Food Web
Population Study: Burmese python
A recent study from the US Geologic Survey found striking evidence. The Burmese Python, an invasive species introduced to the Everglades, are heavily disrupting the ecosystem. They have been eating a large number of marsh rabbits and are pushing them to the brink of extinction. They strapped 31 marsh rabbits with radio-tracking devices and released them in different areas of the Everglades ecosystem. The study found that a striking 77% of marsh rabbits that died in the Everglades were eaten by Burmese Pythons! Furthermore, the warmer and wetter the weather, the more rabbits were consumed by pythons in the park. The researchers suggested this may be because higher water levels allow the pythons to easily swim long distances while searching for food and because they feed more frequently when it’s hot. This could lead to very significant mammal population declines, even pushing certain species to extinction!
Symbiotic relationships
Depicted on the right is a Florida Panther preying on an egret. The Florida Panther is one of the top consumers in the Everglades. It is quite literally at the top of the food chain. This is a predator-prey relationship.
One of the few examples of true commensalism is the relationship between the American Alligator and the Redbelly Turtle. In this case the turtle benefits and the alligator is unaffected. This is because the females use the alligator nests to lay their eggs during the day. They are protected during the night with the female alligator and even further after hatching due to the female believing the young are her own. Also the turtles' shell is really hard and thus the gator cannot eat the turtle either.
This is both an example of parasitism and mutualism. To the right is a strangler fig. It acts as a parasite on the tree, constricting the tree and using it to the advantage of the strangler. On the other hand, the strangler acts mutually with wasps which it harbors inside of the hollow inside of the strangler fig. This is quite a unique method for the fig to both spread pollen and reproduce and also for the wasp to receive protection.
Keystone species: the american alligator
A keystone species is a special species upon which the ecosystem depends on. In other words, the absence of a keystone species means drastic change in the ecosystem (even the extinction of said ecosystem!). Thus, keystone species are really important. The American alligator depicted to the right is a keystone species because its nesting habits are crucial to the development of peat used by other organisms. In addition, their nests are reused by snapping turtles to incubate their eggs and the holes retain water for other species during the dry season. It is paramount that the American alligator be protected because not only is it a keystone species, but it is also an endangered species and is already on the verge of dying out.