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Rose Aviles's Blog

Alligator's prevalence and future up to us?

'To waste, to destroy our natural resources, to skin and exhaust the land instead of using it so as to increase its usefulness, will result in undermining ...' -- President Theodore Roosevelt

By Rose Aviles, Local CorrespondentThu, Nov 19 2009 at 2:49 PM EST
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There are individuals who care about and understand the prevalence of their environment, but there is also a huge number of people who have no recognition of the subsequent effects if we fail to protect it as a whole. As life ensues among a society of those who don't participate with Mother Nature, they must take great consideration for those who do contribute to our environment for the sake of some stabilization.
 
Once president of the United Sates, Theodore Roosevelt, protecting 150 national parks and creating four of his own, attempted to inform his citizens over a century ago why it's so crucial to maintain and protect our environment. Through his Address to the Deep Waterway Convention, he stated, "To waste, to destroy our natural resources, to skin and exhaust the land instead of using it so as to increase its usefulness, will result in undermining in the days of our children the very prosperity which we ought by right to hand down to them amplified and developed."
 
The state of Florida has been particularly arduous with its scorching climates and ecological issues. Directing attention to global warming and its impactful aversion in Florida, the American alligators are being most affected by the acute damage to their habitats. Global warming taking its toll isn't the only cause to endangering this species. Increased levels of dioxins found in the bodies of water are also a key ingredient. These dioxins contain toxic compounds which are carcinogenic and teratogenic in certain animals, causing failure in their reproductive systems as well as other health related issues. Sympathizing for our animals is just not enough. Knowledge and manual labor is prevalent to protect and stabilize our environment and its great wet lands.
 
To protect a species which can harm or kill you seems boorish. Conscientiously though, the conclusion of saving the American alligators of Florida and the waters they prowl is extremely vital to our environment. An alligator's feces provide fish with particular nutrients as do their hatchlings rotating amongst the food chain. The hatchlings provide food for snakes, raccoons and other species that roam the wetlands that humans may also consume, such as Florida bass.
 
Alligators are required to preserve our wetlands as they also provide for the other species that can become endangered or -- drastically worse -- extinct. Global warming affects the sex ratio of the American alligators; in hotter weather, the offspring are overwhelmingly male. This can quickly result in extinction if only male species are being produced. In the Everglades, the alligators face increased metabolisms due to the scorching weather. They have reportedly been growing to a shorter average length than they do in other parts of their range, and sexual maturity is setting in later because of lack of food and sustained temperatures, according to a 2000 study by Florida scientists and wildlife officials.
 
 
Thanks to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, American alligators have recovered tremendously as endangered species. The Endangered Species Act outlaws hunting a particular species, such as the case of American alligators. Particular related species that rest in these habitats alike, are still at risk, such as several crocodile species, and caimans, a subfamily of the alligators. 
 
 
With the wetlands' support, a wide variety of many other creatures that are not capable of surviving anywhere else still exist. In regard to the wetlands habitats, according to Jeff Corwin in his novel, 100 Heartbeats, The Race to Save the Earth's Most Endangered Species, "these habitats also serve vital ecological functions, storing water and acting as storm and flood barriers for terrestrial areas. The slow flow of water from these ponds acts as a filter, taking sediment-including toxins out of circulation by allowing it to settle at the bottom." These waters are as precious to these species as air is to humans.
 
The fate of many species and the wetlands preservation being at risk, will continue to cause critical endangerments amongst other species. If global warming persists, extinctions could occur within the most populated species of our environments. As Theodore Roosevelt confirmed it, "...The conservation of natural resources is the fundamental problem. Unless we solve that problem it will avail us little to solve all others."
 
 
 
Photos and videos: Trenton Tucker
 
 
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anonymous
Alisha 10/28/2010 01:48 AM

This article is very interesting. American Alligator's look really amazing. South Florida is a place where crocodiles and alligators occur together. The length is 7 to 15 meters and weight 150 to 450 lbs. American crocodiles in southern Florida, the Caribbean, southern Mexico and along the south coast of Central America to Venezuela. American crocodiles live in brackish water habitats and salt water and are usually found in coastal mangrove wetlands, ponds, streams, rivers and canals.More

mnnmoderator
mnnmoderator 10/28/2010 10:24 AM

Glad you liked the article. Thanks for the additional info, Alisha.

anonymous
Anna 02/05/2010 18:45 PM

Just to let you know, all those pictures are of CROCODILES. NOT alligators. So, that pretty much diminishes any credibility that you know what youre at all talking about......

and no, people hunt american alligators all the time, but they are not allowed to hunt american CROCODILES, as you incorrectly stated. Also, Caimens are not native to Florida so if they are eliminated from the everglades it would not be a huge deal.

But, I do like what you're doing and I do like your use.... More

anonymous
trecker 04/20/2010 20:28 PM

Very interesting article. I espescially enjoyed the section explaining how sediment is filtered in the wet lands... this is vital to the cleanliness of lakes and rivers alike! I am currently living in north carolina and I am well familiar with a law agaisnt poaching the American Alligator. I appreciate your effort and unlike others... i appreciate the pictures and video used in this post.. it appears that the first picture is of an alligator and the rest are pictures of crocidile... and as for.... More

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