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Heterogeneity of phosphorus distribution in a patterned landscape, the Florida Everglades

Plant Ecology volume 200, pages 83–90 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

The biologically mediated transfer of nutrients from one part of a landscape to another may create nutrient gradients or subsidize the productivity at specific locations. If limited, this focused redistribution of the nutrient may create non-random landscape patterns that are unrelated to underlying environmental gradients. The Florida Everglades, USA, is a large freshwater wetland that is patterned with tree islands, elevated areas that support woody vegetation. A survey of 12 tree islands found total soil phosphorus levels 3–114 times greater on the island head than the surrounding marsh, indicating that the Florida Everglades is not a homogeneous oligotrophic system. It was estimated that historically 67% of the phosphorus entering the central Everglades was sequestered on tree islands, which are ~3.8% of the total land area. This internal redistribution of phosphorus onto tree islands due to the establishment of trees may be one reason that marshes have remained oligotrophic and may explain the spatial differentiation of the patterned Everglades landscape.

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Acknowledgments

We thank our many colleagues working in the Everglades for their thoughtful insights, helpfulness, and stimulating discussions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Clark Science Center, Smith College, Northampton, MA, 01063, USA

    Paul R. Wetzel

  2. Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, 141 Bessey Hall, Ames, IA, 50011-1020, USA

    Arnold G. van der Valk

  3. Everglades Division, South Florida Water Management District, 3301 Gun Club Road, West Palm Beach, FL, 33406, USA

    Susan Newman, Carlos A. Coronado & Fred H. Sklar

  4. Southeast Environmental Research Center, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th St., OE 148, Miami, FL, 33199, USA

    Tiffany G. Troxler-Gann

  5. Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 33199, USA

    Daniel L. Childers

  6. U.S. Geological Survey, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, VA, 20192-0002, USA

    William H. Orem

Authors
  1. Paul R. Wetzel
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  2. Arnold G. van der Valk
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  3. Susan Newman
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  4. Carlos A. Coronado
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  7. William H. Orem
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  8. Fred H. Sklar
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Correspondence to Paul R. Wetzel.

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Wetzel, P.R., van der Valk, A.G., Newman, S. et al. Heterogeneity of phosphorus distribution in a patterned landscape, the Florida Everglades. Plant Ecol 200, 83–90 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-008-9449-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-008-9449-3

Keywords

  • Meta-ecosystem
  • Nutrient redistribution
  • Restoration
  • Tree islands