Trajectories of vegetation response to water management in Taylor Slough, Everglades National Park, Florida

Published source details Sah J.P., Ross M.S., Minchin P. & Sadle J. (2014) Trajectories of vegetation response to water management in Taylor Slough, Everglades National Park, Florida. Wetlands, 34, 65-79.
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This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

	Action	Category
	Actively manage water level: freshwater marshes Action Link

Actively manage water level: freshwater marshes

A before-and-after study in 1992–2010 in historically drained marshes and wet meadows in Florida, USA (Sah et al. 2014) found that pumping water more or less directly into these drained areas generally led to development of more wetland-characteristic plant communities. All data were reported as graphical analyses. In management Phase 1 (1993–1999), water was pumped from a canal into part of the marsh. In one transect sampled before and at the end of this phase, the overall plant community became characteristic of wetter conditions in 80% of plots. Cover of some individual, wetland-characteristic plant species also increased in these plots. However, overall plant species richness declined. In management Phase 2 (2000–2010), water was pumped into storage basins upstream from the focal marsh. The basins gradually released the water as surface flow. During this phase, the overall plant community did not significantly change in most plots (77%) but became characteristic of drier conditions in the rest (23%). Methods: Vegetation in Taylor Slough was surveyed one year before and at the end of each water management phase. One transect was surveyed for Phase 1 and three transects for Phase 2. Plant species and cover were recorded in twenty 5-m² permanent plots/transect/survey.

(Summarised by: Nigel Taylor)