Chemical characterization of soil organic matter in an oligotrophic, subtropical, freshwater wetland system: Sources, diagenesis and preservation

Freshwater wetland soils of the Everglades were studied in order to assess present environmental conditions and paleo-environmental changes using organic geochemistry techniques. Organic matter in dominant vegetation, peat and marl soils was characterized by geochemical means. Samples were selected along nutrient and hydrology gradients with the objective to determine the historical sources of organic matter as well as the extent of its preservation. Effective molecular proxies were developed to differentiate the relative input of organic matter from different biological sources to wetland soils. Thus historical vegetation shifts and hydroperiods were reconstructed using those proxies. The data show good correlations with historical water management practices starting at the turn of the century and during the mid 1900's. Overall, significant shortening of hydroperiods during this period was observed. The soil organic matter (SOM) preservation was assessed through elemental analysis and molecular characterizations of bulk 13C stable isotopes, solid state 13C NMR spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy, and tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide (TMAH) thermochemolysis-GC/MS. The relationship of the environmental conditions and degradation status of the soil organic matter (SOM) among the sites suggested that both high nutrient levels and long hydroperiod favor organic matter degradation in the soils. This is probably the result of an increase in the microbial activity in the soils which have higher nutrient levels, while longer hydroperiods may enhance physical/chemical degradation processes. The most significant transformations of biomass litter in this environment are controlled by very early physical/chemical processes and once the OM is incorporated into surface soils, the diagenetic change, even over extended periods of time is comparatively minimal, and SOM is relatively well preserved regardless of hydroperiod or nutrient levels. SOM accumulated in peat soils is more prone to continued degradation than the SOM in the marl soils. The latter is presumably stabilized early on through direct air exposure (oxidation) and thus, it is more refractory to further diagenetic transformations such as humification and aromatization reactions.

Application of biomarkers and compound specific stable isotopes for the assessment of hydrology as a driver of organic matter dynamics in the Everglades ecosystem

The Everglades is a sub-tropical coastal wetland characterized among others by its hydrological features and deposits of peat. Formation and preservation of organic matter in soils and sediments in this wetland ecosystem is critical for its sustainability and hydrological processes are important divers in the origin, transport and fate of organic matter. With this in mind, organic matter dynamics in the greater Florida Everglades was studied though various organic geochemistry techniques, especially biomarkers, bulk and compound specific δ13C and δD isotope analysis. The main objectives were focused on how different hydrological regimes in this ecosystem control organic matter dynamics, such as the mobilization of particulate organic matter (POM) in freshwater marshes and estuaries, and how organic geochemistry techniques can be applied to reconstruct Everglades paleo-hydrology. For this purpose organic matter in typical vegetation, floc, surface soils, soil cores, and estuarine suspended particulates were characterized in samples selected along hydrological gradients in the Water Conservation Area 3, Shark River Slough and Taylor Slough. ^ This research focused on three general themes: (1) Assessment of the environmental dynamics and source-specific particulate organic carbon export in a mangrove-dominated estuary. (2) Assessment of the origin, transport and fate of organic matter in freshwater marsh. (3) Assessment of historical changes in hydrological conditions in the Everglades (paleo-hydrology) though biomarkes and compound specific isotope analyses. This study reports the first estimate of particulate organic carbon loss from mangrove ecosystems in the Everglades, provides evidence for particulate organic matter transport with regards to the formation of ridge and slough landscapes in the Everglades, and demonstrates the applicability of the combined biomarker and compound-specific stable isotope approach as a means to generate paleohydrological data in wetlands. The data suggests that: (1) Carbon loss from mangrove estuaries is roughly split 50/50 between dissolved and particulate carbon; (2) hydrological remobilization of particulate organic matter from slough to ridge environments may play an important role in the maintenance of the Everglades freshwater landscape; and (3) Historical changes in hydrology have resulted in significant vegetation shifts from historical slough type vegetation to present ridge type vegetation. ^