Florida Ecosystems 2: Upland & Aquatic Ecosystems

1. Florida Ecosystems 2: Upland & Aquatic Ecosystems Dr. Peggy Green

2. Upland Ecosystems:High Pine Longleaf, Virginia, Loblolly & Slash P. with open canopy & groundcover of grasses & herbs •Fire dependent: maintained by low intensity fires every 1-15 yrs. •Predominant ecosystem in many areas of North FL •Sandy, nutrient poor soil -- vital recharge area for aquifer When fire is suppressed, hardwoods invade. What other services are provided by periodic ground fires?

3. •Trees can live 500 years & grow over 100 ft. tall, but 88% decline in last 50 yrs has left few virgin forests (heavily logged) •Home to gopher tortoise, indigo snake, red-cockaded woodpecker and other threatened and endangered species. Longleaf Pine Gopher tortoise

4. Scrub • Coastal & Inland • High Intensity fires • Sandy, nutrient-poor soil • Herbs, scrub oak, sand & slash pine, saw palmetto cacti, lichens • Lake Wales scrub oldest ecosystem in FL Coastal Scrub Florida Scrub Jay

5. Pine Flatwoods • Low, flat land dominated by pines (slash in S and longleaf in N) •Sandy, poorly drained soil that is alternately very dry and very wet •Periodic low intensity fires maintain the open canopy •Harvested extensively for lumber, turpentine, or converted to pasture

6. Dry Prairie Low, flat land dominated by grasses with sandy, poorly drained soil Crested Caracara •Often find over 200 species of ground cover plants per acre •Prairie grasses may live 50-100 yrs & develop extensive root systems in soil rich in earthworms and decomposers Kissimmee Prairie

7. •Prairie must burn about every two years or it will succeed to pineland Prairie recently burned Prairie - no recent burn

8. Pine Rockland - open canopy of slash pine on limestone outcrops •Found in Southern tip of state and the Keys •Similar to pine flatwoods, but trees more widely scattered and smaller in size •Maintained by periodic fires; fire suppression results in succession to tropical hard- wood hammock

9. Hammocks - tree islands: hardwood forests found throughout FL Temperate Hardwood Hammock •Found in northern areas of FL in areas protected from fires •Dominant trees include live oak, laurel oak, sabal palm, etc. •Greatest diversity of trees & shrubs of any ecosystem in US

12. Tropical Hardwood Hammocks Occur on outcrops of limestone elevated slightly above surroundings in southern part of the state: tree islands in the Everglades, behind the coastal strand, & in the Keys. •Dense canopy creates a moist environment that’s cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter •Resists burning by creation of moat and moist foliage & leaf litter

13. • Many orchids and bromeliads in the trees • Very endangered ecosystem because of development pressure • Home to many threatened & endangered species Liguus tree snail Red-bellied woodpecker

14. Freshwater Wetlands & Aquatic Ecosystems

15. Importance of Wetlands Fluctuating water level (sometimes absent at surface but soil remains saturated Plant roots must tolerate anaerobic conditions • Water purification • Water storage • Flood control • Climate control • Wildlife habitat What is the importance of vernal pools?

16. Freshwater Marshes •Wetlands - dominated by grasses •Yearly fires clear areas for seed germination and provide ash that returns nutrients •May be located in the floodplain of a river, around the edge of lakes, next to swamps or in vast basins of low, flat land.

17. Immature ibis & common gallinule A slough in the Everglades marsh

18. Swamps Tree-dominated wetlands with clean water & diversity of mammals and birds, many epiphytes Endangered woodstork Bald cypress in wet season Dry season

19. Swamp during wet season showing many epiphytes Cabbage palm (shown here) along with red maple are found with the bald cypress in S. Florida swamps.

20. Note the buttressed trunks and the knees of the cypress trees

21. Gators move between swamps and freshwater marshes

22. Lakes Abundant in areas lacking rivers where land is flat with basins that hold water. • Most FL lakes are shallow & round -- formed by sinkholes filling with water. •Marsh around edges filters the water •Plankton form the base of the food chain & the benthic community recycles nutrients

23. Dynamics of lakes determined by inflow & outflow of chemicals from surrounding uplands & the atmosphere. • Human activities can degrade lakes: • Deforestation • Mining • Construction • Pollution discharge • Development of homes/farms, etc. • Introduction of invasive exotics • Air pollution (acid rain) Algae bloom caused by eutrophication

24. Rivers & Springs Flowing Water Systems RIVERS Kissimmee River (channelized) •Variables of rivers include: current, substratum, temperature, dissolved oxygen, •Nutrient levels increase as you go southward in the state. Kissimmee River (restored)

25. • The channel of the river is the open water part. • The floodplain is formed by the sediment deposited on the sides where the river periodically overflows its banks. Floodplain of a tributary of the Hillsborough River The brown color of the Suwannee River is due to tannic acid from trees

26. SPRINGS •Florida has over 700 springs which typically have crystal clear water coming up from deep aquifers. Silver Springs Manatee Springs

27. Unfortunately, nutrient overload (high concentrations of nitrogen & phosphorus containing compounds) have degraded the water quality of all aquatic systems, including springs.

28. The End