Abstract
To determine relationships between soil nutrient status and known gradients in primary production, we collected and analyzed soils from 17 LTER sampling sites along two transects through south Florida wetland ecosystems. Through upstream freshwater marsh, a middle reach including the oligohaline marsh/mangrove ecotone, and downstream estuarine habitats, we observed systematic variation in soil bulk density, organic content, and pools of phosphorus (P), inorganic sulfur, and extractable iron. Consistent with observed differences in wetland productivity known to be limited by P availability, total P averaged ~200 μg g dw−1 in soils from the eastern Taylor Slough/Panhandle and was on average three times higher in soils from the western Shark River Slough. Along both transects, the largest pool of phosphorus was the inorganic, carbonate-bound fraction, comprising 35–44% of total P. Greater than 90% of the total inorganic sulfur pool in these south Florida wetland soils was extracted as pyrite. Freshwater marsh sites typically were lower in pyrite sulfur (0.2–0.8 mg g dw−1) relative to marsh/mangrove ecotone and downstream estuary sites (0.5–2.9 mg g dw−1). Extractable iron in freshwater marsh soils was significantly higher from the Taylor Slough/Panhandle transect (3.2 mg g dw−1) relative to the western Shark River Slough transect (1.1 mg g dw−1), suggesting spatial variation in sources and/or depositional environments for iron. Further, these soil characteristics represent the collective, integrated signal of ecosystem structure, so any long-term changes in factors like water flow or water quality may be reflected in changes in bulk soil properties. Since the objective of current Everglades restoration initiatives is the enhancement and re-distribution of freshwater flows through the south Florida landscape, the antecedent soil conditions reported here provide a baseline against which future, post-restoration measurements can be compared.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
J. A. Amador R. D. Jones (1993) ArticleTitleNutrient limitations on microbial respiration in peat soils with different phosphorus content Soil Biology & Biogeochemistry 25 793–801 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK3sXltFKnsLk%3D Occurrence Handle10.1016/0038-0717(93)90125-U
A. L. Bates W. H. Orem J. W. Harvey E. C. Spiker (2002) ArticleTitleTracing sources of sulfur in the Florida Everglades Journal of Environmental Quality 31 287–299 Occurrence Handle11837434 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD38XlvVCnsrs%3D Occurrence Handle10.2134/jeq2002.0287
A. L. Bates E. C. Spiker C. W. Holmes (1998) ArticleTitleSpeciation and isotopic composition of sedimentary sulfur in the Everglades, Florida, USA Chemical Geology 146 155–170 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK1cXjtlOnu74%3D Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0009-2541(98)00008-4
J. M. Benoit C. C. Gilmour R. P. Mason A. Heyes (1999) ArticleTitleSulfide controls on mercury speciation and bioavailability to methylating bacteria in sediment pore waters Environmental Science and Technology 33 951–957 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK1MXntlajtg%3D%3D Occurrence Handle10.1021/es9808200
J. N. Boyer J. W. Fourqurean R. D. Jones (1997) ArticleTitleSpatial characterization of water quality in Florida Bay and Whitewater Bay by principal component and cluster analyses: zones of similar influence (ZSI) Estuaries 20 743–758 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK1cXjtVSmuw%3D%3D Occurrence Handle10.2307/1352248
K. E. Brown A. D. Cohen (1995) ArticleTitleStratigraphic and micropetrographic occurrences of pyrite in sediments at the confluence of carbonate and peat-forming depositional systems, southern Florida, USA Organic Geochemistry 22 105–126 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK2MXitVKmsLc%3D Occurrence Handle10.1016/0146-6380(94)00060-3
R. M. Chambers J. T. Hollibaugh S. M. Vink (1994) ArticleTitleSulfate reduction and sediment metabolism in Tomales Bay, California Biogeochemistry 25 1–18 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK2cXms1akuro%3D Occurrence Handle10.1007/BF00000509
R. Chen R. R. Twilley (1999) ArticleTitlePatterns of mangrove forest structure associated with soil nutrient dynamics along the Shark River estuary Estuaries 22 1027–1042 Occurrence Handle10.2307/1353075
D. L. Childers R. F. Doren R. Jones G. B. Noe M. Rugge L. J. Scinto (2003) ArticleTitleDecadal change in vegetation and soil phosphorus pattern across the Everglades landscape Journal of Environmental Quality 32 344–362 Occurrence Handle12549575 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD3sXlslKruw%3D%3D
M. J. Chimney G. Goforth (2001) ArticleTitleEnvironmental impacts to the Everglades ecosystem: a historical perspective and restoration strategies Water Science and Technology 44 93–100 Occurrence Handle11804164 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD38XhtVykt7Y%3D
J. D. Cline (1969) ArticleTitleSpectrophotometric determination of hydrogen sulfide in natural waters Limnology & Oceanography 14 454–459 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaF1MXksFegu70%3D
C. Coronado-Molina J. W. Day E. Reyes B. C. Perez (2004) ArticleTitleStanding crop and aboveground biomass partitioning of a dwarf mangrove forest in Taylor River Slough, Florida Wetlands Ecology and Management 12 157–164 Occurrence Handle10.1023/B:WETL.0000034071.17156.c0
S. E. Davis J. E. Cable D. L. Childers C. Coronado-Molina J. W. Day C. D. Hittle C. J. Madden E. Reyes D. Rudnick F. Sklar (2004) ArticleTitleImportance of storm events in controlling ecosystem structure and function in a Florida gulf coast estuary Journal of Coastal Research 20 1198–1208 Occurrence Handle10.2112/03-0072R.1
W. F. DeBusk S. Newman K. R. Reddy (2001) ArticleTitleSpatio-temporal patterns of soil phosphorus enrichment in Everglades Water Conservation Area 2A Journal of Environmental Quality 30 1438–1446 Occurrence Handle11476523 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD3MXntFWqs7k%3D
W. K. Dodds (2003) ArticleTitleThe role of periphyton in phosphorus retention in shallow freshwater aquatic systems Journal of Phycology 39 840–849 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD3sXovFGqtL8%3D
M. Ferdie J. W. Fourqurean (2004) ArticleTitleResponses of seagrass communities to fertilization along a gradient of relative availability of nitrogen and phosphorus in a carbonate environment Limnology and Oceanography 49 2082–2094 Occurrence Handle10.4319/lo.2004.49.6.2082
J. W. Fourqurean J. N. Boyer M. J. Durako L. N. Hefty B. J. Peterson (2003) ArticleTitleForecasting responses of seagrass distributions to changing water quality using monitoring data Ecological Applications 13 474–489
J. W. Fourqurean J. C. Zieman G. V. N. Powell (1992a) ArticleTitleRelationships between porewater nutrients and seagrasses in a subtropical carbonate environment Marine Biology 114 57–65 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK38Xmtl2hsL4%3D
J. W. Fourqurean J. C. Zieman G. V. N. Powell (1992b) ArticleTitlePhosphorus limitation of primary production in Florida Bay: Evidence from the C:N:P ratios of the dominant seagrass Thalassia testudinum Limnology and Oceanography 37 162–171 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK38Xktleitbs%3D Occurrence Handle10.4319/lo.1992.37.1.0162
H. S. Jensen K. J. McGlathery R. Marine R. W. Howarth (1998) ArticleTitleForms and availability of sediment phosphorus in carbonate sand of Bermuda seagrass beds Limnology and Oceanography 43 799–810 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK1cXms1Slsr4%3D Occurrence Handle10.4319/lo.1998.43.5.0799
M. S. Koch R. E. Benz D. T. Rudnick (2001) ArticleTitleSolid-phase phosphorus pools in highly organic carbonate sediments of northeastern Florida Bay Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 52 279–291 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD3MXhsF2itbo%3D Occurrence Handle10.1006/ecss.2000.0751
M. S. Koch K. R. Reddy (1992) ArticleTitleDistribution of soil and plant nutrients along a trophic gradient in the Florida Everglades Soil Science Society American Journal 56 1492–1499 Occurrence Handle10.2136/sssaj1992.03615995005600050026x
T. C. W. Ku L. M. Walter M. L. Coleman R. E. Blake A. M. Martini (1999) ArticleTitleCoupling between sulfur recycling and syndepositional carbonate dissolution: evidence from oxygen and sulfur isotope composition of pore water sulfate, south Florida platform, USA Geochemica et Cosmochimica Acta 63 2529–2546 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK1MXntFKnt78%3D Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0016-7037(99)00115-5
S. S. Light J. W. Dineen (1994) Water control in the Everglades: a historical perspective S. M. Davis J. C. Ogden (Eds) Everglades: The Ecosystem and its Restoration St Lucie Press Delray Beach, FL 47–84
P. V. McCormick P. S. Rawlik K. Lurding E. P. Smith F. H. Sklar (1996) ArticleTitlePeriphyton–water quality relationships along a nutrient gradient in the northern Florida Everglades Journal of the North American Benthological Society 15 433–449 Occurrence Handle10.2307/1467797
G. B. Noe D. L. Childers A. L. Edwards E. Gaiser K. Jayachandran D. Lee J. Meeder J. Richards L. J. Scinto J. C. Trexler R. D. Jones (2002) ArticleTitleShort-term changes in an oligotrophic Everglades wetland ecosystem receiving experimental phosphorus enrichment Biogeochemistry 59 239–267 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD38XkvFeht7o%3D Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1016090009874
G. B. Noe D. L. Childers R. D. Jones (2001) ArticleTitlePhosphorus biogeochemistry and the impact of phosphorus enrichment: why is the everglades so unique? Ecosystems 4 603–624 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD38Xjsl2itQ%3D%3D Occurrence Handle10.1007/s10021-001-0032-1
G. B. Noe L. J. Scinto J. Taylor D. L. Childers R. D. Jones (2003) ArticleTitlePhosphorus cycling and partitioning in oligotrophic and enriched Everglades wetland ecosystems: a radioisotope tracing study Freshwater Biology 48 1993–2008 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD3sXps12rs7w%3D Occurrence Handle10.1046/j.1365-2427.2003.01143.x
W. Perry (2004) ArticleTitleElements of South Florida’s Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan Ecotoxicology 13 185–193 Occurrence Handle15217243 Occurrence Handle10.1023/B:ECTX.0000023564.10311.4a
L. M. Romero T. J. Smith J. W. Fourqurean (2005) ArticleTitleChanges in mass and nutrient content of wood during decomposition in a south Florida mangrove forest Journal of Ecology 93 618–631 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD2MXlvFOksrY%3D Occurrence Handle10.1111/j.1365-2745.2005.00970.x
M. S. Ross D. R. Reed J. P. Sah P. L. Ruiz M. Lewin (2003) ArticleTitleVegetation:environment relationships and water management in Shark Slough, Everglades National Park Wetlands Ecology and Management 11 291–303 Occurrence Handle10.1023/B:WETL.0000005541.30283.11
L. P. Schwandes M. Chen J. Galbraith (2001) ArticleTitleTotal and extractable soil phosphorus in six ecological communities of Florida Soil and Crop Science Society of Florida Proceedings 60 53–56
R. E. Sherman T. J. Fahey R. W. Howarth (1998) ArticleTitleSoil–plant interactions in a neotropical mangrove forest: iron, phosphorus and sulfur dynamics Oecologia 115 553–563 Occurrence Handle10.1007/s004420050553
InstitutionalAuthorNameSPSS, Inc. (1999) SPSS Base 10.0 for Windows User’s Guide SPSS Inc Chicago, IL
L. L. Stookey (1970) ArticleTitleFerrozine – a new spectrophotometric reagent for iron Analytical Chemistry 42 779–781 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaE3cXkt1WjtL8%3D Occurrence Handle10.1021/ac60289a016
J. Z. Zhang C. J. Fisher P. B. Ortner (2004) ArticleTitlePotential availability of sedimentary phosphorus to sediment resuspension in Florida Bay Global Biogeochemical Cycles 18 GB4008 Occurrence Handle10.1029/2004GB002255 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD2MXhs1Wgur0%3D
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Chambers, R.M., Pederson, K.A. Variation in soil phosphorus, sulfur, and iron pools among south Florida wetlands. Hydrobiologia 569, 63–70 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-006-0122-3
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-006-0122-3