The Everglades of Florida
Wetlands
 are areas of standing water with aquatic plants
 Marshes, swamps and bogs are all considered
wetlands
 Wetlands have the highest species diversity of all
ecosystems
 The wetlands are home to many species such as
amphibians, reptiles, birds and furbearers
 Not all wetlands are freshwater ecosystems because
there are ecosystems, like salt marshes. These
saltwater ecosystems are also home of other species.
The Florida Everglades
Flora
 very diverse flora and fauna
 2000 different kinds of plants
including the pinelands and the
mangroves
 The Everglades consist of several
habitats: mangrove swamp,
tropical hardwood hammocks,
pinelands, tree islands,
freshwater marshes and coastal
estuary
 this biome with its habitats
allows a huge biodiversity and
an unique ecosystem
The Fauna
 The Everglades are the only
region in the world where
alligators and the endangered
crocodiles live in the same place
 The National Park is the only
place in the U.S.A. where wild
flamingos live
 350 birds, 300 different fish, 40
species of mammals and 50
species of reptiles live there
 the Florida panther is a rare
species, brought near to
extinction by the loss of habitat
Environmental Problems
 The water of the Everglades comes from the Lake Okeechobee
 In the 1940‘s the building of canals and draining for the
agriculture started
 Today about 50% of the original Everglades are lost to
agriculture, the rest is mostly protected by the National Park
and other parks
 The water of the Everglades is used as a water supply for Miami
and other cities which is a big environmental problem because
the water is indispensable to life for the ecosystem
 This is, in fact the most threatening problem because lower
water levels reduce the population of species like fish and snails,
that other species need to feed, and disturb the whole food web
Environmental Problems
continued
 36 threatened or protected species live in the Everglades
National Park
 Pollution through fertilizers and mercury are also a threat
 Because of the increasing drought and lower water level
there is also a higher chance for drought fires
 The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP)
was first authorized in 1948 and intends to solve the listed
environmental problems of the Everglades
 It includes more than 60 points, will take more than 30
years to construct and will cost more than $7.8 billion
dollars
 This is the biggest environmental project in the U.S. history
Food Web of the Florida
Everglades
Sources
http://forestencyclopedia.net/p/p269
http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0214223/bhflorafauna.html
http://www.scientificart.com/GIF%20files/Natural%20history/Ev
erweb.jpg
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/bio
mes/wetlandsgallery.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everglade
s_National_Park