Florida Everglades Research Paper

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Food Web Diagram

William DiCarlo

SCI/230

November 16, 2012

Casey Bulaclac

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As Walt Whitman once said, “I bequeath myself to the dirt, to grow from the grass I love; If

you want me again, look for me under your boot-soles”. He was referring to the importance of

ecosystems and how they control and predict all living organisms on planet earth. One such

ecosystem is the Florida Everglades, which covers most of central and southern Florida. The Florida

Everglades is host to a diverse ecosystem of tropical and subtropical plants, reptiles, mammals, and

aquatic species as well(Everglades, 2012).

The various species that live within this ecosystem depend on each other for survival
and

compromise the balance of the Everglades(The Concept of the Ecosystem, 2008). The Everglades

have a semitropical climate with mostly dry winters, moist and humid summers, and are vulnerable

to hurricanes during the early fall months(Everglades, 2012).
There is a wide variety of plants in this two million acre wetland, which includes saw grass,

cypress, bladder wort, and mangrove. Some other plants and tress serve as the primary energy source

for some consumers and provide them with a suitable shelter(The Concept of the Ecosystem, 2008).

Numerous species of mammals also make their home within the Everglades, including those

that are native, threatened, and almost endangered. Over 300 different bird species dwell within the

Everglades, such as the Blue Heron, and the Wood Stork(Different Types of Ecosystems, 2012).

Land mammals that roam the Everglades include such beasts as the panther, crocodile, and the

Burmese python. The Florida panther is considered to be the most endangered animal within the

Everglades with only about 75 still remaining today(Everglades, 2012).

The Florida Everglades is composed of three different organisms, a producer, a consumer, and

a decomposer. The producer is a living organism, which works by providing food for other

organisms in an ecosystem food chain. Green plants that create energy through
photosynthesis,

provide food for organisms that depend on that plant(Everglades, 2012).

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The Everglades fresh water environment is a vast wetland filled with green marshes that separate

little tree filled islands.
The primary producer of these wetlands is the peripython assemblage, which

provides food and shelter for a wide variety of aquatic life, such as omnivores and grazers.

Consumers are living organisms that feed of other living organisms within the same ecosystem.

Herbivores that feed of green plants are called the primary consumers, whereas organisms that feed

off other carnivores are called tertiary consumers(Different Types of Ecosystems, 2012). Some prime

example of an Everglade consumer would be the Florida Panther, American Alligator, and the Green

Sea Turtle.

A decomposer is an organism that is responsible for the physical and chemical breakdown of

all dead organisms(The Concept of the Ecosystem, 2008). Blue-green algae and fungi assist in the

process of decay.

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As a consumer, the American Alligator has four chambers that enable the heart to deliver

blood to all its major organs(Everglades, 2012). The American Alligator has become well adapted to

the Everglades because they strive in fresh water environments like marshes, wetlands, and swamps.

The American Alligator is an important piece of the Everglades food chain. The
American

Alligator relies on the spotted Gar, which is a long slender fish that has dark gray spots and very sharp teeth. With the increased poaching of the American Alligator, the population of the spotted Gar

increases, decreasing the population of other fish for other consumers.

The Florida Everglades has seen an incline in local wildlife because these wetland provide the

perfect habitat for both plants and animals. It is natural for plants and animals to automatically try to

increase their population, but this is not always the case(The Concept of the Ecosystem, 2008).

Different and rare species of the Everglades have become impacted by human actions and climate changes, which are threatening survival. While much of the existing species within the Everglades

continue to strive, there are some species that have become defenseless, scare, and soon to be non-

existent(Different Types of Organisms, 2012).

The human need for property and building control has put these wetlands in danger. Currently,

there are 23 federally listed endangered or threatened species that dwell within the Everglades and

legislation has been enforced to protect these plants and animals(Everglades, 2012). The Endangered

Species act of 1973, enabled the precise labeling of species as either threatened or endangered.

Federal agencies, such as The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have enforced the preservation

of endangered and threatened species. The U.S. Endangered Species Act protects the species within

the Everglades, such as the Bald Eagle, Florida Panther, and the Indian Manatee, but even with all the

implementation of legislation, these great and unique species are still struggling for survival.

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References

The Concept of the Ecosystem. (2008). Retrieved from http://globalchange.umich.edu

Different Types of Ecosystems. (2012). Retrieved from http://ecosystem.org

The Everglades. (2012). In . Retrieved from http://wikipedia.org