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Everglades National Park
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Ecology - Everglades National Park
Encompassing over 1.5 million acres, Everglades National Park accounts for only 1/5 of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem. Most people think of the Everglades as a swamp, when in fact, it is technically a river which runs southwest about a rate of a quarter mile each day. The ‘Glades’ as called by the locals, is the only sub-tropical wilderness in America designated as a national park.
With 9 distinct habitats identified, the area itself is a mosaic of interlinking ecosystems in a state of constant ecological flux.
The 9 identifiable habitats include: Hardwood Hammocks, Pineland, Mangroves, Coastal Lowlands, Freshwater Slough, Freshwater Marl Prairies, Cypress and Marine / Estuarine. Each Habitat is home its own cache of biological diversity, some containing endangered species found nowhere else in the world.
One of the main nine habitats, the Freshwater Marl Prairie, covers about 575,000 acres of the Everglades. This ecosystem is a mix of prairie ecology and freshwater marsh. The two combine to create the dominant ground cover from which other Everglades ecosystems are born.
Grasses of varying size and composition are the primary floral inhabitant of the Freshwater Marl Prairie and this vast area serves as the main grazing ground for birds of the Everglades.
The main plant species of the Freshwater Marl Prairie is saw grass. Named for the saw-like teeth on its edges, saw grass is technically not a ‘grass’, rather a member of the sedge family. Other marl prairie species include: white top sedge, muhly grass, beak rush and spike rush. Over 100 more plant species are also found within this habitat.
Among the sedge / grass species and of equal ecological importance is a layer of algae called Periphyton. This combination of various algae species provides a source of food for organisms within the marsh. It is a crucial element in the food chain of the Everglades. Layers of Periphyton, which float on the water during the wet season, gives nutrients to tiny marine creatures, which then act as food for crayfish and amphibians, which in turn provide food for birds and other marl prairie fauna. Periphyton provides the balance to an otherwise fragile ecosystem.
Also important to the Freshwater Marl Prairie ecosystem is ‘detritus’, a layer of decaying aquatic plants, stems and leaves. Detritus, like periphyton, plays a key role in the food chain, providing additional sustenance for all marl prairie fauna.
Another well-known habitat is the Mangrove Forest which covers most of the southern tip of the Everglades and extends up the western coastline of Florida. The mangrove habitat is an ecological transition zone where the freshwater of Florida’s interior meets the saltwater of Florida’s oceanic coastline. The resulting maze of brackish estuaries and canals provide a breeding ground for shrimp, fish, alligators, sea turtles, manatees and other marine life, as well as a nesting ground for wintering birds. The mangrove habitats also play home to the American Crocodile, making this one of the few places where crocodiles and alligators intermingle.
Not surprisingly, the mangrove forest gets its name from its three main inhabitants: the Black, Red and White Mangrove trees. The strong Red Mangrove trees (Rhizophora mangle) dominate the coastline and are easily identified by their rust colored roots which arch from their base, drop into the water and drill down into the mucky soil to find nutrients. Alternatively, the Black Mangrove (Avicennia germinans) prefers to grow slightly inland and can be identified by its dark aerial root projections, called pneumatophores. These pneumatophores, which act as respiratory organs for the Black Mangrove, must be exposed to air to live, which is why the Black Mangrove resides farther inland inhabiting the tidal areas just beyond the coastline. The rarer White Mangrove ((Laguncularia racemosa), which needs higher ground to survive, can be found along the interior of the mangrove forest.
With 9 distinct habitats identified, the area itself is a mosaic of interlinking ecosystems in a state of constant ecological flux.
The 9 identifiable habitats include: Hardwood Hammocks, Pineland, Mangroves, Coastal Lowlands, Freshwater Slough, Freshwater Marl Prairies, Cypress and Marine / Estuarine. Each Habitat is home its own cache of biological diversity, some containing endangered species found nowhere else in the world.
One of the main nine habitats, the Freshwater Marl Prairie, covers about 575,000 acres of the Everglades. This ecosystem is a mix of prairie ecology and freshwater marsh. The two combine to create the dominant ground cover from which other Everglades ecosystems are born.
Grasses of varying size and composition are the primary floral inhabitant of the Freshwater Marl Prairie and this vast area serves as the main grazing ground for birds of the Everglades.
The main plant species of the Freshwater Marl Prairie is saw grass. Named for the saw-like teeth on its edges, saw grass is technically not a ‘grass’, rather a member of the sedge family. Other marl prairie species include: white top sedge, muhly grass, beak rush and spike rush. Over 100 more plant species are also found within this habitat.
Among the sedge / grass species and of equal ecological importance is a layer of algae called Periphyton. This combination of various algae species provides a source of food for organisms within the marsh. It is a crucial element in the food chain of the Everglades. Layers of Periphyton, which float on the water during the wet season, gives nutrients to tiny marine creatures, which then act as food for crayfish and amphibians, which in turn provide food for birds and other marl prairie fauna. Periphyton provides the balance to an otherwise fragile ecosystem.
Also important to the Freshwater Marl Prairie ecosystem is ‘detritus’, a layer of decaying aquatic plants, stems and leaves. Detritus, like periphyton, plays a key role in the food chain, providing additional sustenance for all marl prairie fauna.
Another well-known habitat is the Mangrove Forest which covers most of the southern tip of the Everglades and extends up the western coastline of Florida. The mangrove habitat is an ecological transition zone where the freshwater of Florida’s interior meets the saltwater of Florida’s oceanic coastline. The resulting maze of brackish estuaries and canals provide a breeding ground for shrimp, fish, alligators, sea turtles, manatees and other marine life, as well as a nesting ground for wintering birds. The mangrove habitats also play home to the American Crocodile, making this one of the few places where crocodiles and alligators intermingle.
Not surprisingly, the mangrove forest gets its name from its three main inhabitants: the Black, Red and White Mangrove trees. The strong Red Mangrove trees (Rhizophora mangle) dominate the coastline and are easily identified by their rust colored roots which arch from their base, drop into the water and drill down into the mucky soil to find nutrients. Alternatively, the Black Mangrove (Avicennia germinans) prefers to grow slightly inland and can be identified by its dark aerial root projections, called pneumatophores. These pneumatophores, which act as respiratory organs for the Black Mangrove, must be exposed to air to live, which is why the Black Mangrove resides farther inland inhabiting the tidal areas just beyond the coastline. The rarer White Mangrove ((Laguncularia racemosa), which needs higher ground to survive, can be found along the interior of the mangrove forest.
