ENV 401

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ENV 401

• The Real Florida Swamps (chapter 11)

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Generalizations

• 10 of Floridas area
• Important factors in determining what kind of
  swamp
• Hydroperiod
• Fire
• Organic Matter
• Rainfed vs. groundwater supply

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Vegetation Trees

• Dominated by the following tree species
• Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum)
• Pond Cypress (Taxodium ascendens)
• Tupelos (Nyssa spp.)
• Atlantic white cedar
• Sabal palmetto
• Oaks (Quercus hemisphaerica, Q. nigra)

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Pond vs. Bald Cypress

• Pond Cypress
• Rolled up leaves
• Occurs in still-water swamps
• Thick bark, lateral branches
• May be more fire tolerant than bald

• Bald Cypress
• Bald has flattened leaves
• Occurs in flowing swamps
• Can live in unflooded conditions (e.g. my yard)
  but in nature gets outcompeted

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Cypress (cont.)

• Bald cypress lose their leaves (one of few
  gymnosperms)
• Cypress knees probably are for support and/or
  oxygen
• Seedlings require sunlight and only limited
  inundation
• Very resistant to attack by beetles and other
  insects

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Cypress swamps

• Exposed water table
• Impermeable clays
• High organic matter
• Water fluctuation very large
• Form domes or strands
• Inside domes and strands have high density, many
  Tillandsia spp.

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Tupelo/Gums

• Four species
• Nyssa sylvatica var. biflora (black gum)--
  wetlands
• Nyssa aquatica (water tupelo) wetlands
• Nyssa ogeche (ogeechee lime)--water
• Nyssa sylvatica var. sylvatica-- uplands

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Tupelos (cont.)

• Floating seeds
• Swollen trunks and buttresses
• Knees

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Gum swamps
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Melaleuca Swamps

• Melaleuca (punktree) is a non-native invasive in
  S. Florida
• Originally from Australia
• Spreads rapidly by seeds
• Invades wetlands

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Bay Swamps

• Bays
• Persea palustris, Red Bay
• Magnolia virginiana, Sweet Bay
• Gordonia lasianthus, Loblolly Bay

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Cypress savannas

• Short stunted trees
• Taxodium ascendens, pond cypress mostly

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Fire and hydroperiod conspire to make an ecosystem
Fire Frequency (number/century)
Dwarf Cypress Savanna
Shrub Bog
Melaleuca swamp
Cypress Pond, Strand
Gum Swamp
Bay Swamp
Lake Fringe
River Swamps Hydric Hammock
Hydroperiod (months)
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Invades wetlands
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Melaleuca Monopoly

• 500,000 acres of S. Florida are invaded by
  Melaleuca
• In some areas, 50,000 acres of land are
  monopolized by this species
• All this in about 100 years!!
• Originally imported to dry up the useless
  Everglades
• Also ornamental
• 168 million/year spent on control

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More info on Melaleuca

• Violates Florida statutes to plant Melaleuca
• Excellent for mulch
• Substitute for cypress and pine bark mulch

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NO cypress mulch!!

• http//www.waterkeeper.org/subsites/subcampaigndet
  ails.aspx?userid148articleid195

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Melaleuca control

• Biological control
• Oxyops weevil larvae

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Other means of control

• Herbicides (mostly Roundup)
• Chop and herbicide

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Atlantic White Cedar swamps

• Very rare after much cutting
• Chamaecyparis thyoides

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Swamp productivity vs. water availability
Hydric Hammock Whitewater swamp Spring Run
swamp Blackwater swamp cypress
strand cypress pond Melaleuca
swamp Gum pond Bay swamp Dwarf
cypress savanna
Estimated Productivity
Rainfall Groundwater Surface Flow
Adapted from Myers and Ewel, 1990
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Wellfield protection
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Tampa Bay Water Supply
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Pumps
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Cypress Creek

• Cypress Creek Wellfield water treatment plant
  treats 60 million gallons of water a day before
  it is sent to our members
• Average Production Limit 26.5 mgdPlaced in
  service 1976 Number of wells 13Water flows
  to Cypress Creek Water Treatment Plant
• Location Central Pasco County

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Other impacts on swamps

• Peat mining
• Other mining e.g. phosphate
• Wastewater treatment plants
• Logging
• e.g. Green Swamp was heavily logged for cypress
  from 1922-59
• If 80 of Green Swamp were logged, 45 less water
  would go into the aquifer (Brown, 1984)

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Impacts (cont.)

• Changes in hydroperiod
• Drainage
• Overdraws from the aquifer lead to subsidence and
  falling over

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• Even in the 20s!

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Ecological Succession in Swamps
Severe Burn
Mixed Hardwoods And Cypress
Mixed Hardwood
Willow
Fire
No Fire
Logging
Fire
Cypress and Mixed Hardwoods
No Fire
No Fire
Surface Fire
Severe Fire
Willow And Remnant Cypress
Monospecific Cypress
Surface fire