The Florida Everglades covers 4,000 square miles, although the Everglades National Park only comprises 2,300 square miles. The Everglades National Park was established in 1947 and became a World Heritage Site in 1976. Five thousand years ago, the Florida Everglades supported a healthy wildlife colony, supported by a vast body of water which spanned from Lake Okeechobee to the Gulf of Mexico.
The Destruction of The Everglades Ecosystems
Today, due to the human intervention and development of the area through pioneer settlements, the Florida Everglades has been reduced to a mismatch of varied pool waters, unable to support the wildlife colony. There are now conservation efforts in place to reverse the situation, but it may take many years to eradicate some of the damage.
The Florida Everglades were protected, to some extent, by the formation of the Everglades National Park in 1947, and several species of Everglades trees support the park's ecosystems; these include Hardwood Hammocks, Mangroves, Pine and Cypress. These ecosystems help support other plant species and wild life, although the Everglades remain an extremely fragile environment, given the Southern Florida weather pattern systems.
Hardwood Hammocks of the Everglades
Hardwood hammock trees can be found in most of Florida's ecosystems; densely clustered together. Hardwood hammock trees grow in areas which are only inches in elevation above the natural waterways. Species of temperate Hardwood hammock trees found in the Florida Everglades include Red Maple (Acer rubum), Hackberry (Celtis laevigata) and Oak (Quercus virginiana); other species include tropical tree species such as Mahogany ( Swietenia mahogoni), Cocoplum (Chrysobalanus icaco) and Gumbo Limbo (Bursera simaruba).
Hammocks are not susceptible to flooding, due to their elevated situation; a natural moat is formed around the hammocks, made up from the acids of decaying plants which dissolve the natural limestone surrounding the island. The moat protects the hammock species from the threat of fire. Other plants, such as ferns and air plants, are able to survive in the hammocks, as they are shaded by the larger hardwood trees and therefore receive enough moisture to grow.
Everglade Mangroves
In the Florida Everglades, the term mangrove is used in relation to several species of salt-tolerant trees, and is not specific to the the botanical term of mangrove tree; mangrove forests are located in the coastal channels and rivers at the southern end of the Everglades National Park. Mangrove tree species include the Black Mangrove (Avicennia germinans), the Red Mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) and the White Mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa). The Mangrove forests of the Everglades provide protection against summer hurricanes.
The Everglades Pineland
Slash Pines (Pinus elliottii var. densa) are the predominant trees of the the Everglades Pineland ecosystem; the area is also known as Pine Rocklands due to the trees' ability to grow in the very dry crevices of the underlying limestone ridges. The Pineland is an elevated area of thin soil and rough limestone.
Pineland trees are close geological relatives of the hardwood hammocks, created in the same seawater recession and coral calcification. The Pineland ecosystem supports a diverse species of flora which have adapted to survive fire; the Pineland trees need fire to survive, as fire eliminates the hardwoods which block out much needed sunlight for younger Pine trees.
The Cypress of the Everglades
The Cypress (Taxodium spp.) is capable of growing in standing water. In the Florida Everglades, Cypress trees are found in three types of groupings:
- Strands – domination of Cypress trees in swampy areas, in long strips of land
- Domes – water filled depressions of tightly-packed Cypress trees, dominated by larger trees at the center
- Stunted Cypress trees – grow on thin soil on dry land and commonly called Dwarf Cypresses.
The Florida Everglades Cypress trees have special roots; protruding roots above water are known as breathing knees and help the Cypress tree obtain oxygen. The Cypress trees also support different species of ephiphytes such as orchids, ferns and bromeliads and Cypress Domes provide a suitable habitat for many bird species.
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Sharon Falsetto - Sharon Falsetto is a business owner, certified clinical aromatherapist & professional writer with a life-long interest in plants.
