Tree Islands of the Everglades


Book Description

PREFACE Within the Florida Everglades, tree islands, which cover only a small percentofthis ecosystem, historically have provided essential habitat for a wide variety ofterrestrial and amphibious plants, birds, and animals. These tree islands, however, have been one ofits least studied features. Because of their less flood tolerant vegetation, tree islands are one ofthe most sensitive components ofthe Everglades to changes in hydrology, and many tree islands have been lost during periods when water levels have been abnormally high or low. Their sensitivity to water level changes makes tree islands potentially one ofthe best and surest measures ofthe overall hydrologic health of the Everglades. Consequently, the maintenance of healthy, functioning tree islands and the restoration ofthose that have been lost will be an important performance measures that will be used tojudge the success ofthe Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). A symposium, Tree Islands ofthe Everglades, was held on July 14 and 15, 1998 at Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida. It was sponsored by Florida Center for Environmental Studies and the South Florida WaterManagement District. This was the first scientific meeting ever devoted to tree islands. The organizers of this symposium were Drs. Arnold van der Valk, Florida Center for Environmental Studies and Iowa State University, Fred Sklar, South Florida Water Management District, and Wiley Kitchens, United States Geological Survey.




Everglades


Book Description

The 31 chapters provide a wealth of previously unpublished information, plus topic syntheses, for a wide range of ecological parameters. These include the physical driving forces that created and continue to shape the Everglades and patterns and processes of its flora and fauna. The book summarizes recent studies of the region's vegetation, alligators, wading birds, and endangered species such as the snail kite and Florida panther. This referee-reviewed volume is the product of collaboration among 58 international authors from 27 institutional affiliations over nearly five years. The book concludes with a synthesis of system-wide restoration hypotheses, as they apply to the Everglades, that represent the integration and a collective viewpoint from the preceding 30 chapters. Techniques and systems learned here can be applied to ecosystems around the world.




The Coastal Everglades


Book Description

The Coastal Everglades presents a broad overview and synthesis of research on the coastal Everglades, a region that includes Everglades National Park, adjacent managed wetlands, and agricultural and urbanizing communities. Contributors for this volume are all collaborators on the Florida Coastal Everglades Long-Term Ecological Research Program (FCE LTER). The FCE LTER began in 2000 with a focus on understanding key ecosystem processes in the coastal Everglades, while also developing a platform for and linkages to related work conducted by an active and diverse Everglades research community. The program is based at Florida International University in Miami, but includes scientists and students from numerous other universities as well as staff scientists at key resource management agencies, including Everglades National Park and the South Florida Water Management District. Though the Everglades landscape spans nearly a third of the State of Florida, the focus on the coastal Everglades has allowed the contributors to examine key questions in social-ecological science in the context of ongoing restoration initiatives. As this book demonstrates, the long-term research of the FCE LTER has facilitated a better understanding of the roles of sea level rise, water management practices, urban and agricultural development, and other disturbances, such as fires and storms, on the past and future dynamics of this unique coastal environment. By comparing properties of the Everglades with other subtropical and tropical wetlands, the book challenges ideas of novelty while revealing properties of ecosystems at the ends of gradients that are often ignored. It also provides insights from, and encouragement for, long-term collaborative studies that inform resource management in similarly threatened coastal wetland landscapes.




The Everglades Handbook


Book Description

The Everglades Handbook: Understanding the Ecosystem, Fifth Edition is packed with scientific information about the greater Everglades ecosystem, taking into account how drastically the Everglades has changed. The book covers disciplines ranging from ecology, geology, climatology, hydrology, simplified biogeochemistry, and anthropology to conservation biology. The fifth edition of this bestselling guide presents expanded treatment of subjects where our knowledge of the Everglades and its restoration has greatly improved as well as updates throughout. This more detailed coverage includes a new chapter ‘Everglades Chemistry – A Primer’ and an expanded section on the role of human intervention in Everglades restoration, as well as numerous new graphics that bring the science to life. Written in Tom Lodge’s trademark accessible style combined with the expertise of new coauthor Stephen E. Davis III, Chief Science Officer with the Everglades Foundation, this extensively researched text is essential reading for anybody trying to understand the challenges we face in restoring this unique ecosystem.




The Everglades Handbook


Book Description

Completely revised, updated, and now with color photographs and illustrations in every chapter, The Everglades Handbook provides a breadth and depth of information on the entire ecosystem of the Everglades that cannot be found anywhere else. Written by Thomas Lodge, one of the most respected authorities on the Everglades and one of its most ardent protectors, the book is an updated, expanded, and comprehensive explanation of what the Everglades is, how it has been changed, and the restoration needed to bring back ecological functions and safeguard sustainable future uses of the region by people. Expanded and updated coverage in the third edition includes: Caloosahatchee/Charlotte Harbor ecosystem Kissimmee headwaters, including the chain of lakes near Orlando St. Lucie/Indian River estuary Impact of invasive species on various south Florida ecosystems Sustainable agriculture relative to the Everglades ecosystem and other south Florida areas Progress and impacts of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan New chapter entitled Peripheral Ecosystems of the Everglades This edition maintains Lodge's trademark style, making the book appealing to students, the general public, scientists, and managers. A bestseller in each edition since its publication in 1994, this is quite possibly the most attractive, readable science book available on the Everglades. Thomas Lodge was interviewed by the Florida International University student media regarding his appearance at the Miami Book Fair International. He is also featured in a Miami Herald article highlighting Florida authors and their participation in the event.




The Everglades Handbook


Book Description

"This fourth edition covers the key subjects of previous editions with major updates of the new science and understanding. If there ever was a necessary book for Everglades advocates, students, authors, members of government and their agencies, The Everglades Handbook: Understanding the Ecosystem is an absolute must!" —Nathaniel P. Reed, from the Foreword “This book is far and away the best guide now in print to Everglades issues -- authoritative, well-illustrated, well-indexed, and readable." — Martha Musgrove, retired Miami Herald journalist, founding President of the Decision Makers Forum, and Southeast Regional Director of the Florida Wildlife Federation "Given the astonishing breadth and depth of scientific activities in the Everglades, Tom Lodge once again illustrates his savvy as an articulate science writer in condensing the complex dynamics of this remarkable ecosystem. ...In summary, the Handbook reviews a vast literature into a compelling read about the natural treasures of the Everglades." —Evelyn E. Gaiser, Executive Director, School of Environment, Arts and Society, and Associate Dean, College of Arts & Sciences, Florida International University, modified from Wetlands (2011) 31 _____________________________________________________________________________________ The fourth edition presents expanded treatment of subjects where our knowledge of the Everglades and its restoration has greatly improved. This more detailed coverage includes: Computer modeling and its applications to the Everglades environment Quantified role of water flow in shaping the Everglades landscape The origin and evolution of fixed tree islands Sulfur and related mercury as wetland pollutants Up-to-date summary of the now quantified economic benefits of restoration, shown to be far in excess of the cost The Everglades Handbook: Understanding the Ecosystem, Fourth Edition is a scholarly reference packed cover to cover with scientific information about the ecosystem of the Everglades - taking into account how drastically the Everglades has changed. Topically, the book covers disciplines ranging from ecology, geology, climatology, hydrology, anthropology to conservation biology. Written in Tom Lodge’s trademark accessible style, this extensively researched text is essential reading for anybody trying to understand the challenges we face in restoring this unique ecosystem.




The Everglades Handbook


Book Description

The home of egrets, herons, ibises, and one of our greatest restoration challenges.




Plant and Ant Communities in the Northern Everglades


Book Description

I examined the impact of the exotic, invasive plant Old World climbing fern, Lygodium microphyllum (Cav.) R. Brown, on tree island plant and ant communities in the northern Everglades. I selected 15 tree islands representing four groups: non-Lygodium islands, islands with low levels of Lygodium, islands with high levels of Lygodium, and disturbed islands impacted by people. I used a variety of diversity indices to compare plant and ant data among habitats. The ant communities studied included native and exotic species typical of south Florida. Tree island plant communities were consistent with descriptions from previous studies. Plant species richness decreased with the level of L. microphyllum in the ground and midstory layers. Abundance of native plants decreased with level of L. microphyllum in the ground, midstory, and overstory layers. Lygodium microphyllum did not affect ant communities suggesting that although it negatively impacts plant communities it can provide habitat for ants.




The Everglades, Florida Bay, and Coral Reefs of the Florida Keys


Book Description

Providing a synthesis of basic and applied research, The Everglades, Florida Bay, and Coral Reefs of the Florida Keys: An Ecosystem Sourcebook takes an encyclopedic look at how to study and manage ecosystems connected by surface and subsurface water movements. The book examines the South Florida hydroscape, a series of ecosystems linked by hydrolog