The limestone-based (marl) prairies of the southern Everglades have also been largely converted to agriculture. They include swamp forest dominated by red bay (Persea borbonia), pond apple (Annona glabra) forests, Cypress (Taxodium ascendans) forests, and hardwood hammocks with a variety of tropical species, including palms, that occur in the U.S. only in southern Florida. The ecosystem it forms is not presently found anywhere else on earth. Another aspect of water management is excessive drainage of wetlands which affects foraging areas for wading birds, and has led to increased levels of fires which shifts plant succession (Gunderson and Loftus 1993). The forested uplands of the Everglades also harbor distinct assemblages of species, dominated by many trees with tropical Caribbean affinities. Habitat alteration and outright loss have endangered a number of plant and animal species. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law. The Everglades is often referred to as a “swamp”, but in reality it is a giant, slow moving river. Conservation impact on 7.7 million acres; improved outcomes for six priority bird species. Sufficient water levels are crucial for a number of taxa to carry out breeding. Florida's ecosystems, or communities of plants and animals, have been described through various classification systems that differ depending on scale and purpose. In sum, it is estimated that no more than two percent of the original Everglades ecosystem is truly intact. ?Everglades Coalition?Florida Audubon?Florida Natural Areas Inventory?National Audubon Society?National Audubon's Everglades Ecosystem Restoration?The Nature Conservancy of FloridaRelationship to other classification schemesEcoregion boundaries are derived from Omernik (1995) unit no. Prepared by: E. Dinerstein, A. Weakley, R. Noss, R. Tipton, K. Wolfe. There are over 100 seed bearing plants. Homestead, FL The southern prairies have been irreversibly altered as a result of plowing of the substrate and farming. The Everglades also provides critical, and often undervalued, benefits to people, called ecosystem services. Description Biological Distinctiveness The extraordinary biological richness of the Everglades has been well-documented, particularly the spectacular wading birds, alligators, crocodiles, snail kites, and mangrove species. By signing up, you'll get thousands of step-by-step solutions to your homework questions. Types and Severity of ThreatsAssuming restoration efforts will succeed, degradation threats will decline. Poaching of deer, alligators, and panthers continues to be a threat. Annual Value of Everglades Ecosystem Services, 2007 (in Billions) ..... 33 Figure 16. The Everglades is mixed wetland ecosystem; a fresh water marsh with regions of forested cypress swamp and shrub swamp, as well as coastal saline mangrove swamp and tidal salt marsh. The Everglades are a beautiful and important ecosystem. The Ecosystem of the Florida Everglades The Florida Everglades is a vast wetland ecosystem made up of marshes and swamps. The mosaic of habitats found within the Greater Everglades Ecosystem supports an assemblage of plantand animalspecies not found elsewhere on the planet. The inland movement of mud during tropical storms and hurricanes forms these lowlands. It also can be used as a 'habitat', because it provides food and water for organisms. With rapid development on both coasts and an expanding agriculture industry, the human demand for water is increasing rapidly while the supply is not changing. Eutrophication from agricultural runoff and urbanization has caused the invasion of cattails (Typha sp.). The tropical hammocks contain a diverse assemblage of local endemic tree snails of the genus Liguus and tropical butterfly species are also common. It consists of 1.5 million acres of saw grass marshes, mangrove forests, and hardwood hammocks dominated by wetlands. An early American environmentalist named Gifford Pinchotsaid of the Everglades, "It is a region so different that it hardly seems to belong to the United States. As with other peninsulas, animal species richness tends to decline in most taxa from the mainland connection to the tip. The Everglades is the largest subtropical wetland ecosystem in North America and the largest mangrove ecosystem in Western Hemisphere. Ecosystems remain in a constant state of flux, subject to the environmental factors of south Florida. Between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, the peninsula of Florida juts like a pointer from the North American continent to the edge of the Caribbean tropics (Figure 1.1). The Everglades is surrounded by human development, including the cities of Miami and Fort Lauderdale. It is full of the most vivid and most interesting life on land, in the air, and in the water. For example, eight distinct habitats have been identified in Everglades National Park alone. Florida Bay: Of the landscapes of the Everglades, Florida Bay is the largest body of water. Many species of introduced fish and lizards have displaced native species. South Florida was once a sea bed. 33034. As the only conservation organization working throughout the ecosystem, Audubon’s goal for the Everglades is to reestablish colonies of wading birds that have been displaced by drainage, development, and dirty water. Rainfall varies spatially across southern Florida so that the inland marshes and Lake Okeechobee only receive about 60 percent of the rainfall levels recorded in the coastal areas (Gunderson and Loftus 1993). 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