Chapter 6: Ecology of the Everglades Protection Area (original) (raw)

South Florida Environmental Report, 2011, Chapter 6: Ecology of the Everglades Protection Area

The studies and findings discussed in this chapter of the 2011 South Florida Environmental Report (SFER) – Volume I are presented within five conceptual groupings: (1) hydrologic and climate trends, (2) wildlife ecology, (3) plant ecology, (4) ecosystem ecology, and (5) landscape processes. Programs of study were based on the short-term operational needs and long-term restoration goals of the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD or District), including large-scale and regional hydrologic needs in relation to regulation schedules, permitting, the Everglades Forever Act [Section 373.4592, 11 Florida Statutes (F.S.)] mandates, and the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). An overview of projects and results, along with related mandates, is presented in Table 6-1.

South Florida Environmental Report 2015, Volume 1, Chapter 6: Everglades Research and Evaluation

The studies and findings discussed in this chapter are presented within four main fields: (1) wildlife ecology, (2) plant ecology, (3) ecosystem ecology, and (4) landscape patterns and ecology. Programs of study are based on the short-term operational needs and long-term restoration goals of the South Florida Water Management District (District or SFWMD), including large-scale and regional hydrologic needs in relation to regulation schedules, permitting, Everglades Forever Act (Section 373.4592, Florida Statutes) mandates, and the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). This chapter summarizes Water Year 2014 (WY2014) (May 1, 2013–April 30, 2014) hydrology in the Everglades Protection Area (EPA), followed by an overview of key Everglades studies on wildlife, plants, the ecosystem, and landscapes (Table 6-1).

South Florida Environmental Report 2014, Chapter 6: Everglades Research and Evaluation

The studies and findings discussed in this chapter are presented within four main fields: (1) wildlife ecology, (2) plant ecology, (3) ecosystem ecology, and (4) landscape patterns and ecology. Programs of study are based on the short-term operational needs and long-term restoration goals of the South Florida Water Management District, including large-scale and regional hydrologic needs in relation to regulation schedules, permitting, Everglades Forever Act (Section 373.4592, Florida Statutes) mandates, and the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. This chapter summarizes Water Year 2013 (WY2013) (May 1, 2012–April 30, 2013) hydrology in the Everglades Protection Area (EPA), followed by an overview of key Everglades studies on wildlife, plants, the ecosystem, and landscapes (Table 6-1).

South Florida Environmental Report, 2008, Chapter 6: Ecology of the Everglades Protection Area

2008

The studies and findings discussed in this chapter of the 2008 South Florida Environmental Report -Volume I are presented within four main fields: (1) wildlife ecology, (2) plant ecology, (3) ecosystem ecology, and (4) landscape ecology. Programs of study were based on the shortterm operational needs and long-term Everglades restoration goals of the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD or District) including large-scale and regional hydrologic needs in relation to regulation schedules, permitting, Everglades Forever Act mandates, and the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. Table 6-1 summarizes elements of major Everglades research findings during Water Two new large-scale experimental manipulations of the cattail impacted area of WCA-2A were introduced in calendar year 2006

South Florida Environmental Report, 2009, Chapter 6: Ecology of the Everglades Protection Area

The studies and findings discussed in this chapter are presented within four main fields: (1) wildlife ecology, (2) plant ecology, (3) ecosystem ecology, and (4) landscape. Programs of study were based on the short-term operational needs and long-term restoration goals of the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD or District) including large-scale and regional hydrologic needs in relation to regulation schedules, permitting, the Everglades Forever Act (EFA) [Section 373.4592, Florida Statutes (F.S.)] mandates, and the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. Table 6-1 summarizes elements of the major Everglades research findings during Water Year 2008 (WY2008) (May 1, 2007-April 30, 2008) and highlights these findings in relation to the statutory mandates that drive the research and the WY2008 hydrologic pattern. The hydrologic pattern is immediate and foremost an influence on the restoration of the Everglades wading bird populations, but is also critical to long-term ecological trends. This year, the amount of rainfall received was average, but the pattern of rainfall was far from normal. The onset of the wet season was delayed, water levels were low during the wet season, and the dry season was abnormally wet. As a result of these rainfall deviations, and in combination with WY2007's pattern, only an estimated 18,418 wading bird nests were initiated in WY2008. This was a 51 percent decline from WY2007 and a 74 percent decline from WY2002's banner nesting achievements. At the Loxahatchee Impoundment Landscape Assessment facility (LILA), where the hydrologic patterns were controlled to study the habitat selection process of wading birds, foraging was most active at sites with no or moderate levels of slough vegetation. In these LILA experiments, birds avoided deep sloughs with no emergent vegetation, and foraging success was mostly a function of prey densities. In addition to wading birds, a study of exotic fish was conducted at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Florida Integrated Science Center, LILA, and Everglades National Park. Two trophic disrupters, jewelfish (Hemichromis letourneuxi) and Mayan cichlid (Cichlasoma urophthalmus), of the Everglades food web were found to have a minimum water temperature tolerance of only 10ºC. Thus, marsh specimens of these two exotic fish species were found to die when exposed to natural cold fronts, but canal specimens did not.

South Florida Environmental Report, 2013, Chapter 6: Everglades Research and Evaluation

The studies and findings discussed in this chapter of the 2013 South Florida Environmental Report – Volume I are presented within five main fields: (1) hydrology (2) wildlife ecology, (3) plant ecology, (4) ecosystem ecology, and (5) landscape. Programs of study were based on the short-term operational needs and long-term restoration goals of the South Florida Water Management District (District or SFWMD), including large-scale and regional hydrologic needs in relation to regulation schedules, permitting, the Everglades Forever Act (Section 373.4592, Florida Statutes) mandates, and the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). In this year's SFER, Florida Bay science is covered in this Everglades chapter (instead of the coastal ecosystems chapter) to develop a more regional understanding of upstream impacts on Florida Bay and facilitate a more watershed overview and synthesis. Key findings of Everglades research and evaluation during Water Year 2012 (WY2012) (May 1, 2011...

South Florida Environmental Report, 2010, Chapter 6: Ecology of the Everglades Protection Area

2010

The studies and findings discussed in this chapter of the 2010 South Florida Environmental Report (SFER)-Volume I are presented within four main fields: (1) wildlife ecology, (2) plant ecology, (3) ecosystem ecology, and (4) landscape processes. Programs of study were based on the short-term operational needs and long-term restoration goals of the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD or District), including large-scale and regional hydrologic needs in relation to regulation schedules, permitting, the Everglades Forever Act [Section 373.4592, Florida Statutes (F.S.)] mandates, and the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP). Table 6-1 summarizes elements of the major Everglades research findings during Water Year 2009 (WY2009) (May 1, 2008-April 30, 2009) and highlights these findings in relation to the WY2009 hydrologic pattern and statutory mandates that drive the research. The hydrologic pattern is immediate and foremost an influence on the restoration of Everglades wading bird populations, but is also critical to long-term ecological trends. In WY2009, the amount of rainfall received was below average, while the pattern of rainfall was close to normal. Water levels rose during the wet season as they have for the last 15 years and October peaks produced water depths ranging from a low of 1.5 feet (ft) in Northeast Shark River Slough to a high of 3.0 ft in the southern region of Water Conservation Area 3A (WCA-3A). Rainfall almost ceased between November and May, but high water levels buffered the system from complete drydown in the Water Conservation Areas (WCAs). Dry season recession rates were optimum for wading bird foraging. There were no reversals anywhere in the system until May 2009 (WY2010), which became the second wettest May in the history of the SFWMD. WILDLIFE As a result of the WY2009 recession rates and the previous two years of drought, the 2009 wading bird nesting season was outstanding. The estimated number of wading bird nests in South Florida in 2009 was approximately 80,000. This is the largest nesting effort recorded in the region since the 1940s and represents (1) a 335 percent increase relative to last year's breeding season, (2) a 90 percent increase over the average of the last 10 seasons, and (3) surpasses the previous record year, 2002, by approximately 11,000 nests. The white ibis (Eudocimus albus) and the federally endangered wood stork (Mycteria americana) (which has generally exhibited very low nesting effort over the past decade), both produced numbers of nests that have not been observed

Chapter 6: Hydrologic Needs - Effects of Hydrology on the Everglades Protection Area (EPA)

2002

SUMMARY This chapter discusses the multidisciplinary approaches currently in place to manage the hydrologic patterns of the Everglades Protection Area (EPA). The primary focus of this chapter is on the hydrologic trends and ecological assessments in the EPA in relation to the 2001 drought. Much attention has been given to the lowest-recorded Lake Okeechobee water levels in Florida history. Low

Chapter 5: Hydrology of the Everglades Protection Area

Hydrology of the Everglades Protection Area (EPA) is a new chapter in the 2004 Everglades Consolidated Report. In this chapter, the contemporary hydrology of the Everglades Protection Area is presented, with the main objective of depicting Water Year 2003 (May 1, 2002 to April 30, 2003). In cases where historical hydrologic analysis or compiled data are available, comparisons with hydrology from the last few decades are presented. This chapter does not include comparisons of current hydrology with predevelopment hydrology. For the current reporting year, rainfall in Water Conservation Areas 1 and 2 was 14 percent below historical average. Rainfall in Water Conservation Area 3 was close to the average. Everglades National Park rainfall was slightly higher than historical average. Evapotranspiration was close to expected values. Water levels were generally higher than historical averages except in Water Conservation Area 2A. Major flows occurred during the wet season. In most cases, t...