Subtropical Freshwater Cypress Swamps of Big Cypress

Description

The natural (native) vegetation of this state is mainly dominated by Bald Cypress and Pond Cypress (Taxodium distichum and T. ascendens, respectfully). Occasional fire contributes to the maintenance of a cypress dominated community; without fire, hardwood invasion and peat accumulation create a mixed hardwood and cypress swamp, and under certain conditions the strand may convert to a hardwood forest. In the center of the swamp, there may be open marshes or deeper sloughs. Cypress Swamps have small young trees towards their outer edges, grading into larger and older stands towards the interior, giving the community a distinctively rounded cross -section profile. This site occurs when organic soils accumulate in depressions that are inundated for much of the year, particularly during summer months when litter decomposition rates are high. These organic soils create a unique environment that increases species diversity and structural development in South Florida wetland communities.

Characteristics and indicators

This state is characterized by nearly pure stands of cypress trees (Taxodium spp.) that are distinguished by buttressed trunks. They have smaller, younger trees along the periphery of the swamps, grading into larger and older trees in the center. This gives the community a distinctively rounded cross-section profile.

Resilience management

This state is maintained by both stressors from water and fire. Hydroperiods range from 200 to 300 days per year which only allow flooding tolerant species to survive. Drainage of this site can allow for the invasion of non-native and exotic species and transition the site to a more mesic hardwood community. Fire is another major stressor in this state, with interior swamps burning at long time periods up to every 100 to 150 years, and the edges every 3 to 5 years. The stress from fire prevents the accumulation of organic matter and transition into a hardwood community.

Dominant plant species

1. pond cypress (Taxodium ascendens), tree

2. bald cypress (Taxodium distichum), tree

3. coastal plain willow (Salix caroliniana), shrub

4. Jamaica swamp sawgrass (Cladium mariscus ssp. jamaicense), grass

5. toothed midsorus fern (Blechnum serrulatum), grass

6. royal fern (Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis), grass

7. airplant (Tillandsia), grass

Submodel

Description

Hardwood swamps are dominated by a mix of hydrophytic hardwood trees including bays and cabbage palms. This state occurs on low, wet sites and has short hydroperiods that are inundated seldom over 60 days per year, but are maintained on a consistently saturated peat substrate. These communities form within the Big Cypress region when fire is excluded from cypress swamps for an extended period, allowing organic matter accumulation to create shallower depressions in the landscape, shortening the hydroperiod. With greater accumulation of organic matter and a shortened hydroperiod, hardwood vegetation can become established and, over time, shade out the existing vegetation. Shading from the newly established hardwood species will perpetuate organic matter accumulation and moist soil conditions, favoring this state, continuing the expansion of these communities.

Characteristics and indicators

Hardwood swamps are characterized by hardwood hydrophytic species such as bays and cabbage palms as well as cypress. They are constantly saturated but only inundated for about 60 days per year during the wet season of the summer months (June- October).

Resilience management

The main influencing factors in this state consist of infrequent to occasional fires and long term hydroperiods. Human alterations to surrounding communities can inadvertently drain these sites, making them susceptible to catastrophic fires, in which the organic matter accumulation will be lost, reverting the community back to cypress swamp vegetation or to shrub thickets, depending on the root damage from the fire. Increases in long term hydroperiods will shift the community back towards a cypress swamp as the hardwood species can tolerate some flooding but not the same amount as cypress. Drainage will allow for invasive species to become established that can outcompete the native vegetation.

Dominant plant species

1. sweetbay (Magnolia virginiana), tree

2. loblolly bay (Gordonia lasianthus), tree

3. swamp bay (Persea palustris), tree

4. cabbage palmetto (Sabal palmetto), tree

Submodel

Description

This state consists of Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) Non-Native Category 1 Species list . More information on these species list can be found:

https://www.fdacs.gov/content/download/63140/file/Florida%E2%80%99s_Pest_Plants.pdf

or by contacting the UF / IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants (http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/),

the UF / IFAS Assessment of Non-native Plants in Florida's Natural Areas (https://assessment.ifas.ufl.edu/),

or the FWC Invasive Plant Management Section (http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/invasive-plants/).

This community will not represent every possibility of invasive species but rather the most common in these areas.

Characteristics and indicators

Non-Native species include species that exist outside of Florida's natural range and are introduced to the state via people, weather events, or any other means.

Resilience management

This state can be found as a part of any other state or community and can completely destroy the native habitat if not properly managed. Restoration to natural communities after exotic invasion include practices such as mechanical and chemical removal.

Submodel

Description

The following communities comprise the major land uses in the United States and the land uses receiving the majority of the conservation treatment that address soil, water, air, plant, and animal resources within the USDA.

Characteristics and indicators

These land uses consist of areas that are not completely naturalized (i.e. native habitat) but are not completely altered by anthropogenic means.

Submodel

Description

These areas include soils that were intentionally and substantially modified by humans for an intended purpose, commonly for terraced agriculture, building support, mining, transportation, and commerce. The alteration is of sufficient magnitude to result in the introduction of a new parent material (human-transported material) or a profound change in the previously existing parent material (human-altered material). They do not include soils modified through standard agricultural practices or formed soils with unintended wind and water erosion. When a soil is on or above an anthropogenic landform or microfeature, it can be definitely associated with human activity and is assigned to a unique taxa, usually found as an "Urban land complex" within that communities' natural soil properties (e.g., Immokalee sand-Urban land complex, 0 to 2 percent slopes).

Resilience management

Evidence of these areas include soils with manufactured items (e.g. artifacts) present in the profile, human altered-materials (e.g., deeply excavated or deeply plowed soil) or human-transported material (e.g., fill), and position on or above anthropogenic landforms (e.g., flood-control levees) and microfeatures (e.g., drainage ditches). Detailed criteria regarding the identification of anthropogenic (artificial) landforms, human-altered materials, and human-transported material are in the "Keys to Soil Taxonomy" (Soil Survey Staff, 2014).

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