Course: Advanced Wetlands Ecology, WIS 6444
Dr. Wiley Kitchens wiley01@ufl.edu
Courtesy Professor
Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
Course Webpage http://www.wec.ufl.edu/faculty/kitchensw/CoursePage.htm
Zach Welch TA zachw@ufl.edu
Maximum class size 12 students
Requirements: Consent of the instructor, Wetlands ecology (EES 6308c)
Course Schedule: Summer C (unless otherwise specified)
Thursday 1:00 – 4:00 pm
Friday 1:00 – 2:00 pm
Course Description:
This course examines the major wetland systems in North America. The goal is to develop a
comprehensive understanding of wetland systems through an individual and comparative
examination of the following:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
ecosystem geologic ontogeny,
surface and ground water hydrology,
soil and water chemistries,
vegetation matrix composition,
faunal associations, and
ecological processes critical to the systems evolution and continued stability.
Particular emphasis will be placed on issues associated with competing demands for the use of
wetlands and their resources. The course will utilize the community profile series published by
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and selected scientific publications as the primary information
source for lecture materials. Students will be required to develop summations for assigned
profiles and other significant referenced materials and present these reviews to the class. The
responsible student and the instructor will lead a class discussion on the appropriate topic. The
course includes required field trips: 2 day trips to local systems, and 2 long weekend multi-night
trips. The course will require wetlands ecology as a prerequisite and will be designed as a
companion or follow-up course to wetland ecology.
The course is designed to be a four hour course. Admission is for graduate students only. The
grading structure is as follows:
class participation...................................10%
lecture presentation, preparation.............20%
final exam...............................................70%
SYLLABUS
Week 1
 Monday (May 14)
o Introduction
o Scheduling
 Thursday (May 17) Reading
o The Ecology of Intertidal Flats of North Carolina (Wiley)
o Ecology of Intertidal Oyster Reefs of the South Atlantic Coast (Zach)
o The Influence of Deposit-feeding Organisms on Sediment Stability and
Community Trophic Structure (Thea)
 Friday (May 18)
o No Class
Week 2
 Thursday (May 24)
o Class moved to next Tues and Wed (29th-30th)
Week 3
 Tuesday (May 29) Reading
o The Ecology of Regularly Flooded Salt Marshes of New England
o Tidal Salt Marshes of the Southeastern Atlantic Coast
 Wednesday (May 30) Reading
o The Ecology of Tidal Freshwater Marshes of the U.S. East Coast
 Thursday (May 31) Reading
o The Ecology of Bottomland Hardwood Swamps of the Southeast
o Ecology of Southeastern Shrub Bogs (Pocosins) and Carolina Bays
 Friday thru Monday (June 1-4) Field Trip
o Friday – no class, leave G’ville Friday 4 pm from N-Z parking lot
o Saturday - tour Savannah River, tidal fresh - salt
o Sunday - tour Four-Hole Swamp and Congaree Swamp
o Monday - drive back from Columbia, SC
Week 4
 Wednesday (June 6) Reading – Class moved to Wed-Thur
o The Ecology of Delta Marshes of Coastal Louisiana
 Thursday (June 7) Reading
o The Ecology of San Francisco Bay Tidal Marshes
o The Ecology of Southern California Salt Marshes
Week 5
 Thursday (June 14) Reading
o Prairie Basin Wetlands of the Dakotas
o Playa Wetlands and Wildlife on the Southern Great Plains (to be provided)
 Friday (June 15)
o No Class
Week 6
 Thursday (June 21) Reading
o The Ecology of Tundra Ponds of the Arctic Coastal Plain
o The Ecology of the Patterned Boreal Peatlands of Northern Minnesota
 Friday (June 22)
o Riparian Ecosystems: Their Ecology and Status (to be provided)
Week 7 No Class (Summer Break June 25-29)
Week 8
 Thursday (July 5)
o The Ecology of Hydric Hammocks
o The Ecology of Irregularly Flooded Salt Marshes of the Northeastern Gulf of
Mexico
 Friday (July 6) Day Field Trip
o No class, leave for Cedar Key in the am, tour hydric hammocks
Week 9
 Thursday (July 12) Reading
o The Ecology of Eelgrass Meadows of the Atlantic Coast
o The Ecology of Seagrass Meadows of the West Coast and South Florida (to be
provided)
 Friday (July 13) Day Field Trip
o No class, leave for Steinhatchee early am, bring snorkel gear and sunscreen
Week 10
 Thursday (July 19) Reading
o The Ecology of Mangroves of South Florida
o The Effect of Altered Hydrology on the Ecology of the Everglades
 Friday (July 20) Reading
o More Everglades Readings
Week 11
 Thursday (July 26) Reading
o The South Florida Environment
o Loveless/Fredrick/Kitchens
 Friday thru Monday (July 27-30) Field Trip
o Friday – no class, leave for S FL noonish
o Saturday – possible aerial tour
o Sunday – airboat tour and subsequent repair
o Monday – drive back
Week 12
 Thursday (August 2)
o Review for Final Exam
 Friday (August 3) No Class
Week 13
 Thursday (August 9)
o Final Exam
General Supplementary Reading
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Baumann, R. H., and R. E. Turner. 1990. Direct impacts of outer continental shelf activities on wetland loss in the
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Bayley, P. B. 1995. Understanding large river-floodplain ecosystems. BioScience 45:153-158.
Bertness, M. D. 1992. The ecology of a New England salt marsh. American Scientist 80:260-268.
Bolin, E. G., L. H. Smith, and H. L. Scramm, Jr. 1989. Playa lakes: Prairie wetlands of the Southern High Plains.
BioScience 39:615-623.
Bowden, W. B. 1984. Nitrogen and phosphorous in the sediments of a tidal freshwater marsh in Massachusetts
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Bowden, W. B., C. J. Vorosmarty, J. T. Morris, B. J. Peterson, J. E. Hobbie, P. A. Steudler, and B. Moore. 1991.
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Bridgham, S. D., S. P. Faulkner, and C. J. Richardson. 1991. Steel rod oxidation as a hydrologic indicator in
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Brinson, M. M. 1993b. Changes in the functioning of wetlands along environmental gradients. Wetlands 13:65-64.
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