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M710 Cladium mariscus - Eleocharis cellulosa - Panicum hemitomon Marsh Macrogroup
Type Concept Sentence: Freshwater marsh communities of this macrogroup encompass south Florida''s freshwater marshes and wet prairies, flooded open palm savannas from Cuba, grass marshes that are part of large coastal wetlands in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Trinidad, lowland depressional pondshore communities and communities under constant saturated conditions, such as waterfalls, rapids, and streams, in montane environments throughout the Caribbean islands.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Swamp Sawgrass - Gulf Coast Spikerush - Maidencane Marsh Macrogroup
Colloquial Name: Caribbean Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland
Hierarchy Level: Macrogroup
Type Concept: The mosaic formed in south Florida by freshwater marshes and wet prairies communities is determined by the amount of precipitation, the length of the hydroperiod, fine topographic gradients, substrate, and fire regime. Tall or short-statured sawgrass marsh, dominated by Cladium mariscus ssp. jamaicense is the most extensive community in the Everglades due to its ability to survive fire, low nutrient conditions and occasional freezing. Deeper marshes may support an array of emergent plants that includes sparse Cladium mariscus ssp. jamaicense, Panicum hemitomon, Rhynchospora tracyi, or Eleocharis cellulosa. Florida''s wet prairies in the Everglades (often referred to as "flats") are characterized by short emergent plants (mostly grasses), and are the transition zone between sawgrass areas and sloughs. Wet flats may be dominated by Eleocharis cellulosa, Rhynchospora tracyi, Pontederia cordata, or Panicum hemitomon. Wet marl prairie dominants may include one or more of the following: Eragrostis elliottii, Muhlenbergia filipes, Rhynchospora divergens, Schizachyrium rhizomatum, Schoenus nigricans, Spartina bakeri, and a short form of sawgrass. Wet prairies occur on higher and drier sites than marshes and sloughs, on both peat and marl soil; they dry out on an annual basis but require seasonal flooding with 6-10 months of standing water.
In the Greater Antilles, some characteristic freshwater marsh species include Cladium mariscus ssp. jamaicense, Cyperus spp., Eleocharis interstincta, Isoetes sp., Paspalum floridanum, Saccharum giganteum, Thalia geniculata, and Typha domingensis. These freshwater herbaceous wetlands are often associated with a body of freshwater such as a river, stream, lake, lagoon, or pond, or the wetland''s freshwater supply also can come from precipitation or groundwater upwelling. These marshes can be flooded for long periods of time or they may be inundated infrequently. Depending on their location with respect to the coast, some freshwater marshes can experience the influence of tides. The Copernicia or Sabal waterlogged savannas included in this macrogroup are secondary savannas that result from the frequent logging of timber species and fuel woods of the wooded swamps, followed by burning and grazing, a process which converts them into a Sabal wet grassland.
In the Greater Antilles, some characteristic freshwater marsh species include Cladium mariscus ssp. jamaicense, Cyperus spp., Eleocharis interstincta, Isoetes sp., Paspalum floridanum, Saccharum giganteum, Thalia geniculata, and Typha domingensis. These freshwater herbaceous wetlands are often associated with a body of freshwater such as a river, stream, lake, lagoon, or pond, or the wetland''s freshwater supply also can come from precipitation or groundwater upwelling. These marshes can be flooded for long periods of time or they may be inundated infrequently. Depending on their location with respect to the coast, some freshwater marshes can experience the influence of tides. The Copernicia or Sabal waterlogged savannas included in this macrogroup are secondary savannas that result from the frequent logging of timber species and fuel woods of the wooded swamps, followed by burning and grazing, a process which converts them into a Sabal wet grassland.
Diagnostic Characteristics: Communities within this macrogroup are generally vegetated by a diverse group of herbaceous plants, including grasses, sedges, rushes, swamp ferns, broad-leaved aquatic plants, and soft-stemmed aquatic plants such as cattails, arrowheads, pickerelweed and reeds, growing in water or wet soils.
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: No Data Available
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: In south Florida and much of the Caribbean, these are graminoid wetlands. The stature can vary from 20 cm to over 3 m tall.
Floristics: In south Florida, marsh communities include tall and short-statured Cladium mariscus ssp. jamaicense, Sagittaria lancifolia, and Pontederia cordata. Wet flats may be dominated by Eleocharis cellulosa, Rhynchospora tracyi, or Panicum hemitomon. In the absence of fire, portions of stands will become dominated by Salix caroliniana. Other aquatic and wetland plants that may be present include Bacopa caroliniana, Ceratophyllum demersum, Chara sp., Najas guadalupensis, Nuphar advena, Nymphaea odorata, Pistia stratiotes, Sagittaria lancifolia, Thalia geniculata, and Utricularia inflata. Ferns include Acrostichum danaeifolium, Nephrolepis exaltata, and Blechnum serrulatum. Grasses and graminoids may include Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani, Typha domingensis, and Zizaniopsis miliacea. Dominants of the wet marl flats may include Eragrostis elliottii, Muhlenbergia filipes (= Muhlenbergia sericea), Rhynchospora divergens, Schizachyrium rhizomatum, Schoenus nigricans, Spartina bakeri, and a short form of sawgrass. Marshes in depression ponds have some different plants; Aristida palustris is characteristic and possibly Hypericum fasciculatum, depending upon fire history. A large number of other wetland species may be present, such as Eriocaulon compressum, Eriocaulon decangulare, Rhexia cubensis, Rhynchospora filifolia, Rhynchospora inundata, Xyris elliottii, Xyris fimbriata, Xyris jupicai, and others. Patches of woody species, including Annona glabra, Cephalanthus occidentalis, Morella cerifera (= Myrica cerifera), and Salix caroliniana, are often scattered in deeper pockets of peat (FNAI 2010a).
Detailed information across much of the Caribbean is lacking. Some characteristic freshwater marsh species include Cladium mariscus ssp. jamaicense, Cyperus spp., Eleocharis interstincta, Isoetes sp., Montrichardia sp., Paspalum floridanum (= Paspalum giganteum), Phragmites sp., Saccharum giganteum (= Erianthus giganteus), Thalia geniculata, and Typha domingensis. The Copernicia or Sabal waterlogged savannas included in this macrogroup are secondary savannas that result from the frequent logging of timber species and fuel woods of the wooded swamps, followed by burning and grazing, a process which converts them into a Sabal wet grassland.
Detailed information across much of the Caribbean is lacking. Some characteristic freshwater marsh species include Cladium mariscus ssp. jamaicense, Cyperus spp., Eleocharis interstincta, Isoetes sp., Montrichardia sp., Paspalum floridanum (= Paspalum giganteum), Phragmites sp., Saccharum giganteum (= Erianthus giganteus), Thalia geniculata, and Typha domingensis. The Copernicia or Sabal waterlogged savannas included in this macrogroup are secondary savannas that result from the frequent logging of timber species and fuel woods of the wooded swamps, followed by burning and grazing, a process which converts them into a Sabal wet grassland.
Dynamics: The successional dynamics of the Everglades is controlled by the interaction of hydroperiod, fire frequency, degree of fire intensity, animal activity and drought. Alligator activity can also change the hydrology and nutrient status of sites and create ponds (Richardson 2000). Drought, absence of fire, or drainage allows the invasion of upland macrophytes, scrub and hardwood species, such as Salix caroliniana and eventually Acer rubrum. Across the Antilles the composition and dynamics of freshwater marshes is also controlled by hydroperiod, substrate, and drought seasonality; the influence of fire as part of the natural processes is not documented. The Copernicia or Sabal waterlogged savannas are the result of a "savannization" process of swamp forests that starts by logging of timber species and fuel woods turning the diverse swamps into a Sabal palm swamp, which by burning and grazing is converted into a Sabal wet grassland and eventually into a wet pasture with scattered Sabal palms (Borhidi 1988).
Environmental Description: Climate: Subtropical to tropical in the Antilles. Rainfall is higher in the summer than the winter. Given the wide geographic distribution of this macrogroup, mean annual precipitation and temperature vary greatly. In the Everglades over a 70-year period the median annual precipitation was 1336 mm with a low of 990 and a high of 1955 mm (Richardson 2000). The Caribbean islands also have a rainy season from May through October and a dry season during the winter of the Northern Hemisphere. Even during the rainy season, precipitation ranges vary depending on aspect (windward versus leeward sides of the islands), and on elevation, with contrasting annual rainfall amounts of over 3000 mm in mountainous areas and below 1000 mm in lowland leeward sides. Average daily temperatures are above 10oC, even in the winter, and from April through October the daily average is above 27oC. Hydroperiod ranges from 5-12 months; some marshes have a hydroperiod of 8-12 months. Seasonal droughts are also an important component of the dynamic processes.
Soil/substrate: The soils of the Everglades are primarily peats and mucks that have accumulated to a depth of 4 m in the north but are less than 20 cm deep in portions in the south. The other dominant soil type is a calcareous mud, formed by cyanobacteria that reprecipitate calcium carbonate, or marl, originally derived from the limestone substrate. This soil is highly alkaline and impermeable, sealing off the underlying limestone and causing water to pond during the wet season (Richardson 2000). In the Caribbean islands, several lowland wetlands have also developed on marine sediments of carbonated rocks with varying degrees of karstification and peat formation on top. Flooded palm savannas occur on poor sandy soils or lateritic soils with an impermeable layer close to the surface. As with the Florida freshwater wetlands, soils in the Caribbean wetlands are affected by the hydrogeological conditions, and the formation of peat is related to the duration and depth of flooding.
Soil/substrate: The soils of the Everglades are primarily peats and mucks that have accumulated to a depth of 4 m in the north but are less than 20 cm deep in portions in the south. The other dominant soil type is a calcareous mud, formed by cyanobacteria that reprecipitate calcium carbonate, or marl, originally derived from the limestone substrate. This soil is highly alkaline and impermeable, sealing off the underlying limestone and causing water to pond during the wet season (Richardson 2000). In the Caribbean islands, several lowland wetlands have also developed on marine sediments of carbonated rocks with varying degrees of karstification and peat formation on top. Flooded palm savannas occur on poor sandy soils or lateritic soils with an impermeable layer close to the surface. As with the Florida freshwater wetlands, soils in the Caribbean wetlands are affected by the hydrogeological conditions, and the formation of peat is related to the duration and depth of flooding.
Geographic Range: This macrogroup is found in southern Florida and across the Caribbean region.
Nations: BS,CU,DM,DO,GD,GP,HT,JM,MQ,MS,PR,TT,US,VC,VE,VG,VI
States/Provinces: FL
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.885033
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNR
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 2 Shrub & Herb Vegetation Class | C02 | 2 |
| Subclass | 2.C Shrub & Herb Wetland Subclass | S44 | 2.C |
| Formation | 2.C.3 Tropical Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Formation | F030 | 2.C.3 |
| Division | 2.C.3.Ef Caribbean-Mesoamerican Freshwater Marsh, Wet Meadow & Shrubland Division | D262 | 2.C.3.Ef |
| Macrogroup | 2.C.3.Ef.1 Swamp Sawgrass - Gulf Coast Spikerush - Maidencane Marsh Macrogroup | M710 | 2.C.3.Ef.1 |
| Group | 2.C.3.Ef.1.b Caribbean Freshwater Marsh Group | G470 | 2.C.3.Ef.1.b |
| Group | 2.C.3.Ef.1.d Swamp Sawgrass - Gulf Coast Spikerush - Tracy''s Beaksedge Freshwater Marsh Group | G129 | 2.C.3.Ef.1.d |
Concept Lineage: M041 was split into M710 and M711 (CJ 9-17-14)
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: > Saw Grass Marshes (Craighead 1971)
> Spike Rush Marshes (Craighead 1971)
= The Everglades (Gunderson and Loftus 1993)
= The Everglades (Southern Fen Peatland) (Richardson 2000)
> Spike Rush Marshes (Craighead 1971)
= The Everglades (Gunderson and Loftus 1993)
= The Everglades (Southern Fen Peatland) (Richardson 2000)
- Borhidi, A. 1988. Vegetation dynamics of the savannization process on Cuba. Vegetatio 77:177-183.
- Craighead, F. C., Jr. 1971. The trees of south Florida. Volume I. The natural environments and their succession. University of Miami Press, Coral Gables. 212 pp.
- Davis, J. H., Jr. 1943. The natural features of southern Florida, especially the vegetation, and the Everglades. Florida Department of Conservation, Geologic Survey. Geologic Bulletin No. 25. Tallahassee, FL.
- FNAI [Florida Natural Areas Inventory]. 2010a. Guide to the natural communities of Florida: 2010 edition. Florida Natural Areas Inventory, Tallahassee, FL. 228 pp. [https://fnai.org/naturalcommguide.cfm]
- Faber-Langendoen, D., J. Drake, S. Gawler, M. Hall, C. Josse, G. Kittel, S. Menard, C. Nordman, M. Pyne, M. Reid, L. Sneddon, K. Schulz, J. Teague, M. Russo, K. Snow, and P. Comer, editors. 2010-2019a. Divisions, Macrogroups and Groups for the Revised U.S. National Vegetation Classification. NatureServe, Arlington, VA. plus appendices. [in preparation]
- Gunderson, L. H., and W. F. Loftus. 1993. The Everglades. Pages 199-255 in: W. H. Martin, S. G. Boyce, and A. C. Echternacht, editors. Biodiversity of the southeastern United States: Lowland terrestrial communities. John Wiley and Sons, New York. 502 pp.
- Kushlan, J. A. 1990. Freshwater marshes. Pages 324-363 in: R. L. Myers and J. J. Ewel, editors. Ecosystems of Florida. University of Central Florida Press, Orlando.
- Richardson, C. J. 2000. Freshwater wetlands. Pages 448-499 in: M. G. Barbour and W. D. Billings, editors. North American terrestrial vegetation. Second edition. Cambridge University Press, New York. 434 pp.