feedback mechanisms from the vegetation to the below-ground conditions.