Tree Islands of the Everglades

Chapter 13.
Occurrence of Wildlife on Tree Islands in the Southern Everglades

Walter E. Meshaka, Jr.^1,2, Ray Snow¹, Oron L. Bass, Jr.¹, William B. Robertson, Jr.³
email: wmeshaka@state.pa.us
¹National Park Service, Everglades National Park, 40001 SR-9336, Homestead, Florida 33034-6733, USA,
²Section of Zoology and Botany, State Museum of Pennsylvania, 300 North Street, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 17120-0024, and
³deceased.

From Tree Islands of the Everglades edited by Fred H. Sklar (South Florida Water Management District) and Arnold G. van der Valk (Iowa Lakeside Laboratory)

Abstract

A survey of the literature was conducted on the occurrence of wildlife on tree islands in the southern Everglades. Studies relating to this topic are few in number and taxonomically unbalanced. Mammals received the greatest attention, whereas invertebrates were studied the least. The few species of terrestrial invertebrates probably reflect the dearth of studies of this group, whereas the species lists of birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles better reflect their occurrence in this habitat. Viewed as a progress report, we note the following limitations and recommendations. The term "tree island" appears in the literature as an umbrella term for structurally similar, but floristically very different habitats. These habitats, in turn, have overlapping, but sometimes very dissimilar faunal communities. The development and adoption of a common terminology or "taxonomy" to characterize tree islands would help researchers more accurately understand and test hypotheses concerning the ecology of these communities. In addition, we stress the need for exhaustive species inventories particularly for terrestrial invertebrates, which are the least known and likely most diverse segment of the hammock biota. Finally, we recognize the need for ecological studies that address the spatial and temporal use of tree islands by wildlife. Then, and only then, can the relevant applied questions be considered, whose answers can be more meaningfully interpreted within a framework of baseline understanding of the natural history of game and nongame species.

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