Subtropical Florida
(Area - 1,959,800 ha)
Description - This physiographic area is entirely contained within Florida,
and extends from the northern edge of Lake Okeechobee south through the Florida Keys. The
region has very little topographic relief, but slight changes in elevation have important
consequences for vegetation and the diversity of habitat types. The highest points of
elevation are less than 2 meters and correspond with fairly recent shorelines (less than
5,000 years before present). Underlying sediments consist of freshwater marl, peat,
freshwater lake and marine sediments, and to a lesser extent, sand deposited during the
Pleistocene and Holocene. The subtropical Florida region can be divided into four smaller sub-regions: 1) the Everglades, 2) Big Cypress, 3) Miami Ridge and Atlantic Coastal Strip, and 4) Southern Coasts and Islands. The Everglades is the most extensive of these areas, followed by the Big Cypress, Miami Ridge and Southern Coasts. Across all subregions, much of the physical and ecological characteristics of the region resemble tropical ecosystems where seasonal changes are reflected by changing rainfall patterns rather than by dramatic temperature changes. Distinctive dry (winter/spring) and wet (summer) seasons occur annually, and the nesting cycles of many birds are tied to these changes.
At least two major forms of disturbance play key roles in the ecology of the region.
Fire is an important feature in many pine dominated communities and many marsh and prairie
communities. Frequent fires are essential in pine-dominated stands and prairies if
understory conditions suitable to many nesting birds are to be maintained. However, the
ideal fire frequency in some pine communities is not known. Hurricanes are a second form
of disturbance that less frequently but predictably provide early successional habitats or
open forest cover.
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Conservation recommendations and needs - Human population growth has been phenomenal in subtropical Florida for the last 40 years. The impacts of such tremendous growth include increased infrastructure that directly reduces habitat availability, but also secondary impacts to bird habitats, such as pollution. Other land uses include production of sugarcane, winter vegetables, and citrus. Drastic changes in hydroperiod and natural water cycles are secondary impacts of increasingly intensive agriculture.
However, among the best opportunities in the Southeast to work with existing public lands occur in Subtropical Florida, where over 54% of the area is publicly owned. Therefore, primary conservation programs include efforts to reduce impacts from adjacent or nearby lands on management of existing public lands. Many programs have been developed and are in various phases of implementation. These include the Save our Everglades program, the Surface Water Improvement and Management Act, Florida’s Everglades Forever Act and the development of the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Task Force as well as aggressive acquisition programs. These and other programs serve the basis for bird conservation efforts in the region.
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