Decomposition of Cladium jamaicense and Eleocharis spp. in the ecotone regions of Taylor Slough and Shark River Slough

Gustavo Rubio
Florida Coastal Everglades LTER
Florida International University
Miami, FL 33199

Abstract: A project that combines science and technology can obtain superior results than one that just includes one or the other. This project is set to mix science and technology to measure the ecosystem process of decomposition for two predominant macrophytes species Cladium jamaicense and Eleocharis spp... The project is to take place in the ecotone regions of Shark River Slough and Taylor Slough located in the Everglades National Park (ENP). The ecotone regions of both sloughs experience a mixing between fresh water and salt water that makes them unique from all the other regions found in the sloughs. Decomposition rates for Cladium jamaicense and Eleocharis spp. will be measured by using litter bags which contains dead plant material for both species. Litter bags will experience three different treatments 1) open air to account for decomposition of leaves before they are shed by the plant, 2) soil surface to account for decomposition once the leaves have been shed by the plant and reach the soil surface, and 3) macroinvertebrates in which the mesh size of the litter bags will be bigger to allow macroinvertebrates in the bags.Three bags from each treatment will be collected after 0, 1, 2, 4 ,6, 12, and 18 months. The technology aspect of the project will be dealt by using remote sensing. More specifically two scenes form NASA Airborne Visible InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) hyperspectral sensor will be used to measure nitrogen and lignin content, which are important components that determine leaf litter decomposition, in dead Cladium jamaicense leaves for both ecotone regions. The results of this project propose to be accurate and useful for management and restoration project that are being done in the ENP.