Discovering the Ghosts of the Western Glades · 2015. 9. 16. · The “Super Ghost” In July of...
Transcript of Discovering the Ghosts of the Western Glades · 2015. 9. 16. · The “Super Ghost” In July of...
Ghosts of the
Western Glades
Discovering the
Just Northwest of
Everglades National
Park lies probably the
wildest, least disturbed
natural area in all of
Florida.
Referred to as the
Western Everglades (or
Western Glades), it
includes Fakahatchee
Strand State Preserve
and Big Cypress
National Preserve.
Environmentalists that
pushed for the creation
of Everglades National
Park originally wanted
this area included in it.
But politics and lack of
funds prevented this.
Several decades passed
before Big Cypress National
Preserve was born in 1974.
Preserves have slightly less
restrictive rules than
national parks.
Even though both habitats have many similarities
(sawgrass prairies & tree islands, for instance), the Big
Cypress Swamp is generally 1-2 feet higher in elevation.
So how is the Big Cypress Swamp
distinct from the Everglades?
Also, it has a mainly southwesterly flow of water,
dumping into the “ten thousand islands” area on
Florida’s Gulf of Mexico coast and serving as an
important watershed for the River of Grass to the south.
Then, of course, there are the cypress trees.
Cypress Trees
Not surprisingly, of course, is
the fact that the Big Cypress
Swamp has about 1/3 of its
area covered in cypress trees.
Mostly they are the small
“dwarf pond cypress” trees.
(“Big” refers to the large mass
of land not the size of the
trees.)
A few locations, however, still
do boast the impressive
towering “bald cypress” trees
but most of those were logged
out between the years 1913 -
1948.
Topography simply means the relief (or elevation variances)
of any particular area of land.
Water moving very slowly over peat soil where there is a
very gradual incline can create what is called ridge & slough
topography.
The Western Glades is just such an area.
Ridge & Slough Topography
Ridges
Tree islands and areas of higher land are
called “ridges.”
Most of the time the ridges are fairly free of water and so
more conducive to permanent plant growth.
Pine Flatwoods
Pine flatwoods are
dominated by Florida slash
pine and saw palmetto and
are home to a variety of
animals. This is an ideal
habitat for the pileated
woodpecker, the Big Cypress
fox squirrel, the endangered
indigo snake and many
others.
The Florida slash pine has
adapted to be very drought
and fire-resistant. Fires from
lightning strikes are common
natural occurrences and can
actually keep the habitat
healthy.
Hardwood Hammocks
Hardwood hammocks form
on elevated ground, with a
diverse community of broad-
leafed trees like oaks and
maples, as well as cabbage
palms and saw palmetto.
The dense canopy means
lots of shade and sparse
undergrowth. It also keeps
the forest cool and humid.
Hammocks are favorite
habitats for Florida’s two
cats: The bobcat and the
Florida Panther.
Sloughs
In ridge & slough topography
a pattern of high and low
land levels can be clearly
seen. In the lows (called
sloughs) slow flowing water
almost always exists,
perhaps drying out
completely only once every
10 years or so.
Sloughs are generally from 1
to 3 feet lower than the
adjacent land.
Most sloughs have a width of
roughly 100- 500 feet and
can be miles long.
Cypress Strands and Cypress Domes
“Strands” form around the
long, narrow sloughs. Here
the limestone has eroded
away and filled with organic
soil which has been
deposited over time. This
allows larger swamp trees to
grown up in it.
The Fakahatchee Strand is
the world’s longest cypress
strand swamp, stretching
approximately 25 miles long
by about 5 miles wide.
Strand swamps tend
to be dominated by
temperate swamp
trees like pond
cypress, bald
cypress and pop
ash.
The strand swamps of South Florida and the
Western Everglades, however, are often also
populated with tropical swamp trees like the
pond apple.
Cypress “dome” habitats
are similar to strands
except that instead of
forming along linear
sloughs, they form
around isolated ponds.
Many of these ponds are
excavated by alligators
and are important oasis
during the dry season.
Larger cypress trees usually grow in the deeper water
towards the center of the pond where the muck layer is
also deeper, providing the larger trees with more nutrients.
Because the larger trees are usually towards the center,
the profile of the cypress dome is usually dome shaped.
The Fakahatchee Strand
The Fakahatchee
Strand, now its own
separate “State”
Preserve, is actually
considered the
largest and most
interesting of The
Big Cypress Swamp’s
strand environments.
Fakahatchee Strand is perhaps the best place in the whole
Western Glades to capture why this habitat is so critical….
And, not to mention, so “ghostly!”
….For here exists a myriad of rare plants and
animals…from the illusive “ghost orchid” and many other
exotic epiphytes to the endangered Florida panther,
Everglades mink, mangrove fox squirrel, Florida black
bear and more.
Cypress Domes and Cypress Strands
Video adventure
Quiz- T&F
1. National parks have more restrictions for visitors than national preserves do. True
2. The Big Cypress Swamp is a national park not a national preserve. False
3. “Bald cypress” trees never grow to great heights. False
4. The Fakahatchee Strand is the world’s longest cypress strand swamp at roughly 25 miles long. True
5. The rare “ghost orchid” is an epiphyte. True
Epiphytes
The word “epiphyte” is used to
describe a plant that grows upon other
plants (like a larger tree) without
necessarily harming its host plant.
Epiphytes are often called “air plants”
because they obtain their moisture from
the air or from rain that collects on the
surface of the host plant.
They are also
“autotrophs”
that rely on
photosynthesis
for energy.
Epiphytes are most common in temperate and
especially tropical climates where there is an
abundance of rain and humid air. By growing up
in the tree canopy, they can more easily reach
the light that bleeds through the thick canopy.
In swampy habitats like the cypress strand,
epiphytic plants have an advantage over other
small terrestrial plants like grasses and shrubs
which would drown in the water below.
The word “epiphyte” does not describe a family
of related plants. In fact there are species of
plants from every major group in the plant
kingdom that are epiphytic. Many mosses, ferns
and flowering plants such as orchids and
bromeliads are epiphytes.
Resurrection fern Cardinal airplantGhost orchid
The Fakahatchee Strand is famous for its
orchids (or plants belonging to the family
Orchidaceae) and is home to 44 native
species, many of which are epiphytic and
most of which are rare or endangered.
This makes the Fakahatchee the orchid
capital of North America!
The Fakahatchee is also home to 14 species
of bromeliads. Epiphytic bromeliads like the
endangered guzmania have tightly wrapped
leaves which become little reservoirs for
collecting rainwater.
These reservoirs are
miniature habitats for other
life, such as frogs. They are
also ideal breeding grounds
for mosquitoes.
A true epiphyte uses its host plant only
for physical support, not for nutrition.
Mistletoe can also be found living atop
trees in the Western Everglades, however
it is NOT considered to be an epiphyte. It
is instead considered to be a “parasite”
because it harms its host tree by
penetrating its branches to absorb
nutrients and water.
The Ghost Orchid
Dendrophylax lindenii
The ghost
orchid is a
beautiful
perennial
epiphyte
which means
that it lives
for more than
just one year.
Ghost orchids prefer to grow on two particular
trees: Pond apple and Pop ash
Pop ashPond Apple
The ghost orchid has
no leaves, but its mass
of green roots contain
chloroplasts where
photosynthesis occurs.
Also, on the green roots are “track
marks” which are really
pneumatodes which are openings
for gas exchange.
Each year a varied
number of flowers
bloom on each
orchid arising from
spikes that grow up
from the mass of
roots.
After blooming, a
seed pod develops
in which thousands
of dust-like seeds
mature and are then
released into the air.
Geographic Range
Ghost orchids were
first discovered by
Jean Jules Linden in
Cuba in 1844. They
occur, also, in Florida,
Haiti and several
other Caribbean
Islands.
They are endangered in the wild, and thus it is
illegal to collect them.
Pollination
The Ghost Orchid has
a fascinating
connection with the
Giant Sphinx moth.
The moth’s larva feed
mainly on pond apple
leaves.
The adult moth is the only insect that pollinates the Ghost
Orchid, probably because it is the only insect with a long
enough proboscis to reach far enough into the orchid’s
long nectar spur.
The “Super Ghost”
In July of 2007 an
exceptional Ghost Orchid
plant was discovered 45
feet high deep in the
swamps of the Western
Everglades.
In Corkscrew Swamp
Sanctuary this orchid
has continued to thrive.
It has been known to
produce 15 or more
blooms at a time.
Many of the world’s orchids have been harvested
to near extinction by collectors. In the Western
Everglades, poaching has been a problem since
the early 1900’s.
Orchid Restoration
To make matters worse, orchids are notoriously
difficult to grow. Many require very specific
environmental conditions and special trees to
grow on. From the early 1900’s through the
1950’s, the old-growth cypress strands of the Big
Cypress and the Fakahatchee were plundered for
their valuable lumber.
Fortunately, new restoration initiatives are
helping some of our rarest species spring back
from the brink of extinction.
The Orchid Keepers
Video Adventure
Quiz
1.Which is not true about epiphytes? a) They always harm their host.b) They are autotrophs.c) They are often called “air plants.”d) Epiphytes include some species from every major group in the
plant kingdom.
1.The Fakahatchee Strand is called the (what) capital of North America?
a) Snakeb) Mosquitoc) Fernd) Orchid
Quiz
3. Which is not true about mistletoe? a) It is a parasite.b) It is an epiphyte.c) It absorbs nutrients from its host.d) It is found in the Western Glades.
4. Which is not true about the “ghost orchid?”
a) It is pollinated by the Giant Sphinx moth.b) It grows on pond apple trees.c) It is an annual plant, dying after one year.d) Photosynthesis happens on its roots.
The Everglades Mink
The Everglades mink (Neovison
vison evergladensis) is a mid-
sized member of the weasel
family. This carnivore lives in
the marshes and swamps of the
Fakahatchee Strand, the Big
Cypress Swamp and Southern
portions of the Everglades.
With as few as 40 in the wild, it may well be the rarest
mammal in Florida.
Elusive Mammals of the
Western Everglades
The Florida Black Bear
The Florida black bear (Ursus americanus
floridanus) is a subspecies of the American Black
Bear with a historical range through all of Florida
as well as southern Alabama, Georgia and
Mississippi. It is Florida’s largest land mammal.
The black bear is an omnivore
that feeds mostly on vegetative
materials, although they also
eat insects and insect larvae
and will occasionally take larger
animals like white-tailed deer
and feral pigs. Though once
threatened, the Florida black
bear now numbers around 3000
individuals.
The Bobcat
The bobcat (Lynx rufus) is a medium-sized member of the
cat family and can be found throughout most of the United
States. It’s habitat is quite varied, but in Florida it prefers
woodland habitats like the hardwood hammock where it can
most often be found lounging in the canopy during the day.
This mostly nocturnal
predator is elusive but quite
common in Florida. It feeds
primarily on small mammals
and birds and is an important
pest controller. The bobcat is
known to occasionally take
larger prey like white-tailed
deer.
Prowling for Panthers
Video Adventure
The Mysteries of Metamorphosis
Metamorphosis is a biological process by which
an animal physically develops after birth or
hatching, involving an obvious and swift change
in the animal's body structure.
Various species of insects, amphibians, fish, mollusks
and other animal groups undergo metamorphosis during
different stages of their life-cycles.
Complete Metamorphosis: The Mosquito
Video Adventure
Incomplete Metamorphosis: The Dragonfly
Video Adventure
For the Love of Spiders!
The Amazing Courtship of Orb-weavers
Video Adventure
Quiz- T&F
1. The Everglades mink is an extremely rare carnivore in the weasel family. True
2. The Florida black bear is an endangered carnivorous mammal found only in Florida. False
3. The bobcat is a mainly nocturnal predator and is common True
4. The mosquito is an insect that undergoes complete metamorphosis. True
5. The dragonfly is an insect that undergoes incomplete metamorphosis. True