Water Quality and Wet Season Diatom Assemblage Characteristics from the Tamiami Trail Pilot Swales Sites (Everglades National Park, Florida, USA)

摘要: A pivotal component of hydrological restoration the Florida Everglades is improvement water conveyance to National Park by degradation current network canals, roadways and levees. The Tamiami Trail (L29) road/canal complex represents a major barrier natural flows into park variety modification options for flow are currently being explored, including installation spreader swales immediately downstream culverts conveying under from L29 canal Park. In this study, we evaluated column chemistry wet-season diatom community structure provide baseline information use in future monitoring activities related proposed modifications. Water showed pronounced fluctuations response precipitation anthropogenically mediated events. Differences quality variables among sites were dampened during periods inundation, became more low stage, suggesting importance small-scale mechanisms isolation habitat patches. Diatom assemblages unexpectedly speciose (127 taxa 40 samples) compared typical assemblages, spatially heterogeneous associated with concentric areas dense vegetation culverts. We also observed significant compositional dissimilarities transects, indicating that culvert pool north transect substantially influenced propagule input north, while south compositionally similar sawgrass prairie communities. Central intermediate their counterparts. propose position spatial extent “transitional assemblage” sensitive indicator subtle environmental change