CW4: 3579

From Environmental Technology

Revision as of 21:27, 24 February 2006

Can the Everglades Survive?

a)From the introduction, discuss the most critical issue and how it varies throughout the year.

Today, the Everglades is an ecosystem in danger. Canals and levees capture and divert its water for human needs, including drinking water, irrigation, and flood control. Often, too much water is withheld from the Everglades during the wet season, or too much is diverted into it during the winter drought, disrupting the natural cycles of feeding and nesting which depend on these patterns. Sometimes the water is contaminated by pollutants.

b)List the different habitats found in the Everglades.

Though Everglades National Park is often characterized as a water marsh, several very distinct habitats exist within its boundaries. Among these habitats are: Marine/Estuarine, Mangroves, Coastal Prairie, Freshwater Marl Prairie, Freshwater Slough, Cypress, Hardwood Hammocks, and Pinelands.

c)What do you think the largest predator is in this region? Where does it live? What does it eat?

The range of the American Alligator extends south from coastal swamps in North and South Carolina to the tip of southern Florida, then west along the Gulf Coast to the mouth of the Rio Grande. Alligators range inland throughout the southern coastal flatland. Alligators live in freshwater lakes, rivers, and swamps. They occasionally live in brackish water. The largest alligator ever recorded in Florida was 17 feet 5 inches long (5.3 meters). The largest alligator ever recorded measured 19 feet 2 inches (5.8 meters) and was found in Louisiana. Alligators eat a wide variety of foods including insects, crabs, crayfish, fish, frogs, snails, turtles, snakes, coots, grebes, wading birds, raccoons, otters, deer, and other alligators. Alligators feed most often when temperatures are between 73-90°F (20-23°C).