ABSTRACT
This chapter presents evidence of the relationships between environment, subsistence, and settlement pattern development of hunter-gatherer populations within the wetlands of east-central Florida, specifically, the freshwater lake-emergent marsh and the lesser developed riparian ecosystems within the upper St. Johns River basin. It focuses on the environmental context of settlement location, changing subsistence patterns, increased productivity, and the shift toward sedentism. The structure and stability of the biological communities rests on the interaction of topography, soils, geomorphology, and rainfall. East-Central Florida lies within the Coastal Lowlands physiographic province which borders the entire coast of Florida. It is generally accepted that the Holocene was a period marked by increased precipitation and sea level rise. Marsh communities are an open expanse of grasses, sedges, rushes, and herbaceous plants, and are classified according to dominant vegetation. The limnetic zone of lakes and ponds is the open, upper surface of deep water and extends to the depth of light penetration.
