Woodland hammocks are like different continents

Miniature forests of cypress and buttonwood dot the sawgrass prairie atop the “high spots”. These high spots are maybe 2 feet higher in elevation than the sawgrass but that means they are not flooded as deeply during rainy season. They are effectively isolated from one another and some species have developed uniquely in each of them, much like species found in far apart continents. Really cool. A tree snail has evolved into 43 different species that are differentiated by color and patterns on their shells. No two hammocks have the same snail. They are biologically separate species.

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