The Everglades: Conserving A Balanced Community (1968)

all of life depends on water some plants and animals need the fresh water of Inland Lakes and streams other forms of life are adapted to a saltwater environment both types of environments saltwater and freshwater are found in the Wilderness Area in Southern Florida which forms the Everglades National Park the climate here is subtropical most of the land is only a foot or two above sea level the underlying rock is composed of limestone the residue of an ancient sea in some areas the limestone is beneath the water the water which supports the life of the Everglades accumulates mostly during the summer rainy season annual rainfall allall May exceed 60 in in the Everglades as elsewhere in nature various forms of life are closely interrelated and form balanced communities for example consider this water hole Community called a slooh plant life is at the base of the slooh food chain these green plants convert the energ of the sun into food through photosynthesis the plants provide food for small grazing animals insect larv are found in great numbers in the waters of the slooh these mosquito larve get food by filtering organic particles from the water with their brush-like mouth Parts in turn larvey and other tiny water animals are eaten by small fish these provide food for water birds like the green heron or for larger fish such as the gar fish of this size will usually not be prayed upon by waterb birds but even larger fish do have natural enemies in each Community there are scavengers here in the slooh Tad hles feed on decaying organic materials and on vegetation snails are also scavengers they are protected from enemies by a hard shell the number of snails is controlled by Predators the limpkin is one of these Predators its long bill has evolved in a way that enables it to extract snails from their shells in places where the land is slightly elevated another type of community develop the dominant form of plant life here is Saw Grass so it is called a Saw Grass Community Saw Grass provides a shelter for various forms of animal life as well as food in the Saw Grass Prairie Plante eating animals the primary consumers include insects and grazing animals such as the marsh rabbit higher in the food chain are birds like the Eastern meadow lark which eat both plant food and insects and the boat tailed grle that feeds on both grain and fish reptils like the snapping turtle feed on fish frogs and other water animals here too scavengers such as the turkey vulture play an important role in some parts of the Everglades still another type of environment is provided by a growth of Southern Pine Pines here Pines are the dominant form of vegetation so this is called a Pine Community Pine communities develop in places where a slight elevation has been created by Limestone being forced above the surface of the water the Pines compete for food materials with a fast growing tropical vegetation that thrives in their shade survival of the Pines ultimately depends on fire fire destroys the competing tropical growth without seriously damaging the hardier Pines the primary consumers in a forest environment are the ants and other insects which live on sap and fruits the insect population is controlled by birds like the red bellied woodpecker the quail and mocking birds at slightly higher elevations and in areas Untouched by fire the tropical vegetation becomes the dominant form of life and few Pines are found such tropical jungles are called hammocks some forms of plant life use trees for support this is a kind of epiphytic relationship it does not harm the tree in other cases there is direct competition between different types of vegetation that proves harmful to one of them here is a Strangler fig growing on a supporting tree the roots of the Strangler fig have already encompassed the host tree gradually The Roots will constrict and kill the host finally the Strangler will completely replace the tree among the animals competing for survival are birds like the Cardinal which eat seeds and small berries as well as insects within a community some animals Prey Upon another species during one part of its life cycle and in turn become the victims at another time thus the eggs of the Red shouldered Hawk may be devoured by this yellow rat snake but the adult hawk in turn may eat the yellow rat snake tropical hammock Pine Forest Saw Grass Prairie slooh each of these is a balanced community that depends upon the fresh water of the inland area of the Everglades in the coastal areas salt water forms the basis of life here the salt tolerant red Mangrove becomes the dominant form of plant life the smooth waxy leaves of the mangrove are adapted to resist water loss in the dry winter season the seeds of the mangrove Sprout while they are still still on the tree they develop here as young plants for a time before breaking off to drift in the sea when a drifting plant touches soil it takes root and begins to grow as it grows Roots drop down from the lower branches to form a pedestal root system silt and soil collecting in this root system can gradually form an island in this way the red Mangrove has caused the formation of many of the islands or keys of Florida Bay in dry areas near the coast the soil itself is rich in salt from the sea here a desert-like community called a Marl Prairie is formed plant life is restricted to such salt tolerant plants as the prickly par Cactus and the Christmas berry with its delicate flower and bright fruit Queen butterflies are among the insects in this community their numbers are controlled by such insect eating animals as the American chameleon and the scissor tailed fly catcher thus one form of life serves to balance the numbers of another form the survival of all is dependent upon maintaining this set of balancing forces here in the Everglades the balance of Nature has been upset by a new competitor it is the human population and that population is growing to control floods and allow for the expansion of cities and towns large dams storage basins and canals have been built to draw large quantities of water away from the Everglades consider some of the effects of this kind of development as the freshwater disappears from Inland areas salt water moves in to replace it this brings death to those plants and animals which can survive only in freshwater vultures will Thrive for a time but when the other forms of wildlife cannot survive and reproduce the vultures food supply will disappear as well Wildlife reserves such as Everglades National Park are one kind of natural resource they have Direct Value to us as centers of recreation and for scientific study as the human population of the Earth continues to grow there is an Ever greater need for space in which to expand our communities in this expansion we need to take great care to avoid destruction of areas that may also have unusual value in the case of the Everglades communities how shall we protect protect them in the future