The United States in 1906 planted Australian melaleuca trees to drain Florida's wetlands, but scientists now say they spread across nearly 500,000 acres, replacing native sawgrass marshes with dense invasive forests that alter fire and water cycles

Human disturbance in natural ecosystems always results in some unexpected ecological changes that take many years to understand. At the beginning of the last century, the extensive wetlands found in southern Florida appeared to be an insurmountable barrier for development rather than a living ecosystem.

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