Characterizing hydrologic effects on soil physicochemical variation within tree islands and marshes in the coastal Florida Everglades

Abstract

AbstractImplementation of hydrologic modifications within the southeastern coastal Everglades over the last century have impacted ecological functioning of the system. This study characterized and investigated the effects of hydrologic modifications through the C‐111 canal system on soil physicochemical properties of marsh and tree island community types within the southeastern coastal Everglades. Marshes within the C‐111 basin and larger southeastern coastal Everglades exhibited lower soil nutrient contents than tree islands, which were characterized by 4.6 times higher organic matter content, 2.4 times higher total carbon concentrations, 2.6 times higher total nitrogen concentrations, and 5.8 times higher total phosphorus concentrations. Further investigation into soil profiles between community types illustrated pedological discontinuities observed within the soil matrix that coincided with the implementation of the C‐111 canal. Pedological discontinuities were characterized by a shift to more organic soils within both community types but were less often observed within tree islands, suggesting that (a) hydrologic modification within the southeastern coastal Everglades alters soil physicochemical properties and (b) tree islands are potentially more resilient to long‐term perturbations in freshwater flow than more dynamic marsh systems.