011003 Tree Islands Everglades

January 10, 2003

Tree Islands of the Everglades

edited by

   Fred H. Sklar
   South Florida Water Management District
   West Palm Beach, FL, USA

   Arnold G. van der Valk
   Iowa Lakeside Laboratory
   Iowa State University, Ames, IO USA

Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht
Hardbound, ISBN 1-4020-1050-8
December 2002 , 552 pp.
EUR 180.00 / USD 176.00 / GBP 133.00

Tree Islands of the Everglades brings together for the first time experts in anthropology, ecology, geology, paleontology, wildlife, and landscape modelling to review the state of our understanding of the small, forested islands that are a feature of most large wetlands. Although tree islands can be found in wetlands around the world, only in the Florida Everglades have their unique and complex origins, structure, and functions been investigated. Although these biodiversity hotspots are important to the survival of many plants and animals in the Everglades, most of them have been lost since the 1940s as a result of poor water management. Consequently, the restoration of tree islands will be a key performance measure for the success of the ongoing Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan. Tree Islands of the Everglades reviews the geologic origin of different kinds of tree islands and presents competing hypotheses about their subsequent development. It also describes their vegetation and factors controlling the composition of their vegetation, their fauna, their unique geochemistry, and their use by Native Americans. Throughout, the importance of recurring wet years (intensive flooding) and dry years (frequent fires) are emphasized for understanding changes in tree island flora and fauna. Although they have received very little attention tree islands in The Everglades and other comparable wetlands around the world are a key feature of these wetlands and understanding the status or health of tree islands is central to understanding their overall condition.

This book will be of particular interest to ecologists, environmentalists, geologists and wildlife biologists with an interest in wetlands, especially wetland preservation and restoration.

Contents and Contributors

1. Tree Islands of the Everglades: An Overview; F. Sklar, A.van der Valk. 2. Tree Island Ecosystems of the World; P.R. Wetzel. 3. Bayhead Tree Islands on Deep Peats of the Northeastern Everglades; P.A. Stone, et al. 4. Paleoecological Insights on Fixed Tree Island Development in the Florida Everglades: I. Environmental Controls; D.A. Willard, et al. 5. Nutrient Geochemistry of Sediments from Two Tree Islands in Water Conservation Area 3B, the Everglades, Florida; W.H. Orem, et al. 6. The Archaeology of Everglades Tree Islands; R.S. Carr. 7. Water Depth Tolerances of Dominant Tree Island Species: What do We Know? W.H. Connor, et al. 8. Vegetation Pattern and Process in Tree Islands of the Southern Everglades and Adjacent Areas; T.V. Armentano, et al. 9. Tree Island Vegetation and Water Management in the Central Everglades; L. Heisler, et al. 10. Tree Islands of the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge; L.A. Brandt, et al. 11. Vegetation, Peat Elevation and Peat Depth on Two Tree Islands in Water Conservation Area 3-A; D.H. Mason, A.van der Valk. 12. Analysis of Tree Island Vegetation Communities; P.R. Wetzel. 13. Occurrence of Wildlife on Tree Islands in the Southern Everglades; W.E. Meshaka Jr. 14. Effects of Tree Island Size and Water on the Population Dynamics of Small Mammals in the Everglades; M.S. Gaines, et al. 15. Habitat-Use Patterns of Avian Seed Dispersers in the Central Everglades; D.E. Gawlick, et al. 16. Spatial Simulations of Tree Islands for Everglades Restoration; Yegang Wu, et al. 17. What We Know and Should Know about Tree Islands; A.van der Valk, F. Sklar. Subject Index. Genus and Species Index.
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