RESTORATION REVISITED: COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF SOILS WITHIN A CREATED AND NATURAL WETLAND AT FLORIDA GULF COAST UNIVERSITY, FORT MYERS, FLORIDA

Natural wetlands at Florida Gulf Coast University serve as an important ecological resource and indicator to the campus’ ecosystem. As part of the University’s mitigation plan certain wetlands went through restoration to rid the campus of exotic vegetative species. One area south of the main entrance of campus underwent complete topsoil removal to recreate a wetland habitat (created site). While this restoration method has worked in past experiments in southern Florida, the native plant species in this crated site are unproductive. In order to see if soil quality is a key component in wetland productivity, the created site was compared to another site on campus that has received lesser amounts of modification (natural site located in the northern portion of campus). To complete the comparative analysis soil samples were taken at eight test sites in each wetland. The soil from the created wetland has less than one percent total organics (0.14% to 0.97%), a neutral pH, is well sorted, and has a sandy texture. The grain size, organics, and pH classify this wetland soil as a mineral soil. The natural site consists of a functioning wetland soil. This site contains a range of total organics (0.37% to 59.01%), a slightly acidic pH, and is predominantly poorly sorted. Four samples from the natural site have a sandy texture; three samples rich in organics are loamy sand; and, one sample is transitional between sand and loamy sand. Based on grain size, organics, and pH, four of the wetland soils in the natural site are mineral soils; one is a mucky mineral soil; and, three are organic soils. The soil type in this wetland follows a progression of mineral soils on the edges, mucky mineral soils as you move into the wetland, and organic soils in the center of the wetland. Our data suggests that a poorly sorted, organic rich soil will result in a productive wetland; while, a well sorted, organic deficient soil will result in a nonproductive wetland. We hypothesize that the hydroperiod of the created wetland could be affecting its soil quality. This research shows that these parameters continue to be effective when comparing the quality of wetland soils. Based on the results it is evident that soil quality is a key component in determining productivity of created wetlands at Florida Gulf Coast University.