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Plants and Animals
of the Everglades
The Everglades is home to a vast array of plants and animals that have adapted to a wet, subtropical environment. Some creatures such as the Florida panther, Wood Stork and West Indian manatee have become symbols of a struggling ecosystem. Other parts of this vast mosaic - most notably the sawgrass marshes, and cypress and mangrove forests - are recognized around the world as images of the region.
While some of its flora and fauna are widely recognized, theEverglades also is
comprised of many hundreds, if notthousands, of lesser-known plants, animals
and fishthat are part of a living, dynamic ecosystem.The River of Grass includes
wetlands plants, trees and marsh vegetation; invertebrates, fresh and saltwater
fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds. Some 67 species are on the federal
threatened or endangered lists. Many more are rare, species of special concern,
or included on state lists. A brief overview of selected Everglades' plant and
animal species follows:
Plants
Marsh Species
The Everglades is comprised of more than 100 marsh species that live in water
all or much of the year. Its most well-known wetland plant is sawgrass, a normally
hearty grass-like species that has formed thousands of acres of marshes. Floating
aquatic plants that dominate the waterscape include bladderwort, white water
lily, spatterdock and maidencane. Living among these is one of the tiniest members
of the Everglades plant community, periphyton algae. The base of food webs, algae
floats in mats on or just below the water's surface, and is found throughout
the Everglades.
Tree Island and Hammock Species
In addition to aquatic ones, other plants in the Everglades live in wetland tree islands and upland hardwood hammocks that dot the landscape.
Tree islands are small forests of trees and shrubs that have adapted to a wet environment. They provide an important home to the many mammals that live in the Everglades and are a site for wading and migratory bird rookeries. Tree islands generally are named after the trees that dominate them, with the most common the bay, willow and cypress.
Cypress is probably the most recognized tree in the Everglades, and includes
the dwarf and bald species. Cypresses require water to develop, and then can
live on either dry land or in water as mature trees. They have unusual root systems
producing "knees" that grow out of the earth which scientists think
are used for breathing. Cypress trees shed their leaves in the fall - somewhat
unusual in a subtropical environment. Another interesting tree found in the islands
is the pond apple, which produces large, bitter, yellow-green fruit. Pond apples
are a food source for some animals.
Trees also exist in the Everglades in hammocks, which are localized, mature hardwood forests. Unlike the tree islands that are dominated by wetland species, hammocks can have trees that traditionally live in drier conditions such as oak and pine. Royal palm, cabbage palm, live oak, gumbo limbo and West Indian mahogany are some trees that live in these tropical hardwood hammocks.
Orchids, Bromeliads and Ferns
Within the tree islands and hammocks, visitors can find breathtaking orchids, Bromeliads and ferns. The warm, humid environment is ideal for air plants, with some of the world's most unusual and beautiful orchids found in the Everglades. Many species of tropical ferns also thrive in this environment, often found under shade trees and covering the forest floor.
Mangroves
A keystone plant community of the Everglades, the mangrove is a coastal plant that is known for its vast root system. Mangroves provide an interface between more saline coastal waters and the freshwater marshes; help reduce soil erosion and buffer the land from wind and waves; and build the soil through their growth and decomposition. Mangroves do not tolerate cold weather and are protected by law.
Animals
Birds
Birds are a special symbol of the Everglades, captured beautifully in
the paintings of John James Audubon. It is reported that in the 1800s there were
so many migratory and wading birds that their numbers darkened the skies. Unfortunately,
the wading and migratory bird population has been greatly reduced, first by hunters
and more recently by the loss of habitat. Despite this, today some 350 bird species
have been identified in Everglades National Park alone. Some are year-round residents;
other just visit for
the winter; and still others stop by on their journey to
more southern destinations.
The most notable of the wading birds includes the Wood Stork; White and Glossy
Ibises; Roseate Spoonbill; Great Blue, Great White and Tricolored Herons; and
Snowy and Great Egrets. The endangered Snail Kite is an unusual bird in that
it survives exclusively on the apple snail. The Cape
Sable Seaside Sparrow also is in the news today, as scientists and government
regulators strive to preserve its quickly dwindling habitat.
Land Mammals
Many animals live in the Everglades including the raccoon, skunk, opossum, bobcat,
and white-tail deer. But the poster-child of the Everglades and the symbol of
this wild, vast ecosystem is the Florida panther. It is the most endangered species
in the Everglades, with only about 100 remaining in the wild. Panthers feed on
deer and other mammals, live in uplands Everglades areas, and require large ranges.
Great lengths are under way to save the panther including radio-tracking collared
individuals and introducing other panther strains to increase the gene pool.
Other Animals
Another keystone species of the ecosystem and an indicator of its health is the
American alligator. This ancient reptile builds "alligator holes" that
provide an important food and water source for many other animals in times of
drought. Two other well-known animals in the ecosystem include the friendly West
Indian manatee and bottlenose dolphin, both of which live in saltwater bays and
coastal areas.
In 1999, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service approved a Multi-Species Recovery Plan for the Threatened and Endangered Species of South Florida. This plan outlines a detailed program to protect the endangered and threatened plants and animals of the South Florida ecosystem that includes the Everglades. It provides a detailed list of rare, threatened, endangered and special concern species. To learn more, log on to: http://www.fws.gov/verobeach/
More information on the wildlife of the Everglades can be found in The Everglades Handbook: Understanding the Ecosystem by Thomas E. Lodge, published by the St. Lucie Press in 1998.
Contact for this page:
- Erica Robbins, erica.a.robbins@usace.army.mil
