Several different ecosystems are found in South Florida: pinelands, hammocks, tree islands, mangroves and several others. My laboratory has done considerable research on the ecophysiology of plants from several of these ecosystems. We have, for example, observed that hardwood hammocks in the Florida Keys can be sustained in a small freshwater lens above highly saline ocean water. A similar dynamics has also been observed in the mainland hardwood hammocks. Trees in these hammocks will preferentially use surface litter water during the wet season, whereas pineland trees tend to tap on the water table pretty much all year round. Another important ecosystem issue in South Florida is the presence of invasive exotics such as Brazilian Pepper, Australian Pine and several others. Sharon Ewe my previous graduate student has researched the physiology of Schinus terebinthifolius (Brazilian pepper) in comparison with freshwater plants and mangroves. She found that Schinus seems to have greater saline tolerance and physiological aspects similar to some mangrove species. This in part may explain why it is often found in the ecotones between hammocks and mangroves. Yet another important and surprising aspect related to urban expansion in South Florida is the issue of water. One may think that with the abundant water supply, water issues will not limit urban expansion. In fact, ecosystems such as those found in the Everglades require an abundant water supply to maintain them. Dr.Helena Solo's laboratory in conjunction with my laboratory used stable isotope tracers to determine whether wellfields at the edge of the Everglades National Park are indeed tapping water from the Everglades.

Sample Publications

Ewe SML, Sternberg L da SL., Busch D. Water-use patterns of woody species in the pineland and hammock communities of South Florida. Forest Ecology and Management 118:139-148. 1999.

Ewe SML, Sternberg L da SL. Growth and gas exchange responses of Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius) and native South Florida species to salinity. Trees 19: 119-128. 2005.

Wilcox WM, Solo-Garbriele HM, Sternberg L O'R. Use of stable isotopes to quantify flows between the Everglades and urban areas in Miami-Dade County Florida. Journal of Hydrology 293: 1-9. 2005.

Anderson WT, Sternberg L da SL, Pinzon MC, Gann-Troxler T, Childers DL, Duever M. Carbon isotopic composition of cypress trees from South Florida and changing hydrological conditions. Dendrochronologia 23: 1-10. 2005.

Greaver T. L. & Sternberg L. da S. L. Linking marine resources to ecotonal shifts of water uptake by terrestrial dune vegetation. Ecology 87: 2389-2396. 2006.

Greaver T. L. & Sternberg L. da S. L. Fuctuating deposition of ocean water drives plant function on coastal sand dunes. Global Change Biology 13: 216-223. 2007.

Ewe S. M. L., Sternberg L. da S. L. & Childers D. L. Seasonal plant water uptake patterns in the saline southeast Everglades ecotone. Oecologia 152: 2463-2473. 2007.

Lin YM & Sternberg L. da S. L. Nitrogen and phosphorus dynamics and nutrient resorption of Rhizophora mangle leaves in South Florida, USA. Bulletin of Marine Science 80: 159-169. 2007

Sternberg L. da S.L., Teh S. Y., Ewe S. M. L., Miralles-Wilhelm F. and DeAngelis D. L. Competition between hardwood hammocks and mangroves. Ecosystems 10: 648-660. 2007.

Teh S.Y, DeAngelis D. L., Sternberg L. da S.L., Miralles-Wilhelm F. R., Smith T. J., Koh H-L. A simulation model for projecting changes in salinity concentrations and species dominance in the coastal margin habitats of the Everglades. Ecological Modelling 213: 245-256. 2008.

Saha AK, Sternberg L da SL, Miralles-Wilhelm F. Linking water sources with foliar nutrient status in upland communities. Ecohydrology 2: 42-54. 2009.