ABSTRACT
The American alligator is the only large, abundant, widespread nonmarine carni vore left in the southeastern United States. It is a keystone species within the Everglades and other marsh systems, acting as predator and prey and structuring plant communities. Alligators are important ecologically and are dependent on spatial and temporal patterns of water fluctuations. Patterns of courtship and mating, nesting, and habitat use are all dependent on marsh water levels. Deep water is required for alligator courtship and mating, and water levels help to determine availability of food and therefore patterns of growth and survival. In addition, alligators are able to adjust the height of the nest egg cavity based on spring water levels, which historically indicated whether water levels later in the nesting season (July and August) would be high or low. Because of this, they are an ideal study organism for examining adaptations and responses to seasonally fluctuating hydrological conditions in the Everglades.
