Everglades Habitats


  
http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles


    From Florida Bay to the coniferous pine forests hundreds of miles inland, the greater Everglades ecosystem expands over 1.5 million acres of fresh and saltwater, marshes, swamps, and dry lands.  The area contains temperate and tropical plant communities, and each of these unique ecosystems supports a thriving, perfectly adapted habitat. 
   The Everglades is a unique wetland area in that most of its water flow is derived from rainwater.  The source of most other marshes and wetlands are large rivers that flow into them.  The sluggish flow of water over shallow, broad, marshy vegetation inspired its name River of Grass, coined by Douglas in 1948.  80% of this crucial rainfall occurs in summer months, characterized by thick humidity and extraordinary, subtropical temperatures.  Winters are mild and somewhat dry; during the cooler months, the "River of Grass" dries considerably, becoming more of a swampy savanna, lacking the free flowing water (source: http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles ).

Florida Bay Sunset Over Florida Bay Mangrove Swamp

Florida Bay, at the southern tip of the state, is part of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem.  Here we find abundant coral reefs on the hard bottom, and tropical fish swarming among the seagrass and shellfish.  The coastal shellfish colonies are a crucial factor of the overall Everglades habitat, because especially in dryer winter months wading birds base most of their diets on the shellfish.    Between the highly-saline regions of Florida Bay and the freshwater ecosystems inland is a thick ring of mangrove trees.  The mangrove is a unique, water-dwelling tree whose very nature creates an individual ecosystem all its own.  The vast root network traps sediments and soils floating in the water, eventually forming its own island of peat.  These small peat-islands form a natural baricade, barring the bay water from invading freshwater systems beyond the mangrove region.  A nursing ground for shellfish and other important aquatic creatures, this ecosystem is a crucial part of the overall Everglades environment.     Sloughs are the wettest regions inland: they are the site of the faster-flowing currents and are located in the center of the river.  As with all habitats inundated with water in the Everglades, they support many forms of floating vegetation; they are underlaid by layers of rich, fertile soil.  Included in this medely of plant life are white water lilly and bladderwort.    Sawgrass is the most recognizable ecosystem of the Everglades; this floating plant, actually a member of the sedge family (it is not actually a "grass") dominates most marsh areas.  Sturdy and highly adaptable, sawgrass can adapt to most water level fluctuations, but may not survive prolonge highwater.  Among these masses of grass we find floating tree islands, or hammocks--bunches of hardwood forest trees that form in groups along the river, dotting the coastlines.  The most common types of trees that form in hammocks are red bay, pond apple, and, of course cypress trees.     Taylor Slough

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