Wetlands act like a sponge, absorbing heavy rains to help prevent flooding, and slowly releasing water during dry times to combat drought. Wading birds can catch more prey more easily when water is shallow. But as the water recedes in the dry season, prey populations can become depleted. As water levels rise in the wet season, prey can be harder to catch, but the deeper water gives prey populations a chance to rebound.
On the refuge, floating in the water, you will find spongy looking mats of periphyton; which is composed of algae, bacteria, microbes and detritus. This is the base of the food chain. Organisms such as fish and invertebrates eat the periphyton. They, in turn, become food for all the reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals that live here. Due to the specific chemical composition of the water within the refuge, the kind of periphyton that forms is unique to the Everglades ecosystem. For this reason, the quantity and quality of the water within the Refuge is very important, and impacts all animals that live here.
