Microbiology of the Everglades Ecosystem


Book Description

The first synthesis of current research regarding Everglades microbial community structure and function, this book provides an understanding of the physical and chemical factors affecting the structure of microbial communities, including nutrient effects, sea level rise, and other potential stressors. The book integrates traditional research on alg




Multi-sensor System Applications in the Everglades Ecosystem


Book Description

This book explores the applicability of multiple remote sensors to acquire information relevant to restoration and conservation efforts in wetlands using data collected from airborne and space multispectral/hyperspectral sensors, light detection and ranging (LiDAR), Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), and a hand-held spectroradiometer. This book also examines digital data processing techniques such as object-based image analysis, machine learning, texture analysis, and data fusion. After an introduction to the Everglades and to remote sensing, the book is divided into four parts based on the sensor systems used. There are chapters on vegetation mapping, biomass and water quality modeling, applications of hyperspectral data for plant stress analysis and coral reef mapping, studies of airborne LiDAR data for coastal vulnerability analysis and DEM improvement, as well as chapters that explore a fusion of multiple sensors for different datasets. Features Introduces concepts, theories, and advanced processing techniques A complete introduction of machine learning, object-based image analysis, data fusion, and ensemble analysis techniques in processing data from multiple remote sensors Explains how multiple remote sensing systems are applied in the wetland ecosystems of Florida The author had been teaching and using both systems and her research is widely recognized Multi-sensor System Applications in the Everglades Ecosystems provides a comprehensive application of remote sensing techniques in the Florida Everglades and its coastal ecosystems. It will prove an invaluable resource for the restoration and conservation of the Florida Everglades and beyond, for global wetlands in general. Any professional, scientist, engineer, or student working with remote sensing and wetland ecosystems will reap enormous benefits from this book.







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 Experiments


Book Description

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 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 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 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

"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.




Diatom Ecology


Book Description

This book offers a comprehensive, unique and up-to-date exploration of diatom ecology spanning from fundamental molecular aspects to the intricate dynamics of metacommunities. In recent years there has been a considerable increase in the amount of research devoted to diatom ecology, with a wide spectrum of approaches. This large amount of information, published in many different journals and books, makes it very difficult to keep up to date, both for the trained researcher and for students. Eduardo A. Morales (d. May 2023) had the original idea to assemble chapters on various subjects within diatom ecology. The questions he posed to potential contributors framed the current book consisting of 12 chapters. Are diatoms suitable tools for ecological restoration? What would be the features that make them reliable in this context? What makes diatoms ecologically successful? In an ecological sense, why is there such variability in diatom reproductive strategies and why are they worth considering? What do new approaches in ecological synthesis provide to diatom ecology, biogeography and metacommunities? Are all diatoms widely spread and each species uniquely characterized by its own, unaltered phenotype? Can we really make any ecological consideration without knowing (with a high degree of certainty) the identity of taxa? Are urban ecosystems important repositories of biodiversity? What are the benefits and the progress in diatom ecology made by the diatom guild perspective? Why, how and when are soil diatoms used in bioindication and what are the benefits of such an approach? Are diatoms bona fide indicators of climate change? Are diatom communities in temporary rivers important for these lotic ecosystems as they are subjected to the effects of climate change? Do diatoms in peatlands behave differently from their terrestrial and aquatic (rivers, lakes, others) counterparts? Audience The book is intended primarily for professionals in the fields of diatom research, algal research (phycology), organismal, population and community ecology, limnology, microbiology, organismal biology, paleoecology and paleolimnology. The book will also serve as a reference for graduate students seeking guidance on terminology, techniques, and current methods in diatom research.