Features:

• Documents ecological linkages between South Florida ecosystems extending from the Everglades to the coral reefs of the Florida Keys
• Examines the effects of human and natural disturbances that occur locally, regionally, and globally, putting them in the perspective of scale and relative importance
• Summarizes state-of-the-art research information critical to decision making for restoration, conservation, and management
• Presents a frank assessment of historical and contemporary changes to South Florida terrestrial and aquatic communities
• Provides a model for the study of land-water linkages from freshwater systems to coastal, estuarine, and marine environments
• Presents the stunning imagery of world-famous landscape photographer, Clyde Butcher

Providing a synthesis of basic and applied research, The Everglades, Florida Bay, and Coral Reefs of the Florida Keys takes an encyclopedic look at how to study and manage ecosystems connected by surface and subsurface water movements. The book examines the South Florida hydroscape, a series of ecosystems linked by hydrology in a region of intense human development and profound modifications to the natural environment.

The book presents scientific studies in the South Florida Hydroscape, discusses policy and management by government and nonprofit groups, and explores how the whole watershed approach must be used to successfully protect coral reefs. The contributions range from the traditional to the controversial, questioning current management schemes and summarizing the results of state-of-the-art research.

The Everglades, Florida Bay, and Coral Reefs of the Florida Keys shows you how the principles learned in this region can be applied to other tropical and subtropical hydroscapes.

Contents

1. Florida Everglades
   • Hydrology and Nutrients
     • The Past, Present, and Future Hydrology and Ecology of Lake Okeechobee and Its Watersheds
     • The Effects of Altered Hydrology on the Ecology of the Everglades
     • Effects of Anthropogenic P Inputs on the Everglades
     • Quantifying the Effects of Low-Level Phosphorus Additions on Unenriched Everglades Wetlands with In Situ Flumes and Phosphorus Dosing
   • Biota
     • Ecological Scale and Its Implications for Freshwater Fishes in the Florida Everglades
     • Linkages Between the Snail Kite Population and Wetland Dynamics in a Highly Fragmented South Florida Hydroscape
     • Multi-Taxon Analysis of the "White Zone," a Common Ecotonal Feature of South Florida Coastal Westlands
   • Ecosystem Modeling
     • Modeling Ecosystem and Population Dynamics on the South Florida Hydroscape
     • Maps and GIS Databases for Environmental Studies of the Everglades
     • Nitrous Oxide, Methane, and Carbon Dioxide Fluxes from South Florida Habitats During the Transition from Dry to Wet Seasons: Potential Impacts of Everglades Drainage and Flooding on the Atmosphere

2. Florida Bay
   • Water Movements and Chemistry
     • Transport Processes Linking South Florida Coastal Ecosystems
     • Regional-Scale and Long-Term Transport Patterns in the Florida Keys
     • The Transport of Terrestrial Nutrients to South Florida Coastal Waters
     • Linkages Between the South Florida Peninsula and Coastal Zone: A Sediment-Based History of Natural and Anthropogenic Influences
     • Rapid Remote Assessments of Salinity and Ocean Color in Florida Bay
   • Biota
     • Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Phytoplankton in Florida Bay: Utility of Algal Accessory Pigments and Remote Sensing to Assess Bloom Dynamics
     • Modern Diatom Distributions in Florida Bay: A Preliminary Analysis
     • Seagrass Distribution in South Florida: A Multi-Agency Coordinated Monitoring Program
     • Patterns of Change in the Seagrass Dominated Florida Bay Hydroscape
     • Linkages Between Estuarine and Reef Fish Assemblages: Enhancement by the Presence of Well- Developed Mangrove Shorelines
     • Nesting Patterns of Roseate Spoonbills in Florida Bay 1935 - 1999: Implications of Landscape Scale Anthropogenic Impacts

3. Florida Reef Tract
   • Water Movements and Nutrients
     • A View from the Bridge: External and Internal Forces Affecting the Ambient Water Quality of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
     • Biotic Phase Shifts in Florida Bay and Fore Reef Communities of the Florida Keys: Linkages with Historical Freshwater Flows and Nitrogen Loading from Everglades Runoff, B.E. Lapointe
     • Shoreline Nutrients and Chlorophyll a in the Florida Keys, 1994-1997: A Preliminary Analysis
     • Tidal and Meteorological Influences on Shallow Marine Ground-Water Flow in the Upper Florida Keys
     • The "Ostrich" Component of the Multiple Stressor Model: Undermining South Florida
   • Reef Biota
     • Detection of Coral Reef Change by the Florida Keys Coral Reef Monitoring Project
     • The Influence of Nearshore Waters on Corals of the Florida Reef Tract
     • Differential Coral Recruitment Patterns in the Florida Keys
     • Aspergillosis of Sea Fan Corals: Disease Dynamics in the Florida Keys

4. Policy, Management and Conservation
   • Water Quality Concerns in the Florida Keys: Sources, Effects, and Solutions
   • The Role of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary in the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Initiative
   • The Role of a Non Profit Organization, Reef Relief, in Protecting Coral Reefs

5. International Analogy: An Integrated Watershed Approach to Coral Reef Management in Negril, Jamaica
   • Patterns of Coral reef Development in the Negril Marine Park: Necessity for a Whole-Watershed Management Plan
   • Community-Based Water Quality and Coral Reef Monitoring in the Negril Marine Park, Jamaica: Land-Based Nutrient Inputs and Their Ecological Consequences

Index

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