GEER 2015 Greater Everglades Ecosystem Restoration Science in Support of Everglades Restoration April 21-23, 2015 Coral Springs, Florida USA www.conference.ifas.ufl.edu/GEER2015 About GEER estoration of the Greater Everglades has advanced significantly since the last GEER conference held in conjunction with INTECOL in 2012, and science in support of restoration has become even Rmore important to achieving restoration results. Significant challenges face society’s vision for restoration – altered hydrology, degraded water quality, invasions by non-native plants and animals, human development placing pressure on our remaining natural systems, and climate change. Despite these challenges, major restoration projects are planned and/or underway, including increased water storage, bridges on Tamiami Trail to restore flow, water quality improvement, and others. High- quality science relevant to these challenges and restoration efforts are required to provide resource managers and policy-makers with the best information possible. GEER 2015 will provide a valuable forum for scientists and engineers to showcase and communicate the latest scientific developments, and to facilitate information exchange that builds shared understanding among federal, state, local, and tribal scientists and decision-makers, academia, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, and private citizens. The conference organizers have worked hard to provide an excellent location and conference venue, three full days of plenary and contributed sessions, and opportunities for valuable interaction – all while minimizing travel, lodging, and meeting costs. Thank you for joining us and participating in GEER 2015’s dialogue to better understand and inform Everglades restoration! Welcome Letter IV A Tribute to Dr. G. Ronnie “The Very” Best VI GEER 2015 Conference Committees VIII GEER 2015 Session Organizers IX Sponsor Recognition X Pre-Conference Workshop XI Session Descriptions XIII Biographies XXIII Plenary Session Overviews XVIII Program Agenda and Schedule of Oral Presentations XXX Poster Display Information XXXIX Poster Directory & Full Author Recognition XLI Author Recognition of Oral Presentations LI Conference Abstracts 1 Author Index 338 Science in Support of April 21-23, 2015 GEER 2015 Coral Springs, FL USA Greater Everglades Ecosystem Restoration Everglades Restoration Welcome to GEER 2015, the Greater Everglades Ecosystem Restoration (GEER) Science Conference – the premier Everglades science conference since 2000. Coral Springs, the “city with everything under the sun,” provides a convenient and accessible location for this year’s event, encouraging wide participation from the south Florida and national Everglades science community. Restoration of the Greater Everglades has advanced significantly since the last GEER Conference held in conjunction with INTECOL in 2012. Science in support of Everglades restoration – this year’s conference theme – has become even more important to achieve and measure. Significant challenges face our vision for restoration: altered hydrology, degraded water quality, invasions by non-native plants and animals, human development placing pressure on our remaining natural systems, climate change, and sea level rise. Despite these challenges, major restoration projects are planned and/or underway, including increased water storage, bridges on Tamiami Trail to restore flow, expanded water quality projects to clean Everglades water, and others. High-quality science relevant to these challenges and the restoration efforts are required to provide resource managers and policy-makers with the best information possible. GEER 2015 provides a valuable forum for scientists, engineers, managers, and regulators to showcase and communicate the latest scientific developments, and to facilitate information exchange that builds shared understanding among federal, state, local, and tribal scientists, as well as decision-makers, academia, non- governmental organizations, the private sector, and private citizens. Initiated by the University of Florida-IFAS and the U.S. Geological Survey, GEER has become the preeminent Everglades science conference, bringing together scientists, engineers, natural resource managers, planners, and policy-makers from federal, state, and local government, tribes, academia, non- governmental organizations, industry groups, and the private sector. GEER 2015 presents a full program over three days – five concurrent sessions of oral presentations, three plenary sessions, and a poster session, all on aspects of Everglades science, representing many disciplines and sectors. The 90-minute plenary sessions begin each day of the conference and focus on three different topics. The first plenary session consists of viewpoints from policy-makers who will highlight the role of science in Everglades restoration and the challenges of communicating that science to decision- makers. The second plenary session occurs on Earth Day, and it encompasses a multi-faceted series IV of presentations from high-school students enrolled in South Plantation High School’s Environmental Science and Everglades Restoration Magnet Program. Expect an inspiring and invigorating session, with demonstrations on solar/engineering topics and precision agriculture, a panel discussion about current Everglades topics, an award-winning BioBlitz rap, and closing with a musical entertainment piece by the school’s drama program. The third plenary session provides perspectives from two eminent scientists, discussing institutional lessons learned from large-scale ecosystem restoration and sustainability science dimensions of ecosystem restoration. We wish to thank the members of the Program Committee, who spent considerable time developing the scientific program, seeking individuals to coordinate dedicated sessions, organizing individually submitted abstracts, and providing overall guidance to the conference. We also would like to thank our conference sponsors including our Primary Sponsoring Organizations, the United States Geological Survey and the National Park Service; our Premier Level Sponsors, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the South Florida Water Management District; and our Supporting Level Sponsors, Dewberry, the “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society, Eureka Water Probes, Florida International University Southeast Environmental Research Center, and OTT Hydromet. It would not be possible to have a conference of this caliber without their support. And last, but not least, we also thank Beth Miller-Tipton, Tamar Ditzian, and the skilled staff at the University of Florida’s Office of Conferences & Institutes for their work in organizing this year’s GEER Conference, as they have all previous years. The exceptional quality of their work is a key reason why GEER has become a much-anticipated and valuable feature of South Florida’s science community. We trust you will take advantage of every opportunity GEER 2015 provides to view posters, visit with exhibiting sponsors, attend program sessions, and make new connections. As Conference Co-Chairs and on behalf of the Program Committee and the Executive Committee, we welcome you to GEER 2015. We’re glad you could join us! Sincerely, Nick Aumen Ramesh Reddy Regional Science Advisor, Graduate Research Professor and Chair, Southeast Region, Soil and Water Science Department, United States Geological Survey Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS), University of Florida V GEER 2015 | Greater Everglades Ecosystem Restoration A Tribute to Dr. G. Ronnie “The Very” Best With deep appreciation for your many years of visionary guidance and contributions to wetland science and the Everglades, and for creating the Greater Everglades Ecosystem Restoration Conference. A prolific researcher and passionate Everglades restoration visionary, Dr. Ronnie Best conceived of the first Greater Everglades Ecosystem Restoration (GEER) Conference over fifteen years ago. As we all gather together again in 2015, it is fitting—if not long over- due—for us to dedicate this conference to him. Ronnie grew up in Augusta, GA and attended Richmond Academy. He received his BS from Augusta College, and his MS and Ph.D. degrees from University of Georgia. At the time, he was a staunch fan of the Georgia Bulldogs. But everything changed when he accepted a faculty position at the University of Florida, and became a Gator fan. He spent almost two decades at UF, serving as a member of the faculty of the Environmental Engineering Sciences Department and the Director of the Center for Wetlands and Water Resources. Ronnie now has a dual love for The Gators and The Dawgs, and he has lived with this happy contradiction over three decades. Unwilling to have his passion for either school wane, he became a Gator-Dawg to appease his love for both schools, regularly attending football games in a special shirt that showed his equal devotion to both schools. Dr. Best joined the federal service in 1995 as Branch Chief for the Wet- lands Ecology Branch of the USGS National Wetlands Research Center (NWRC) in Lafayette, LA. In 1997, he moved to South Florida to become the Coordinator of the USGS Greater Everglades Priority Ecosystems Science Program. Still maintaining his connections with the University of Florida, Dr. Best conceived of and initiated the first Greater Everglades Ecosystem Res- toration (GEER) Conference in 2000, and served as Organizing Com- mittee Chair of the past 6 GEERs (2000, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2012). The primary theme of these