User:ECOLlover/Ecology of Florida

Biotic Environment

Fauna

See also: List of mammals of Florida, List of reptiles of Florida, List of amphibians of Florida, and List of fishes of Florida

Florida was once home to a very diverse array of wildlife.  Bobcats were once very prominent in Florida, but land development, drained marshland, and deforestation are pushing this species of lynx into more northern areas. Florida also has many species of armadillo, opossum, foxes and birds like the American eagle and osprey, but are also being forced from their natural environments and into more urban areas, contributing to high percentages of roadkill. The Wildlife Foundation of Florida acts to gain the collaboration of the public in order to protect and conserve all types of wildlife from land and air to water.

The insect population of Florida is also unique. The Gulf fritillary is a butterfly native to Florida grasslands. Other Florida native insects include various species of mites, as well as the unrelated Florida termites, and many types of ants, like the fire ant.

Flora

See also: Florida dry prairie, Florida scrub, South Florida rocklands, Florida Everglades

Florida is home to a diverse array of plant life. There are over 4,700 species of native or naturalized plants, this includes over 4,300 species of vascular plants. Hotspots for enjoying native plants are located throughout Florida. Florida's native plant species include the Florida high pine, red mangrove, oak scrub, sand pine scrub, tarflower, wiregrass, as well as many others.

Approximately 1,400 of the plants found in Florida are non-native. These non-native plants are not always a cause for concern, but when they become unmanaged they can turn invasive. A number of invasive plants have made their way into Florida habits over the years. Aquatic invasive species are a pressing issue in Florida waterways with invasive plants being reported in 92% of the public waters in a 2017 inventory. Some of the invasive species that are a cause for concern in Florida are Cuban club-rush, Hydrilla, Crested floating heart, and Giant salvinia.

Forest ecology

Because Florida has such a wide variety of climate conditions, there are many types of forest ecosystems, including:

Upland hardwoods: Upland hardwoods are often found in patches, surrounded by Flatwoods and sandhills. Many species of trees prefer these types of ecosystems so there isn't a dominant species. Many Florida State Parks are located in these types of ecosystems.

Bottomland hardwoods: Bottomland hardwoods are very low, wet areas that are located in close proximity to lakes, rivers, and sinkholes, making them prone to flooding. This environment propels the growth of deciduous trees that grow in layers with shrubs and herbaceous plants and are under constant change.

Sandhills: Sandhills are very dry, with sandy soils so it is rare that these ecosystems ever flood. Because of this sort of climate, fire often changes the landscape so that they are predominantly grass and trees with no shrubbery.

Scrub: Scrubland is extremely low in nutrients because of its sandy soil caused by frequent fires. Most often, scrubs consist of open pinelands with various oaks, shrubs, and palmetto. These plants are called xerophytic because they grow well in dry climates and have roots close to the surface to catch what little nutrients they can.

Flatwoods: Pine Flatwoods are very low, flat, sandy lands that are subject to fires during some parts of the year, but maybe flooded for months due to seasonal rainfall. Pine needles contribute to nutrient-rich soil so plant growth is often rapid, allowing farmers to feed their livestock.

Tropical hammocks: Tropical hammocks include many broad-leaved evergreens. These forests are restricted to South Florida because of hard freezes in the North. These areas are often used for land development because of their well-drained soils.

Human impacts

The State of Florida's landscape was mostly made up of a largely forested area, prairies, and the large wetland area now referred to as the Everglades. Throughout its landscape small rivers, swamps, and naturally occurring lakes and springs made up the state. At the time the area was inhabited by the native indigenous tribes of Florida. These tribes lead a mostly subsistence-based lifestyle. A subsistence-based lifestyle consists mostly of basic farming that would provide enough food for one family unit. This way of living minimally impacted the landscape as most of the time only fertile areas of non-swamp land were utilized as the technology to drain large portions of lands and redirect water was still not widely available.

Over time, with the colonization of Florida, more and more people started to become attracted to the area. Once the technology to drain and redirect extensive areas of swampland presented itself more and more came to lay claims to acres of land for future development. These large influxes of peoples led to the mass manipulation of the Florida landscape thus altering it permanently. Many of the activities that took place dealt with the diversion, draining, or redirecting of water through the creation of various types of waterways like canals or manmade lakes, the cutting down of forests, and the conversion of lands from natural to agricultural use. This intense and highly complex manipulation of the landscape caused quite a few problems for the native species of animals living there even though it solved many problems for the many new populations of people that would come to live there.

Water

Water is an important and highly valued resource. It is used for farming, providing electricity, as well as plumbing, cleaning, drinking, bathing, and many other things. This poses problems for the natural environment. Bodies of water, like lakes or ponds, are drained for the creation of homes or other facilities. Water can also be redirected so that certain areas that are creating new businesses or that have a large population of people moving in can have fresh clean water going directly to them instead of having to import water from other areas or buy it in large quantities to store for personal or commercial use.

In the natural environment, many animal species depend on the regular flow of water as well as specific bodies of water for their survival. Draining small lakes, ponds, and river beds get rid of a habitat that many different species of fish, alligators, insects, and other animals were dependent on for their survival. Likewise redirecting water poses just as great a threat to native species, as it does to us. When water is redirected the original flow becomes disrupted and limits the amount of water that can be obtained at other areas.

Water pollution

Runoff of pesticides, fertilizers, and chemicals from farming, factories, households, commercial and industrial uses causes imbalances within ecosystems. Toxic chemical runoff and byproducts from decomposing materials and foods can contaminate water supplies. Most importantly these chemicals, like mercury, wreak havoc in fisheries and cause problems like infertility, mutations, and sometimes death of the fish. Large agricultural and farming communities, as well as urban areas leak pollutants directly into the water supply that can then flow through natural environments. When pesticides and fertilizers get into the water plants are affected too. Fertilizers often contain phosphorus which can lead to an increase in growth of some water borne plants and foliage. This abnormally rapid growth can in turn cause other populations of water borne plants to dwindle because of competition for space.

Deforestation

Forests provide many benefits to the environment. They create habitats for small and large animals, insects, and small organisms like bacteria and fungi that feed on decomposing tree trunks. They also store carbon. Forests are like giant banks of stored carbon. When forests are cut down in large quantities tons and tons of previously stored carbon is released into the atmosphere. Aside from storing vast amounts of carbon they also help prevent soil erosion. Areas that have been dry and arid with bare exposed soil can be recovered by planting trees around a buffer area to prevent further soil erosion. With proper care, maintenance, and patience the area can be recovered.

Deforestation is the removal of all or some trees from an area of forest for use as something else. Florida is known for having a variety of different ecosystems aside from the wet marshlands called the Everglades. It is also home to a variety of different kinds of forests. The trees and wood obtained from these forests are used for the construction of furniture, homes, or can be sold as individually sized boards and shapes for construction. In order to obtain these large amounts of wood whole sections of trees need to be cut down. Sometimes trees are cut down simply to get to an area of preference. Another reason for cutting down large sections of trees is for the construction of new homes or buildings in an aesthetically pleasing area. "Florida has lost 22% of forests since 1953 (a loss of 1.6 million ha)."

Urbanized Costal Environments

See also: Restoration of the Everglades, Coastal erosion, Coastal development hazards

Overpopulation and development of the natural ecosystems in Florida have caused several adverse impacts. Starting in the mid 1900s, urbanization of Southeastern Florida intensified along the coast and then inland into freshwater marshlands. With population densities growing to an average of 2500 persons per km^2 along some coastal sectors and harmful development practices used to create urban land, the degradation of coastal environments has brought about many questions about sustainability.

With the effects of development being seen both on the coast with shoreline erosion, harmful algal blooms and degradation of the Florida reef tract, and also inland with the collapse of wetland ecosystems, efforts to maintain ecosystem integrity started being put into place. The Everglades restoration project is an example of efforts made both locally and nationally to protect Florida's natural spaces.