Wetland Ecology

Wetlands bring aquatic and terrestrial species together in dynamic ecosystems that are vibrant but vulnerable. We are the leaders in studying the Florida Everglades, a unique wetland habitat and vital natural resource. The Everglades is the site of one of the largest environmental restoration projects, and our research provides crucial knowledge that will help to protect the species that live in the “River of Grass” as well as the millions of people who depend on the Everglades for drinking water and protection from hurricanes.

Our wetland research covers all scales, from molecular to the whole landscape. FIU scientists are improving processes for detecting trace pollutants in the water; identifying species of microscopic diatoms that help maintain the ecosystem; and studying the distribution of species across the wetlands. We are also investigating processes such as sea level rise and saltwater intrusion which threaten the wetlands’ balance of nutrients and organisms. Our findings, representing decades of work in the field and the lab, are vital to our understanding of the Everglades and other wetlands around the world.

Students, Volunteers and Community Members: Get Involved 

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  Resilience of the Mangrove Coast

  Our researchers explore the drivers of degradation to mangrove ecosystems in Florida’s Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and Puerto Rico’s Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.

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  Hurricane Irma Effects on Florida Everglades Mangroves

  Hurricane Irma did a lot of damage to the Everglades ecosystem. Much of this damage we are still assessing today. Our scientists are exploring the impact that hurricanes have on the Everglades.

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  Mangrove Roots and the Everglades

  Mangrove ecosystems are threatened by climate change and poor water management practices, but these ecosystems are critical to our planet's survival. Our researchers are working to understand how mangrove roots withstand critical stressful conditions under current and future environmental changes. 

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  CREST Center for Aquatic Chemistry and Environment

  Our CREST Center for Aquatic Chemistry and Environment explores the challenges that the Everglades and other wetland ecosystems experience in the face of climate change, including impacts of hurricanes, contaminants and pollutants or water flow management.

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  Florida Coastal Everglades LTER

  In our Florida Coastal Everglades Long Term Ecological Research Program, researchers examine how climate change and disturbances interact with shifting management of freshwater resources to determine the dynamics and fate of coastal wetland ecosystem properties, functions and services to people.

Research Groups

Faculty-led research groups sustain our discoveries and impacts.

• Briceno Lab for Water Quality Monitoring
• Fourqurean Lab for Seagrass Ecosystems Research
• Gaiser Lab for Aquatic Ecology
• Gann Lab for Spatial Ecology
• Gardinali Lab for Environmental Analysis Research
• Heithaus Lab for Marine Community and Behavioral Ecology
• Kominoski Lab for Ecosystem Ecology
• Liu Lab for Plant Conservation
• Malone Lab for Disturbance Ecology
• Price Lab for Hydrogeology
• Rehage Lab for Coastal Fish Ecology and Fisheries
• Ross Lab for South Florida Terrestrial Ecosystems
• Scinto Lab for Freshwater Biogeochemistry
• Troxler Lab for Wetland Ecosystems Research
• Valverde Lab for Tropical Root Ecosystem & Ecology

All Research Groups