What Are the Types of Ecosystems In Florida?

A state known for its diverse natural beauty, Florida contains a variety of ecosystems, ranging from marine habitats to dry inland pine forests. Generally speaking, an ecosystem is a set of interrelated plants and animals that inhabit a specific area. Ecosystems can vary depending on many factors, such as proximity to water, climate or altitude. A variety of methods exist for classifying ecosystems, but a basic list of Florida ecosystems should at least include reefs, dunes, marshes and swamps, hammocks, mangroves, pinelands and scrubs.

Coral Reefs

• More than 30 species of coral inhabit the coastal waters of Florida. As individual coral polyps form hard calcium carbonate shells and accumulate on top of each other, complex coral formations take shape in the reef, creating a sheltered habitat for numerous plants and animals and a complex, fragile and bio-diverse ecosystem.

Dunes

• Dunes, sand hills on the seashore, are an important habitat for coastal grasses and nesting grounds for marine birds and sea turtles. Dune ecosystems also break coastal winds and provide important protection against flooding. As Florida's dunes are replaced by seaside real estate developments, marine species are losing important reproduction grounds, and inland erosion caused by flooding and wind is increasing.

Freshwater Marshes

• Large expanses of grasses and standing water, freshwater marshes are an important component of the water cycle in Florida's ecosystems. The grasses in marshes act as a filter to remove particulate matter from water, and although the ecosystem has few species of trees and shrubs, marshes shelter various species of birds, invertebrates, reptiles, fish, insects, amphibians and even deer that depend on the ecosystem for food.

Freshwater Swamps

• Similar to marshes, freshwater swamps usually include trees surrounded by still water in a flood plain. Florida's swamps are home to many birds and migratory animals that spend part of the year in the swamps as water levels rise and fall. In addition, the swamps also provide habitat for several large mammals, such as the black bear, the Florida panther and otters.

Hardwood Hammocks

• Thick strands of hardwood tress like oak, maple and mahogany make up hardwood hammocks. Given the relatively flat topography of Florida's flood plain, hardwood hammocks tend to be very localized ecosystems, forming in any location where enough dry soil exists for hardwoods to take root. These distributed hardwood forests provide habitat for ferns, raccoons, opossums, tree frogs, bobcats, deer and reptiles.

Mangroves

• Mangroves grow along the saltwater edge of coastal habitats. As mangrove trees take root, spreading their roots in the shallow waters of the coastal edge, they create habitat, feeding, nursery and nesting grounds for many marine and land species, including birds, shellfish and reptiles. Mangrove forests also stabilize the coastal edge and provide an important natural barrier against flooding and saltwater intrusion into inland freshwater reserves.

Pinelands

• Pinelands are the dominant plant ecosystem in flat, inland Florida. The pineland ecosystem, however, is extremely fragile and maintained by seasonal fire patterns. Pines have thick trunks that are resistant to fire and extreme heat, but other species are removed by the seasonal burning. Therefore, this process removes competition for pine growth, providing more open space and sunlight for young growing pines and preserving the dominance of pines in the ecosystem. Pinelands also provide vital habitat for deer, bobcats, small mammals, birds, snakes and tortoises.

Scrubs

• Scrubs are dry, sandy ecosystem with nutrient-poor soil, similar to pinelands but with oaks and saw palmetto growing under the tall peaks of the pine forest. Fire damage can turn scrubs into pineland ecosystems if it removes the understory growth and, conversely, without limited seasonal fires, the understory hardwoods gradually replace the pines to create a hardwood hammock. The combination of trees and plants found in scrubs provides food and shelter for various species of insects, mammals and reptiles.