The Kissimmee Basin in south central Florida contains a large, freshwater network that includes the Kissimmee River and nearly two dozen lakes that are headwaters of the Florida Everglades.Management of these lakes is an important part of Everglades restoration. We report a paleolimnological investigation of six lakes in the Upper Kissimmee Basin. Engineering activities connected the lakes and permanently altered hydrology in the 19th and 20th centuries.The lakes were naturally meso-eutrophic, but changes in lake levels and nutrient loading contributed to different degrees of eutrophication. Cyanobacteria were present historically at low levels in Lakes East Tohopekaliga, Cypress, and Tohopekaliga, but increased during the 20th century. Lake Jackson lacked cyanobacteria until recently, but Lakes Kissimmee and Marian had high levels of cyanobacteria since pre-disturbance times. Profound changes in the lakes occurred after engineering activities eliminated natural large fluctuations in water levels that periodically dried large portions of the basins. Salt-tolerant biological indicators previously alternated with freshwater organisms. Large water-level fluctuations moderated aquatic-plant standing crops and reduced organic-matter accumulation. Lakes Kissimmee and Marian showed greatest evidence of former associated wetlands, but lacked large variation in water levels. We recommend disconnecting these lakes from each other and from the Kissimmee River to reestablish large, natural fluctuations in water levels that were part of healthy ecosystem function. Former wetlands should be restored to slow the downstream cascade of nutrients to Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades. This study demonstrates that paleolimnology is useful for assessing hydrological changes that potentially affect lake-restoration efforts.
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