State 1
Keys Tidal Rock Barren

Keys tidal rock barren is a flat rockland with exposed limestone in supratidal zone. They are dominated by salt tolerant species along low-energy coastlines, typically found in the supratidal zones, with little to no soil development. it is inundated by salt water only during extreme high tides or storm surges.

Characteristics and indicators. This site is characterized by herbaceous and woody halophytic vascular plants. They occur on white colored limestone, in contrast to grey or black colored limestone of lower tidal zones.

Community 1.1
Keys Tidal Rock Barren

This community is dominated by halophytic herbaceous and woody species found within the supratidal zones. It is a flat rockland with much exposed and eroded bedrock that is white in color and has a sparse cover of stunted species. It will have less than 50% cover of mangroves and other salt tolerant trees, shrubs, and grasses, with most areas exposed with limestone bedrock.

Community 1.2
Mangrove Swamp / Salt Marsh Encroached

This community describes a mangrove swamp or salt marsh community becoming established over a tidal rock barren and correlates directly with R156AY110FL. This transition is driven when depressions in the limestone outcrops become filled in with marl, sand, or organic matter and provides a suitable medium for growth. Areas of suitable soils of tidal rock barrens that are >50% mangrove or salt marsh species are considered mangrove swamps or salt marshes, and areas

Pathway 1.1A
Community 1.1 to 1.2

This transition is driven when depressions in the limestone outcrops are filled in with sand or organic matter which can support the development of species such as mangroves or salt marsh grasses.

State 2
Human Altered and Human Transported Areas

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 be 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., Rock outcrop-Cudjoe complex, tidal-Urban land complex, 0-1% slopes).

Characteristics and indicators. 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).

Community 2.1
Reclaimed Areas

Reclaimed areas are areas that have been modified through anthropogenic means that are restored to a natural or second-hand natural community. Areas that can be reclaimed are any intensity urban areas, and may be required to be reclaimed after urban use (e.g., active mines must be reclaimed). These practices include the identification, removal, and stockpiling soil materials before altering the land, and revegetation and replacement of soil materials after altering the land. This also applies to nearby urban areas that have been adversely affected by the anthropogenic activities.

Community 2.2
Urban

This urban community consists of development for human use. Urban areas include a variety of land uses, e.g., inner city or urban core, industrial and residential areas, cemeteries, parks, and other open spaces; the overall function which may benefit the quality of human life. These often form an urban soil mosaic, where the natural landscape has been fragmented into parcels with distinctive disturbance and management regimes and, as a result, distinctive characteristic soil properties.

Within this community there are three different levels of urbanization, based off population dynamics, residential density, and intensity of development. These are labeled as low-intensity, medium-intensity, and high-intensity urban areas, which can eventually be split apart into its own separate state. Low-intensity urban areas may consist of single dwelling homes with little impact on the surrounding community which still somewhat represents the natural community (e.g., represents natural landscape, hydrology, and vegetation) , other examples of this are urban parks, cemeteries, or campgrounds with little urban development. Medium-intensity urban areas consist of larger urban dwellings with some natural features, but have been modified to meet urban needs (e.g., towns). High-intensity urban areas are areas of heavily modified areas with complete alterations of the natural landscape, hydrology, and vegetation to support a very large population, which once constructed is permanently altered (e.g., metropolis areas/ active mines).

Community 2.3
Non-Reclaimed Areas

Figure 8. Google Earth aerial of non-reclaimed area (fallow mine) found within Keys Tidal Rock Barren community in Cudjoe Key.

Non-reclaimed areas are areas that have been modified through anthropogenic means that are unable to be restored to a natural or second-hand natural community. Areas that cannot be reclaimed are areas under active mining status or mined areas before the Phosphate Land Reclamation Act in 1975, which leaves shut down operations alone. These areas also include fallow mines that have been flooded and are now permanent bodies of water.

Pathway 2.1A
Community 2.1 to 2.2

This shift in communities is driven by clearing and developing the land for the desired community.

Pathway 2.2B
Community 2.2 to 2.1

This transition is driven by the revegetation, reestablished hydroperiods and replacement of displaced soil materials after altering the land.

Pathway 2.2B
Community 2.2 to 2.3

This transition is driven from heavy industrial or urban development which causes the land to become non-reclaimable. This transition is rare due to the many environmental laws and regulations that must be followed when developing.

Pathway 2.3A
Community 2.3 to 2.1

This transition is driven by the revegetation, reestablished hydroperiods and replacement of displaced soil materials after altering the land.

State 3
Permanently Flooded Hydroperiod

This state describes the impact of increased hydroperiods from anthropogenic or natural causes that creates an altered hydrologic state resulting in permanent flooding. The impact of this causes destruction of the terrestrial community and may in time shift to a subaqueous community.

Characteristics and indicators. This state is characterized by permanent water levels in an area that was previously in an intertidal or supratidal zone.

Resilience management. This is a final state and unlikely and improbable to go back to the original reference state.

Community 3.1
Exposed Bedrock

This community is an area of open, unvegetated, exposed limestone bedrock. This site occurs when salinity levels become too prolonged for the existing vegetation to live on, and the vegetated areas are cleared. This can be natural from rises in sea levels or more frequent intense storm surges. This effect can be impounded from anthropogenic efforts such as old mosquito ditches dug into the rock, channelizing flow and allowing for greater saltwater intrusion.

Community 3.2
Open Water

This is the final state and is when alteration of the natural hydroperiod has left an area permanently flooded. No terrestrial vegetation representative of the reference state will be present but may support rooted submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) species if proper growth conditions are met.

Pathway 3.1A
Community 3.1 to 3.2

This is caused by anthropogenic or natural increases in hydroperiods causing the area to be permanently flooded.

Transition T1A
State 1 to 2

This transition is driven by the alteration and/ or transportation of materials via anthropogenic means.

Transition T1B
State 1 to 3

This is driven by increased hydroperiods, both anthropogenic and natural, which causes long-term flooding and permanently altering the state.

Transition T2A
State 2 to 3

This is driven by increased hydroperiods, both anthropogenic and natural, which causes long-term flooding and permanently altering the state.