For my next super power, going... bald???

Throughout nature, there are many organisms that possess amazing and unique talents and abilities that allow them to shape their environment.  For something like this, you may be expecting an animal that you can see digging a hole or making a nest, but this is not always the case.

In Everglades National Park, on the Pahayokee Overlook, there dwells a tree that is capable of eroding the very limestone on which it sits.  This tree is the Baldcypress and in the winter months these trees go dormant and lose their leaves in order to survive seasonal drought.

Once it’s needle-like leaves fall and begin to decay, acid is released, which erodes the limestone foundation on which these trees live. This deepens the water, allowing for the trees to grow even bigger and providing a host of benefits for other organisms.  These organisms, ranging from fish to birds, and even alligators, use the deepened areas for shelter. All these organisms benefit from the superpower of a single tree.

The Baldcypress has yet another power at its disposal, but this one deals with the method it uses to obtain oxygen. The Baldcypress is capable of growing its roots in a knobular shape above the water line. There are two different names that are given to this specific type of root system: root knees and pneumatophores.

These trees need this form of root structure because of the type of water they are located in, namely stagnant water or water that moves very slowly. Without this type of structure it is very likely that the cypress would be unable to survive.

Something that is interesting is that the taller trees located in cypress domes tend to be far younger than the ones that are located out in the open prairie. In case you were unaware, a cypress dome is an area that is dominated by just the cypress trees; this is due to its’ ability to outgrow and thus out compete other plants in the area.

With all of these super powers in its arsenal, it is no surprise that these trees are protected within the wetlands of the Florida Everglades.

https://www.nps.gov/ever/planyourvisit/pahayokee-overlook.htm


https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Plants-and-Fungi/Bald-Cypress