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

A study of the Tamiami Trail Pilot Swales Sites in Everglades National Park revealed that diatom assemblages were unexpectedly diverse, with 127 taxa identified across 40 samples, and exhibited significant spatial heterogeneity. This diversity was particularly pronounced near dense vegetation downstream of culverts, suggesting a transitional assemblage influenced by propagule input from the canal and surrounding areas. Water chemistry showed fluctuations in response to precipitation and hydrological events, with differences among sites becoming more apparent during low canal stages. The study proposes that this transitional diatom assemblage could serve as a sensitive indicator of environmental changes related to proposed Tamiami Trail modifications.

BRAMBURGER, A. J., MUNYON, J. W., & GAISER, E. E. (2013). Water Quality and Wet Season Diatom Assemblage Characteristics from the Tamiami Trail Pilot Swales Sites (Everglades National Park, Florida, USA). Phytotaxa, 127(1). https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.127.1.16