Florida Coastal Everglades Long Term Ecological Research
Florida Coastal Everglades Long Term Ecological Research (LTER)


Map of the Florida Coastal Everglades LTER Program Study Area
Animated map (370KB)
Map of FCE LTER sites



Featured video:

Flying over Shark River Slough

Aerial view of Shark River Slough from a helicopter
See the Everglades ridge and slough landscape from a helicopter

Video courtesy of David Lagomasino





The Florida Coastal Everglades (FCE) LTER Program is part of the Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network established by the National Science Foundation in 1980. The FCE LTER Program was established in May of 2000 in south Florida, where a rapidly growing population of over 6 million people live in close proximity to - and in dependence upon - the Florida Everglades. The program is based at Florida International University and includes 75 senior scientists and 64 students from 29 institutions.

Research Focus
FCE research focuses on an area where freshwater and estuarine vegetation mix, or the "oligohaline ecotone". FCE researchers study how hydrology, climate, and human activities affect ecosystem and population dynamics in the ecotone and more broadly, the Florida Coastal Everglades.

We have made significant contributions to our understandings of:
  • Unique Nutrient Sources
  • Food Webs
  • Productivity Paradox
  • Productivity Gradients in Mangroves
  • Communication to Policymakers

    • News & Announcements

    Congratulations to High School junior Jamie Odzer, who won a $2000 award for the Best Overall Project in Ocean Science/Marine Geoscience from the Consortium for Ocean Leadership!

    Jamie won the award at the 2013 International Science and Engineering Fair, where she presented her FCE research "The Effect of Fire on the Community Structure of Macro-Invertebrates in a Compartmentalized Wetlands Ecosystem: Will wetlands restoration efforts reduce the anthropogenic intensification of environmental damage from natural disturbances?"




    Featured Work

    Key Findings:
    Unique Nutrient Sources

    FCE scientists discovered that, unlike in most coastal areas, the natural source of phosphorus (the nutrient that limits ecosystem productivity) for coastal Caribbean estuaries is seawater, not inland environments. This important finding has ramifications for both restoration and conservation and is informing decision making in coastal areas.

    More information...

    Marine sources of phosphorus enable mangrove forest canopy to reach 20m or more
    Marine sources of phosphorus enable the mangrove forest canopy to reach heights of 18m or more









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    National Science Foundation logo This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation through the Florida Coastal Everglades Long-Term Ecological Research program under Cooperative Agreements #DEB-1237517, #DBI-0620409, and #DEB-9910514. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
    Please address questions or comments about this website to: fcelter@fiu.edu.
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