Biomes and ecosystems PDF

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1 Kameron Storrs BIO-220 May 17, 2020 Professor Goddard Biomes and Ecosystems Biomes are called global environments that share the same climatic factors, and all biomes include an ecosystem composed of non-living and living organisms residing in the environment. Biomes found in water constitute an aquatic biome. Wetland habitats also occur within an marine environment. A wetland is where field or floor covered with water. The amount of water shows how the soil develops, and the plant and animal types that live there. Wetlands harbor both species of water and animals. Forms of a wetland ecosystem include swamps, bogs, and marshes (Ramos, 2018). Florida's most celebrated wetland is the Everglades. Wetlands are very valuable because they function as sponges, they suck all the excess water during heavy rains which prevents flooding. There are keystone species, invasive species, and threatened species within an aquatic ecosystem and wetland that are both significant and represent their environment. Keystone species are organisms that have a connection between predator and prey. They are essential to wetland functions and affect the many plant and animal forms that make up the wetland. If no keystone species existed then the wetland would fail (Bonneau et al., 2017). One keystone species found in the Everglades wetland are alligators. For the Everglades, alligators are valuable because they create alligator holes to provide them with a shelter, and the holes also help other animals store food and water during the dry season. Alligators tend to preserve the wetland 's equilibrium because if they weren't there, non-belonging species might take over, so

2 the plant habitat could decline as a consequence of unwelcome species taking over. Alligators are classified as keystone species because they have a bond between predator and prey and hold the target species at bay, which implies that if there were no alligators with a limited number of food, the food will quickly be able to breed triggering infestation ('American Alligators' 2017). Beavers, crayfish, newts, salmon are other keystone species within an aquatic biome / wetland. All these organisms provide balance to nature, as they may take but also substitute them. Invasive species are species that generally do not belong in the region and that can cause environmental and economic harm. They can be pathogens, plants and insects. Invasive species have the potential to cause native plants and animals to extinct, resulting in reducing biodiversity, and fighting over scarce resources (Bonneau et al., 2017). The python is the most well known invasive species in the Everglades. Some of the negative effects the python has on the wetland are they prey on the native species, some can carry disease that may spread to others, kill the native species that affects the future population, and they do not provide any food value which in turn, leads everyone to fight for food and other resources ("Nonnative Species", 2017). Some measures that are being done to prevent the invasive species in the Everglades include encouraging more people to be responsible pet owners, making sure pet owners do their homework into what is a safe place to have a certain animal in, not turning a pet loose if it's no longer wanted, and documenting non-native species sightings. Endangered species are species on the verge of extinction. The two key explanations how animals are endangered are attributed to the destruction of their habitat and genetic variability (Bester, 2020). In the Everglades wetland, some of the endangered species that have habits are whooping crane, bald eagle, red wolf, musk, and swamp rose. Although the alligator is perceived as a keystone species, it is also an endangered species due to the many problems facing the

3 Everglades. The alligator is threatened by the rise of pythons, and the ability of these pythons to kill them. Pollution and loss of water also threaten those species with extinction. Another danger to waterways and marine biomes is weeding, which is detrimental to soil compaction and plant degradation ("What should you do", 2020). Several initiatives being undertaken to protect these animals include making residents in the city use less pesticides and pollutants in their lawns, which will reach into the soil and harm the environment. Using less water will enable plants to grow better and healthier, allowing more animal and plant food.

4 References Bester, C. (2020) Threated + Endangered species. Retrieved from https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/southflorida/regions/everglades/endangered-species/ Bonneau, M., Borkhataria, R., Hart, K., Larson, B., McCleery, R., Reed, R., Reichert, B., Sovie, A., & Udell, B. (2017). Urbanization may limit impacts of an invasive predator on native mammal diversity. Diversity and Distributions, 4, 355. Retrieved from https://lopes.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx? direct=true&db=edsgao&AN=edsgcl.483803231&site=eds-live&scope=site National Park Service. (2017). American Alligator: Species Profile. Retrieved from https://www.nps.gov/ever/learn/nature/alligator.htm National Park Service. (2017). Nonnative Species. Retrieved from https://www.nps.gov/ever/learn/nature/nonnativespecies.htm Ramos, J. (2018) 5 things you should know about wetland. Retrieved from https://www.conservation.org/blog/5-things-you-should-know-about-wetlands? gclid=Cj0KCQiAyp7yBRCwARIsABfQsnQDp7r3opVyZWQCttcjeyTVb8gkQp5gFcCtO 9UpO-mi1IsIAYIHYcaAk_FEALw_wcB What You Can Do to Protect the Florida Everglades Ecosystem. (2020). Retrieved from https:// www.evergladesholidaypark.com/what-you-do-protect-everglades/...