Descriptive Information
- The Florida Everglades have been manipulated in ever possible way. The essential life-giving hydroperiods have been tampered with to nearly unrecognizable patterns. They come at odd times of the year when it suppose to be dry it is wet and when it suppose to be wet it is dry. Only one-fifth of the water that reached the everglades at the turn of the century now reach this place that depends on this water to maintains its watery wilderness. Humans have built over 1,400 miles of canals that now twist their concrete barriers north of the Everglades choking it. The changed water tables make it too wet in the wet season and too dry in the dry season. These changes allow the intoduction of other factors that are slowly yet surely strangling the Everglades. Less water means overconcentrated minerals and toxic chemicals. Less water means less wildlife. Less water also means that species that once where kept by the extended flood season now have an opportunity to grow.
- Invasive plants effect entire ecosystems. They carve out a place for themselves and then often multiply unchecked destroying the natural balance of life in the areas they invade. Invasive species usually have no natural predators in the environments they are introduced to and this furthers their rampant growth. Their numbers increase astronomically and they out compete native flora and fauna with ease. The elimination of indigenous plants leads to the elimination of not only a natural landscape but also the elimination of food sources. This drastic decrease in food sources have led to plummenting numbers in wildlife that was once observed in the area.
- It has been estimated that there are over 60 introduced plants species in the Everglades National Park. Each of these species have had their own impact on the environment. It is said that in low numbers introduced species may even have a positive impact on the ecosytems by increasing diversity and allowing the formation of new niches, however when their growth becomes rampant they create a serious threat. Of these 60 species three have had more damaging effects than the others. These three are the melaleuca, the Brazilian Pepper tree, and the Australian Pine. Information about these three particularily damaging species or on invading plants in general can be found in the following links.
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