Central Florida Wetlands and Forests

Nature's Kidneys

Florida's wetlands are among one of the most important habitats in the state and provide a range of benefits to both humans and the environment.

Like the kidneys in your body, wetlands act as natural filters by trapping sediments, nutrients, and pollutants before they reach the water in our streams, rivers, and lakes.

Wetlands play a critical role in flood control by acting as natural sponges that can absorb and store large amounts of water. This helps to reduce the risk of flooding in downstream areas during periods of heavy rain or storms. Wetlands are also one of the most effective natural systems for sequestering carbon. They store large amounts of carbon in their soils and vegetation, which helps to lessen the impacts of climate change.

Pollution is trapped and filtered by wetlands.

A Matrix of Life

Florida wetlands are some of the most biodiverse ecosystems in North America, providing habitat for a wide variety of plants and animals. Over 1,000 different plant species and 700 different animal species call the Florida wetlands home.

The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is arguably the most iconic resident of Florida's wetlands - Photo by John Moran

Wetland Junction

Florida's wetlands act as a critical intersection for water as travels across the state. The water color in wetlands is often tannic or dark brown - caused by the large amount of wood and other decaying plant matter whose tannins seep into the water.

Despite looking dirty or unclean, tannic water serves an important role when entering other bodies of water by limiting the amount of light available for algae to grow and canceling out the effects that excessive nutrients might provide.

Limnologist Drs. Thomas and Melanie Whitmore - discuss the connection between wetlands and lakes in central Florida

The loss of Florida's wetlands has dramatically disrupted the natural connections that exist between them and other bodies of water - Image by Fernald and Patton 1984

Longleaf Pine Savannah

Despite historically being one the dominant habitats in Florida, longleaf pine savannah now occupies less than 2% of its historic range in the state. It is among one of the most unique ecosystems in Florida, characterized by a mix of open grassy areas and widely spaced pine trees, with a diverse understory of shrubs and herbs.

Longleaf pine savannas in Florida are adapted to frequent wildfires, which help to maintain the open, grassy understory and promote the growth of fire-tolerant pine trees. Without periodic fires, the pine savanna habitat can become overgrown with shrubs and other vegetation, which can reduce the quality of the habitat for many species.

Historically, longleaf pine ecosystems covered over 90 million acres in the southeastern United States, but much of this habitat has been lost due to land use changes such as logging, agriculture, and urbanization.

The pine savannah habitat in Florida supports several rare and endangered animal species, including the Red-cockaded woodpecker - a keystone species in the longleaf pine ecosystem, Eastern indigo snake - the largest native snake species in North America and Florida scrubjay - the only bird endemic to Florida, meaning it cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

Habitat fragmentation in Florida threatens the Florida scrub jay's already small population, placing it on the federal endangered species list.

Not all Forests are Equal

The conversion of longleaf pine forests to oak forests is altering the hydrology of Florida in a harmful way. Longleaf pine forests are adapted to frequent fires, which help to maintain open understory conditions and promote the growth of grasses and other plants that can help to increase water infiltration rates, which means that water can more easily penetrate the soil and replenish the groundwater supply.

However, when longleaf pine forests are replaced by oak forests, the water infiltration rate decreases, which can lead to decreased water availability and an increase of flooding events. Oak forests are typically denser and have a more closed canopy, which can intercept more rainfall and further reduce the amount of water that reaches the ground.

The floor of an oak forest is has much denser vegetation than a pine savannah.

How Leaves Affect Water Supply

Pine leaves and oak leaves have different physical characteristics that can affect water infiltration rates. Pine needles are typically smaller and more compact than oak leaves. This means that they take up less space and leave more room for water to seep into the soil. In addition, pine needles tend to decompose more slowly than oak leaves, which means that they can provide a longer-lasting source of organic matter which helps build up soil structure and increase water infiltration rates over time.

Oak leaves, on the other hand, tend to be larger and flatter than pine needles. They create a thicker layer of organic matter on the soil surface, which can impede water infiltration, especially if the leaves are compacted or matted down.

These changes in hydrology can have a variety of downstream effects on ecosystems and human communities in Florida. Reduced water infiltration can lead to decreased groundwater recharge and lower streamflow, which can impact the availability of water for agriculture, industry, and human consumption. These changes alter the the hydrology of an area, and disrupt natures ability to cycle nutrients and store carbon.

Botanist Dr. Francis Putz discusses how forests can affect water supply.

There is much less ground cover on the floor of a longleaf pine savannah; water is able to seep into the ground water more easily.