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Quantification Strategies for Human-Induced and Natural Hydrological Changes in Wetland Vegetation, Southern Florida, USA

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Timme H. Donders ,
Friederike Wagner  and
Henk Visscher
Timme H. Donders
Affiliation:
Department of Palaeoecology, Laboratory of Palaeobotany and Palynology, Utrecht University, Budapestlaan 4, 3584 CD Utrecht, The Netherlands
Friederike Wagner
Affiliation:
Department of Palaeoecology, Laboratory of Palaeobotany and Palynology, Utrecht University, Budapestlaan 4, 3584 CD Utrecht, The Netherlands
Henk Visscher
Affiliation:
Department of Palaeoecology, Laboratory of Palaeobotany and Palynology, Utrecht University, Budapestlaan 4, 3584 CD Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Abstract

An accurately dated peat profile from a mixed cypress swamp in the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park (FSPSP, Florida, USA) has been examined for pollen and spores. The near-annual resolved pollen record shows a gradual shift from a wet to a relatively dry assemblage during the past 100 years. Timing of drainage activities in the region is accurately reflected by the onset and duration of vegetation change in the swamp. The reconstructed vegetation record has been statistically related to pollen assemblages from surface sediment samples. The response range of the FSPSP wetland to environmental perturbations could thus be determined and this allows better understanding of naturally occurring vegetation changes. In addition, the human impact on Florida wetlands becomes increasingly apparent. Superimposed high-frequency variation in the record suggests a positive correlation between winter-precipitation and pollen productivity of the dominant tree taxa. However, further high-resolution analysis is needed to confirm this relation. The response range of the FSPSP wetland to environmental perturbations on both annual- and decadal-scales documented in this study allows recognition and quantification of natural hydrological changes in older deposits from southwest Florida. The strong link between local hydrology and the El Niño Southern Oscillation makes the palynological record from FSPSP highly relevant for studying past El Niño–variability.

Keywords

FloridaEl NiñoPollenVegetation changeDrainagePrecipitationModern analogues
Type
Special issue articles
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 64 , Issue 3 , November 2005 , pp. 333 - 342
Copyright
University of Washington

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