Maintaining Tree Islands in the Everglades

Maintaining Tree Islands in the Everglades
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The article in question discusses the changes that have occurred in the Tree Islands. These are a group of islands that are on the strip of Florida’s peninsula (Wetzel et al., 2005). The area is covered by vegetation and receives a high annual precipitation level. However, some of the islands have already disappeared. The changes in the hydrological patterns of the area are the chief cause of the changes. Currently, there is a lot of evapotranspiration that occurs from the trees in the area. This creates a deficit in its underground water levels in comparison to nearby marshlands. When this happens, water from the nearing environs flows into the Tree Islands together with dissolved minerals. Evapotranspiration does not take away minerals from the soil. On the contrary, it makes the minerals more concentrated. Together with other events such as deposition from birds and plants, the Tree Islands have an increased level of Phosphorus(Wetzel et al., 2005). Excessive availability of one nutrient limits the availability of other nutrients. It also changes the chemical characteristics of the soil. This has resulted in vegetation death and consequently the disappearance of various islands.
A biogeochemical hotspot is an area that has a relatively higher concentration of various minerals in comparison to the surrounding areas. This is mostly caused by a convergence of mineral pathways in an area. For the Tree Islands, this is believed to be a result of the underground flow of water.

Evapotranspiration caused a subsurface water gradient which increases the rate at which water flows from the neighbouring regions to the Florida Everglades. In addition to this, there is groundwater upwelling, the deposition of guano by animals and birds, the deposition rates of dry fallout which are higher than in other seasons, as well as the bedrock mineralization by tree exudates (Wetzel et al., 2005).
An ecosystem exists as a relationship between all the present elements. The elimination of one of these elements results in an ecological imbalance that could well lead to the diminishment of the other elements. This is what is happening to the Florida Everglades. Most of its meta-ecosystem has ceased. The size of the Tree Islands that is covered by vegetation has changed drastically. As a result of this, the marsh and slough ecosystems begin receiving more nutrients and become more productive. As they accumulate more organic matter, they change the marsh and slough topography which automatically alters the landscape complexity.
There is need to reestablish the Florida Everglades ecosystem. This should be done by reestablishing the lost vegetation and preserving what is already there (Wetzel et al., 2005). The process will restart normal levels of evapotranspiration and therefore draw nutrients towards the area and restore the normal roles of the Everglades. The region is essential because the region has been a phosphorus sink. Depositing phosphorous in the region maintains balance with the other areas and therefore ensures a balanced ecosystem.
I agree with the point of view that changes in hydrological patterns are the main contributing factor to vegetation change in the Everglades. Water is the main carrier of minerals. When it converges in an area, it is most likely to deposit a large number of nutrients in the area. However, I did not agree with some aspects of this theory. For example, the hydrological models explain that water flows from this region outwards. This water would then carry dissolved minerals with it to the coastlands. It, therefore, does not make sense that these areas store so much phosphorus.

References
Wetzel, P., van der Valk, A., Newman, S., Gawlik, D., Gann, T., & Coronado-Molina, C. et al. (2005). Maintaining Tree Islands in the Florida Everglades: Nutrient Redistribution Is the Key. Frontiers In Ecology And The Environment, 3(7), 370. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3868586