Introduction:

    Shark Slough is the main artery by which surface water sheetflow passes through the southern Everglades to Florida Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. The nature of water flow in Shark Slough has, over many centuries, yielded the linear vegetation pattern that epitomizes the Everglades.  This pattern consists of a series of slightly elevated strands of dense, tall sawgrass or woody vegetation, separated by lower, more open marsh communities, or “wet prairies”.  Shark Slough vegetation structure and dynamics have been examined by a number of researchers during the last half century (Kolipinski and Higer, 1969; Craighead, 1971; Hofstettter, 1976; Hofstetter and Pearson, 1976; Wade et al., 1980; Gunderson, 1994; Davis et al., 1994; Olmsted and Armentano, 1997).  For the most part, changes appear to be regional rather than Slough-wide, with sawgrass invading wet prairies in some places, dying back elsewhere, and being replaced by woody (sometimes non-native) plants in others yet.  As Everglades restoration proceeds, a more comprehensive and current view of the Shark Slough landscape is needed, along with a better understanding of the processes by which it has developed and is maintained.

     Below we report on research addressing several aspects of Shark Slough landscape ecology, carried out by a group of FIU scientists during 1997-2001.  The specific objectives of the study were:  (a) to examine associations between vegetation, hydrology, and soils in Shark Slough, (b) to assess historical changes in vegetation patterns, and (c) to establish a monitoring network that included previously sampled sites near the center of the Slough, as well as peripheral sites that may be more sensitive to future environmental alterations.  Our results are organized into the six separate but interdependent documents that follow.