The Everglades Ecosystem The Everglades is a large marshy area containing several ecosystems that intertwine with each other. The area has been turned into a nature reserve to help maintain those ecosystems. The Everglades is changing dramatically due to human interference, and wildlife must adapt to the rapid changes in their environment, which led to it becoming a National Park to prevent such changes and stop the introduction of exotic plants and animals into the world. Everglades. Anne Ake's research explains that the Everglades have changed dramatically since human settlers arrived. For years, wildfires have been common and healthy for the environment. But when settlers cleared the land with massive fires, the environment took a little longer to recover. But as the population grew, such large fires were seen as a danger to society and were prevented from occurring. This meant that there would now be no fire to help new plant life grow. Then the settlers grew crops and, to solve drought and flood problems, redirected the river to meet the needs of their crops. This meant that once meandering rivers and streams could no longer filter fertilizer from farmers' crops and were discharged directly into the Everglades. Fertilizers caused algae to grow, and as the algae withered and sank to the bottom, oxygen levels decreased. This killed fish and created a smaller food source for animals that ate fish as their primary food source (13-14). The second research point is the landscape of the Everglades and how it affects the ecosystem. The slope of the land prevents some areas from receiving and maintaining sufficient water levels to support thriving plant life. Sliding water... middle of paper... they have it, but since the wildlife population has declined, it is easier for the ecosystem to maintain a balance where wildlife can survive ( Threats to the ecosystem). Bottom line, the Everglades ecosystem, once a thriving expanse of wetlands that spanned millions of acres, is now a national park of only 1,800 miles, dedicated to preventing the species that live in it, whether plant or animal, from , become extinct. The ecosystem is constantly fluctuating due to the canals that have been dug to redirect the water, which prevents the natural filtration that the meandering canals would provide, for the fertilizers that farmers use to grow crops. Which caused algae to grow in the Everglades. Humans have also prevented natural fires from occurring and have introduced unnatural things that don't belong, such as exotic animals and plants, which suffocate existing wildlife..