Final answer:
The Florida Everglades is a freshwater ecosystem, characterized by its low salt content compared to marine and brackish environments. Freshwater ecosystems support a diverse array of wildlife and are rare, covering only 1.8% of the Earth's surface.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Florida Everglades is defined as a freshwater ecosystem due to the low levels of dissolved salts and solids in the water. This distinction arises because the Everglades water is primarily fed by the overflow of Lake Okeechobee, rainfall, and a shallow groundwater sheet that is continually refreshed through evaporation and precipitation. Unlike ocean water, which has a high and relatively constant salt content, or estuarine environments where saltwater and freshwater mix to form brackish water, the Everglades maintain a freshwater status due to the rapid recycling of its water and low contributions of salts from its sources.
Freshwater ecosystems like the Everglades are critically important, as they are rare biomes encompassing only about 1.8 percent of the Earth's surface. These ecosystems are diverse habitats, supporting a rich variety of wildlife such as fish, amphibians, reptiles, insects, and various plant species like sawgrass marshes, cypress swamps, and estuarine mangrove forests, which are all highlighted in the descriptions of Everglades National Park.