The Everglades, Home to many Species PDF

Preview

Summary

Download The Everglades, Home to many Species PDF

Description

1 Kathryn Davis Bio-220 June 8, 2019 Dr.Shrestha The Everglades, Home to Many Species The aquatic biome has many types of species, many of which have not been named or discovered. The aquatic biome includes fresh and saltwater. “Water is vital to life; however, in an aquatic system the organisms live in the water.” (Spaulding, A., 2015). The ecosystem is wetland, where fresh and saltwater meet, specifically in the Florida Everglades. The Everglades is a subtropical wetlands ecosystem and is found in central and south Florida. This area is home to diverse habitats and species such as sawgrass, cypress trees, orchids, birds, reptiles, manatees and the Florida Panther. Due to the human involvement, such as agricultural and urban development, “the size of the Everglades has decreased dramatically, affecting the quality of habitats in the area.” (nwf.org). The Everglades have many keystone species, one of which is the red cockaded woodpecker. This beautiful bird is one of the smallest types of woodpeckers standing at less than eight inches tall. The red cockaded woodpecker is a keystone species because their “addition to or loss from an ecosystem lead to large changes in occurrence or abundance of other species.” (Johnson, Ober, Adams, p48). This woodpecker provides resources for many species by scooping or digging out the insides of long-leaf pine trees, for a nest. This is important because later the empty cavity will be used by other species to live in such as other birds or squirrels for a nest or protection. The red cockaded woodpecker is listed as endangered, due to habit loss.

2 South Florida is being invaded with nonnative snakes, in 2015 there were 2600 reports. The first nonnative snake was discovered in the Everglades in 1979, it was a Burmese python. (Wallace, Bargeron, Moorhead, & LaForest, 2016). The Burmese python is established in South Florida and is invasive because they are competing with native wildlife for food. There is a noticeable decline in mammals in the Everglades, this has been linked to the Burmese python. The Burmese python is a ‘dietary generalist known to predate several threatened native species.” (Walters, Mazzotti, & Fits, p.50, 2016). A Burmese python is a large snake, an adult can reach 19 feet, can lay over 100 eggs, an opportunistic eater and a top predator. These factors have a negative effect on the ecosystem because is fragile and unbalanced resulting in a decline in native mammal and bird populations including over two dozen endangered and threatened species. (Walters et al., 2016). Which make the endangered and threatened animals at risk of extension. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Service have tried many strategies to remove Burmese pythons from the Everglades such as organized snake hunts, to capture and remove the snakes, using thermal energy, and snake sniffing dogs. There is no way to manage the Burmese python problem in the Everglades. The Everglades have many endangered species one that is highly endangered is the Florida panther. There are just over 100 left in the wild. What has caused them to be on the endangered list are a loss of habitat, diseases, death by vehicle, and low genetic diversity. Florida is tried several ways to increase the Florida panther population one was a genetic restoration plan, they released 8 female Texas pumas into the population to help repopulate and aid in genetic health. (fws.gov). Communication with public has also helped by encouraging drivers to drive slowly and cautiously in panther counties, reporting panther sightings, and helping injured and orphaned panthers.

3 In conclusion, the Everglades is an aquatic biome, ecosystem and wetlands that are home to many species. This ecosystem is shrinking due to development, pollution and invasive species. The effects have resulted in habitat loss, competition for food, and endangered species. The Everglades have decreased their size by 50 percent, effecting the quality of life for all species.

4 References Johnson, S. A., Ober, H. K., & Adams, D. C. (2017). Are keystone species effective umbrellas for habitat conservation? A spatially explicit approach. Journal for Nature Conservation. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1016/j.jnc.2017.03.003 https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Wild-Places/Everglades https://www.fws.gov/southeast/wildlife/mammals/florida-panther/#recovery-section Spaulding, A. (2015). Biomes and Ecosystems. In Grand Canyon University (Ed.) Environmental Science: The Human Impact on Natural Resources. Wallace, R. D., Bargeron, C. T., Moorhead, D. J., & LaForest, J. H. (2016). IveGot1: Reporting and Tracking Invasive Species in Florida. Southeastern Naturalist, 15, 51–62. https://doiorg.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1656/058.015.sp805 Walters, T. M., Mazzotti, F. J., & Fitz, H. C. (2016). Habitat Selection by the Invasive Species Burmese Python in Southern Florida. Journal of Herpetology, 50(1), 50–56. https://doiorg.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1670/14-098...