Effects of Nutrient Enrichment on the Florida Everglades

Peat accretion and phosphorus accumulation along a eutrophication gradient in the northern Everglades

“…However, since the turn of the century, 65% of the original Everglades has been drained for agricultural and urban-suburban development (Kushlan 1989). The remaining Everglades consists of the 350,000 ha Water Conservation Areas (WCAs), which have been impounded and managed for flood control and water supply, and approximately 150,000 ha is in the Everglades National Park (ENP) (Belanger et al 1989;Davis 1989;SFWMD 1992).…”

Implementing Legally Mandated Science and Peer Review in Support of the Everglades Restoration Program

“…Beyond the loss of spatial extent, the biotic integrity of the remaining Everglades is also endangered due to undesirable changes in water quality, flora and fauna in portions of the EPA during the last several decades. These changes include: (1) establishment of pronounced nutrient gradients in the WCAs downstream of major discharge structures; (2) replacement of large areas once dominated by sawgrass and periphyton with cattail; (3) decline in wading bird populations; and (4) species changes in periphyton and macroinvertebrate communities (Belanger et al, 1989;Davis 1991Davis , 1994Ogden, 1994;Walker, 1991). These environmental impacts have been attributed to urban and agricultural development, a disruption of the system's natural hydroperiod and an introduction of nutrient-rich runoff to the EPA from the 2,800 km 2 Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA).…”

The Effect of Contemporary Hydrologic Modification on Vegetation Community Composition Distinctness in the Florida Everglades

“…Cattail may increase cluster distance, and therefore vegetation community distinctness, as it rapidly proliferates in areas that have been impacted by phosphorus enrichment, possibly either by encroachment into sloughs and usurping slough species in deeper waters or through outcompeting ridges in ridge-dominated areas. Cattail creates slough-like environments through aeration of soils from flow-through convection in the roots and rhizomes, resulting in deeper water conditions (Belanger et al 1989, Urban et al 1993). Because of the nature of this study's statistical analysis, the presence of significant quantities of cattail within PSUs likely results in similar clustering outputs to PSUs with high abundances of sloughs.…”