Upland Ecosystems

An ecosystem is defined as a particular physical environment combined with the interaction of the plants and animals present, including everything from microbes to apex predator. An ecosystem includes all the living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) parts in the system. Ecosystems may be as large as a forest or as small as an empheral pond created by rainfall.

As with any system all the parts are influenced and affected by each other. If one part changes others change in response. If an animal that uses a particular plant as a food source disappears that plant may in turn out grow other plants present and change the whole food chain and ecosystem, the opposite is also true, if the plant goes away so does the animal and others that prey on that animal, again changing the whole ecosystem.

A habitat is simply the place that a plant or animal lives or inhabits, this is where it has everything it needs to survive and reproduce. The name of a particular type of habitat sometimes reflects the dominant plant species present or refers to geological features or a combination of both, Pine flat-woods, Cypress swamp, Sandhill, and Depression marsh are examples.

Florida has 81 separate and distinct plant and animal communities divided into the following classifications, with the indicated numbers of sub-classes - Hardwood Forested Uplands (5), High Pine & Scrub (4), Pine Flatwoods & Dry Prairie (5), Coastal Uplands (6) , Sinkhole & Outcrop Communities (4), Freshwater Non-forested Wetlands (11), Freshwater Forested Wetlands (8), Marine & Estuarine Vegetated Wetlands (3), Ponds & Lakes (9), Rivers & Streams (4), Subterranean (2) Marine & Estuarine (7).

( Source - Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI) 2010 ) The FNAI website has a complete descriptive list of all the subdivisions of the classifications listed above in PDF format, available at - FNAI.org.

Fire is a critical component in the continuity of many Florida's habitat types, Oak scrub, Sand Pine and Rosemary Scrub, Pine Flatwoods, even wetlands benefit from the occasional fire. Without fire, dense undergrowth combined with the accumulation of leaf litter, pine needles and deadwood prevents seeds from germinating and getting enough light, air and water to survive. Upland habitats have a natural fire cycle that ranges from 1-2 years for dry prairies to as long as 20-80 years for sand pine/Florida rosemary scrub.

Pine Flatwoods

Forested areas with a canopy of Slash pine, Long-leaf pine, Loblolly pine, or Pond pine.
Pine Flatwoods is the most widespread type of habitat in Florida, occupying as much as 50% of the total land area. The topography of a flat-woods is low and relatively uniform, the soil is sandy, acidic with very little organic content and an underlying layer of marl or hardpan soil that not only inhibits drainage, it also prevents deep moisture from coming to the surface soil layer, resulting in alternating seasonal periods of flood and drought. The pine canopy is mostly open, allowing plenty of sunlight to reach understory shrubs, herbs and grasses. Fire in these flatwoods occurs every 2 to 15 years.

Saw palmetto, Wire grass, Fetter-bush, Tarflower, Gallberry, Blueberry, Broom sedge, Wax myrtle and St. Johns-wort are a few of the many herbs and shrubs common to various kinds of Pine flat-woods habitats.

When fire is suppressed in pine forests for long periods of time the likelihood of a catastrophic fire when the canopy and mature trees are killed is greatly increased. Habitat preservation is the reason for "prescribed burns" because without fire some ecosystems would not exist.

Successional Habitats

This is the process of the progressive habitat changes that take place after a fire, flood, storm or logging operation removes the tree canopy. Pioneer species such as small herbaceous plants and grasses regrow from the roots or sprout from seeds, they produce flowers and fruit relatively quickly and begin the process. Fast growing sub-shrubs and shrubs also begin growing back, many plants have evolved with the ability to sprout quickly from the roots safely stored underground.

The plants themselves, as well as flowers, fruit and seeds from them provide food for pollinating insects like bees, wasps and butterflies, Gopher tortoise, birds, small rodents drop seeds and contribute to the process, other small animals soon take up residence, in turn attracting larger predatory species, as tree seedlings regrow and mature the process is completed with a mature ecosystem once again. Frequent fires interrupt this process of re-growth and prevents a mature tree canopy from forming.

Dry Prairie

Large areas of treeless, native grass or shrub lands on dry, flat terrain which are subject to fires every 1-2 years. Although classified as a Dry Prairie, the sandy, acidic soils often have a hard-pan substrate which impedes drainage resulting in periodic short term flooding during the rainy season.

Small depression marshes, creeks and the occasional ephemeral ponds within the prairie also create an "Eco-tone" type of habitat resulting in a mix of plants from the two adjoining ecosystems sometimes including plants from neither. Many insects and small invertebrates, mammals and reptiles either reside here or visit these places regularly.

Vegetation consists mostly of grasses, sedges, herbs, and shrubs. Scattered pines, Sabal palms, Palmetto, Wax myrtle, Fetter-bush, Tarflower, Gallberry. Frequent fire prevent trees and shrubs from overtaking and dominating this type of habitat. Dry prairie has become increasing uncommon because it is more easily developed for housing or commercial projects.

Sand Pine and Rosemary Scrub

When sea levels were much higher than that of present day, sand ridges formed from deposited sediment washed to the sea from eroding mountains to the north. As the sea level receded these deposits became islands.

Plants colonized these islands, later as sea levels dropped further and the Florida peninsula emerged from the ocean these islands became the current day Florida Ridges

Since development has overtaken or fragmented much of the original scrub habitat, many of the plants and animals endemic to it are considered endangered, threatened or rare.

The two largest areas of remaining scrub type of habitats are found on The Atlantic Coastal Ridge, which runs parallel and in close proximity to the east coast of Florida from northern St. Lucie county south to Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, ranges in height from 10 feet to well over 50 feet above sea level and the Lake Wales Ridge which extends from Lake and Orange counties in the north, south through Highlands county and ranges in height from 70 feet to over 300 feet above sea level at its highest point.

Some of the plants associated with Sand pine-rosemary scrub include Chapmans oak, Sand pine, Myrtle oak, Scrub oak, Scrub holly, and Florida rosemary.

Oak Scrub

Found on deep, white sands where fire or clear cutting has removed the pine over-story. Common plants include Myrtle oak, Chapman's oak, Dwarf Live oak, Scrub holly, Hog plum, Scrub hickory, Florida rosemary, Gopher apple and Saw palmetto. Areas of open white sand are frequent in this type of habitat.

Sandhill

Areas of rolling terrain on deep, well-drained, white to yellow, sterile sands. A Xeric plant community that depends on fire to maintain it's ecology. Plants common to this type of habitat are Sand pine, Long-leaf pine, Turkey oak, Bluejack oak, Wire grass, Partridge pea, Beggars tick, Milk pea, and various other herbaceous plants and grasses.

Coastal Strand / Dunes

Sandy, well drained soils along the coastline, generally extends from the open sands of the upper beach and the dune line inland to where more highly developed plant communities are found.

Beach morning glory, Railroad vine, Coin vine Sea oats, Saw palmetto, Spanish bayonet, Prickly pear cactus, Sea grape, Cocoplum, Grey nicker

Pictures - Dune & Coastal Strand plants withstand a harsh environment. Sea Grape, Sea Oats, Coastal Sea Rocket, Railroad Vine, Bitter Panicgrass are some of the more common ones. They help stabilize the shifting sands and reduce erosion from wind and waves.

Coastal Scrub

Florida coastal scrub habitat occurs in scattered locations on barrier islands, dunes and sand ridges on both the east and west coasts. This type of habitat is positioned between the dune line on the ocean side and maritime forest or mangroves on the landward side, it is characterized by the absence of a tree canopy with areas of open sand, dominate plants are low growing shrubs and herbs.

Plant life of Coastal scrub includes palmettos, Seagrape, Prickly-pear cactus, Cocoplum, Shrub verbena, Beach sunflower, Coontie, Nickerbean, Yucca.

Hardwood Hammock

Hardwood Hammocks are located from the coastal strand inland to wetlands, prairies and flat-woods and vary from mesic (moist) to xeric (dry) habitats.

Broadleaved evergreen and semi-deciduous species may include Oaks, Red maple, Mahogany, Gumbo limbo, Coco-plum, Florida elm, Holly, Marlberry, Mulberry and Southern Magnolia.

Hardwood hammocks provide habitat for a variety of epiphytic plants or "air plants", native orchids, ferns and mosses. Air plants attach to a host tree and get nutrients and water from pockets of moisture in the bark of the host tree.
Common on Oaks, Sabal palms and Cypress trees, these plants are not parasitic and usually do not harm the host tree.

Sable Palm Hammock

Sable palmetto, also called Sable palm or Cabbage palm is a common native palm found throughout Florida, more so close to the coast. Sable palm is tolerent of a wide varity of soils and moisture, it may be found growing in the coastal strand, flatwoods, bottom land forests, prairies, floodplains, and the margins of marshes.

Under-story plants include vines, grasses, ferns and various herbaceous plants, what plants are present is determined primarily by the type of soil and the amount of moisture present.

Tropical Hardwood Hammock

South Florida in areas along coastal uplands, in the Florida Keys and tree islands within the Everglades where frost is a rare occurrence.

This ecosystem is home for over 100 varieties of trees and shrubs and marks the northern most range of many tropical plants, including many rare and endangered species.

Soils types include shell, sand and limestone. Today, due to development of coastal areas this habitat is found only as scattered remnants in nature preserves.

Plants associated with this habitat include Strangler fig, Gumbo-Limbo, Live-Oak, Mastic, Bustic, Lancewood, Ironwood, Poisonwood, Pigeon Plum, Jamaica Dogwood, Bahama Lysiloma, Mahogany, Thatch Palms and Manchineel.

Pine Rockland

Found on the Miami Ridge extending to the southwest in to the Florida Keys, also occurs on the southwest side of the state in the Big Cypress swamp area. This habitat is based on a limestone substrate covered with a thin layer of sand and organic detritus outcroppings of limestone

Characteristic plant species are South Florida slash pine, Christmas berry, Maidenhair pine-land fern, Florida silver palm and Florida white-top sedge. Pine rockland are home to many rare and endemic plants, including 18 that are endemic to this habitat. South Florida slash pine canopy that is open and allows ample light to the ground to support over 100 species of palms and hardwoods as well as a large variety of herbaceous plants and ferns. These are mostly scattered in patches, dependent on the amour of soil present.