Ecology of Florida

Running head: ECOLOGY OF FLORIDA
ECOLOGY OF FLORIDA
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ECOLOGY OF FLORIDA
Introduction:
Ecology can be defined as the scientific study that concerns around the distributions,
abundance as well as relations of organisms and even with their interactions with the
environment. Ecology is mainly seen to include the study of the biotic factors like bacteria, plant
as well as the animal population and even different nonliving abiotic components like that of the
metals, gases and other chemicals present in the environment (Menges et al., 2016). It mainly
describes the web or the network of different relations among the organisms at different scales of
the organizations. Ecologists are seen to research from everything starting from the role of timey
bacteria to that of the nutrient cycling to the effects of different landforms and biomes on the
earth’s atmosphere (Anderson, 2016). In this assignment, a detailed description of the biome of
Florida would be discussed along with that of the nutrient cycle and other animals and plants that
inhabit the region.
Biome of Florida:
Florida is in the Wetland Biome which is one of the largest biomes on the Earth. Such
biomes are mainly seen to be wet and humid and these make the biome idea for the large array of
different plant as well as the animal species. These areas mainly comprise of wetlands which are
mainly composed of fresh or saltwater bodies. These make them a natural source of fish as well
as aquatic plant lives and other aquatic animals like turtles and frog (Odum, 2018). A large range
of birds as well as alligators are also seen to make their homes in the region of these wetlands.
Researchers have found that South Florida is the home for different types of ecosystems that
include the coral reefs, marshes, dunes, swamps, mangroves, hardwood, hammocks, pinelands,
mangroves as well as scrubs.

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ECOLOGY OF FLORIDA
Over 30 different types of corals are found in the waters of Florida. It has been seen that
the individual corals are found to be interconnected colonies that mainly comprise of soft and
fleshy polyps secreting complex shells made of calcium carbonate. Most of the corals growing in
the sunlight are seen to depend on tiny algae that are called as the zooxanthellae living in their
soft tissues. The latter provide oxygen and food for the polyps. Here, dunes are mainly created
by wind. However, they are held in certain places by grasses which actually trap the sand grains
when they are moved across the beach (Brownscombe et al., 2019). Dunes that are found to be
stabilized by the grasses are seen to protect the coast from that of the winds and the pounding
waves. The beaches in Florida are seen to be the important nesting sites for the different sea
turtles and that of the shorebirds. It has been found that habitat loss because of real estate
development had resulted in declining in the nesting shorebirds as well as the population of the
sea turtle.
Animals that are found in the freshwater marshes are mainly seen to include fish,
different invertebrates, frigs, snakes and alligators, white tailed deer, the Florida panther and
other mammals. Different types of water-birds and wading birds are found to nest as well forage
in different as well. In the places of hammocks, different species of trees are found which sabal
palm, live oak, red maple, gumbo limbo, red maple and gumbo limbo and cocoplum. Many types
of epiphytes and ferns can be found here as well (Bjorndal et al., 2017). Different types of
wildlife in hammocks are also found and they are seen to be include different tree snails and
even raccoons, opposums, birds as well as snakes, lizards, tress frogs and different large animals
like that of Florida panther, bobcat and even deer. Different types of mangroves are found to be
included in the biome of Florida and these are mainly seen to include red mangrove, black