Everglades Experiments

Covering more than 4,300 square miles in Southern Florida, the Everglades are the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States. It has been designated an International Biosphere Reserve, a World Heritage Site, and a Wetland of International Importance, in recognition of its significance to all the people of the world. However, it is apparent that the Everglades have undergone radical changes in both water flow and water quality over the years. §The Everglades Experiments: Lessons for Ecosystem Restoration is a synthesis of the key findings and a summary of the experiments conducted during a fourteen-year period (1989-2003) by the Duke University Wetland Center and its partner institutions. Synthesized by Curtis J. Richardson, the findings are the result of extensive experimental research on the effects of water, nutrients, and fire on the Everglades communities. The research focused on such key questions as:§What are the effects of increased nutrient and water inputs on the native plant and animal communities?§What is the long-term nutrient storage capacity of the Everglades? and §How can water management in the Everglades be improved to maintain the natural communities?§This work covers both the structural and functional responses of the Everglades ecosystem via experimental and gradient studies on microbial activity, algal responses, macroinvertebrate populations, macrophyte populations, and productivity in response to alterations to nutrients in soil and water, hydrologic changes, and fire. Importantly, this volume reclassifies the Everglades, provides a comparison of historic and current ecological processes, and presents a new working hydrologic paradigm, which collectively provides essential lessons for the restoration of this vast peatland complex.The Florida Everglades ecosystem is recognised world-wide as a significant wetland whose natural processes have been altered and remain threatened. State and Federal US agencies face critical decisions about the course of conservation and restoration efforts. Synthesising nearly ten years of laboratory and field research of the Duke University Wetland Center, this book provides the long-term integrated scientific studies needed to understand the functioning of this region. Background information about the current and historical ecological conditions of the region set the context for reports of long-term research projects, while a series of gradient studies determine the effects of hydrology and nutrient changes. Subsequent sections present models for predicting responses to various conditions and analyse the studies and models, focusing on management and restoration of the Everglades.The Florida Everglades ecosystem is recognized worldwide as a significant wetland whose natural processes have been altered and remain threatened. State and Federal United States agencies face critical decisions about the course of conservation and restoration efforts. Synthesizing nearly ten years of laboratory and field research of the Duke University Wetland Center, An Integrated Approach to Wetland Ecosystem Science provides the long-term integrated scientific studies needed to understand the functioning of this region. The fundamental issues that the research addressed are: §1) The effects of increased nutrients and water inputs on the native plant and animal communities of the Everglades§2) The long-term nutrient storage capacity of the Everglades§3) The effects of changes in water level and hydroperiod on Everglades period and function§4) Management and restoration of the natural communities of the Everglades.§Background information about current and historical ecological conditions of the region set the context for reports of long-term research projects. A series of gradient studies determining the effects of hydrology and nutrient changes are presented, followed by field experiments that have tested those findings. Subsequent sections present models for predicting responses to various conditions and analyze the studies and models, focusing on management and restoration of the Everglades.§This book will interest professionals and graduate students interested in ecosystems and wetland ecology.