Mahogany Hammock — A Few Centimetres Can Make an Island
Listen at the stop, then read the transcript and follow the sources behind the story.
Listen
Transcript
A hardwood hammock is essentially a tree island on slightly higher ground. In a landscape this flat, an elevation difference of only a few centimetres can determine whether roots remain flooded or stay dry enough for tropical hardwoods.
Organic material accumulates, roots stabilise soil, and a dense island of trees develops above surrounding marsh.
These hammocks create habitat diversity out of tiny topographic differences. They also provided dry ground useful to people moving through the wetlands.
The stop is a reminder that Everglades topography is subtle rather than absent. Visitors accustomed to mountains can overlook elevation here because it is measured in centimetres rather than hundreds of metres. Ecologically, those centimetres matter just as much.