Wetlands Everglades

The Everglades, one of the most unique subtropical wetland ecosystems in the world, evolved in a low-nutrient environment and is unique in that its formation is the result of the accumulation of organic matter over a limestone depression. Nutrient limitation, hydrology, and fire are some of the key factors in the establishment of the endemic Everglades flora, which has adapted to a 

FIG U RE 17.4 Historic (map on left side) and cnrrent featnres (map on right side) of the Everglades landscape. (From Sonth Florida Water Management District, West Pahn Beach, Florida.) 

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FIGURE 5.49 Aerobic and anaerobic decomposition of soil organic matter in Everglades wetland soils (L = litter A = surface soil [0-10 cm] and S = subsurface soil [10-30 cm] [DeBusk and Reddy, 1998]). 

Mean Organic N Mineralization Rates (mg N kg" day ) for Detritus and Soil from Northern Everglades Wetlands Soils (One Standard Error in Parentheses) n = 8)... 

FIGURE 8.50 Biological nitrogen fixation in periphyton mats along eutrophic gradient in northern Everglades wetland. (From Inglett et al., 2004.)... 

FIGURE 9.54 Substrate induced organic phosphorns mineralization in northern Everglades wetland soil. (From Chua, 2000.)... 

White, J. R. and K. R. Reddy. 2003. Nitrification and denitriflcation rates of everglades wetland soils along a phosphorus-impacted gradient. J. Environ. Qual. 32 2436-2443. 

Discuss how hydrology, vegetation, periphyton, and microbial communities, and associated biogeochemical processes regulate long-term retention of phosphorus in the Everglades wetlands. 

D. Lee, J. F. Meeder, J. Pechmann, J. H. Richards, and L. J. Scinto. 2001. Quantifying the effects of low level phosphorus enrichment on unimpacted Everglades wetlands with in situ flumes and phosphorus dosing. In Porter, J. and K. Porter (eds.) The Everglades, Elorida Bay, and Coral Reefs of the Florida Keys. CRC Press, Boca Raton, EL. pp. 127-152. 

McCormick, P. V. and J. A. Laing. 2003. Effects of increased phosphorus loading on dissolved oxygen in a subtropical wetland, the Florida Everglades. Wetlands Ecol. Manage. 11 199-215. 

Miao, S. L., P. V. McCormick, S. Newman, and S. Rajagopalan. 2001. Interactive effects of seed availability, water depth, and phosphorus enrichment on cattail colonization in an Everglades wetland. Wetland Ecol. Manage. 9 39-Al. 

Miao, S. L. and E. H. Sklar. 1998. Biomass and nutrient allocation of sawgrass and cattail along a nutrient gradient in the Elorida Everglades. Wetland Ecol. Manage. 5 245-263. 

L. J. Scinto, J. C. Trexler, and R. D. Jones. 2001. Short-term changes in phosphorus storage in an oli-gotrophic Everglades wetland ecosystem receiving experimental nutrient enrichment. Biogeochemistry 59 239-267. 

Qualls, R. G., C. J. Richardson, and L. J. Sherwood. 2001. Soil reduction-oxidation potential along a nutrient-enrichment gradient in the Everglades. Wetlands 24 403-411. 

Wright, A. 2001. Microbial processes in Everglades wetland soils. Ph.D. Dissertation. University of Florida, Gainesville, FL. 

Wright, A. L. and K. R. Reddy. 2001a. Phosphorus loading effects on extracellular enzyme activity in Everglades wetland soil. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 65 588-595. 

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