Water source Water source impacts the hydroperiod as well as the nutrient concentration, water flow rate, and especially the pH. Compared to river floodplains and groundwater fed swamps, rain fed swamps typically have a lower nutrient content. Groundwater supplied swamps usually increase the hydroperiod because of the more reliable source of water. Temperature Temperature acts on the forested wetland mainly by affecting the species composition. Warmer temperatures of southern Florida result in a more tropical vegetation. The temperature of a particular swamp is not only dependent on local climate conditions, but also on microclimatic conditions of the site.
Water is excellent at storing heat.
In swamps which are inundated with water during the colder months, the warms water might actually buffer a forest against freezing temperatures for a short period of time, thus preventing damage to tropical species. This protection is influenced by factors such as flow rate and water depth, as well as being influenced by characteristics of the forest such as canopy closure and density. In general, wetland communities are more protected from freeze events which limit the distribution of tropical plant species, thus the diversity of tropical species in Florida's wetland communities often exceeds most other types of ecosystems in the state. As previously discussed, the variety of factors affecting Florida's forested wetland communties leads to an incredible diversity of communitity structures, including the 13 outlined in the table above. In addition to the knees of the cypress tree, they also exhibit varying degrees of buttressing which help steady the tall structure in the inundated environment.