Zachary Caple’s research examines the phosphate fertilizer industry and its transformation of the Central Florida ecoregion. Building on commodity chain analysis, he traces the social history of phosphate fertilizers from mine to farm but departs from these approaches in charting environmental modifications across the supply chain. In Central Florida, phosphate rock is mined, converted to fertilizer, and used abundantly in agriculture. He studies how mining alters ecological landscapes through earthmoving and waste disposal, and is particularly interested in landscapes made from waste clays and sands. In agricultural zones, phosphate fertilizers can induce abrupt transitions in species composition and water quality—a process known as eutrophication. He documents the eutrophication of Lake Apopka, a large shallow lake transformed by twentieth-century vegetable farms. Zachary’s thesis tackles three dimensions of phosphate fertilizer-related landscape change: 1) histories of mining, agriculture, and their environmental impact; 2) novel patterns of ecological succession, involving both native and exotic species, in industry-disturbed lands and waste formations; and 3) efforts of state environmental agencies and local advocates to restore pre-industrial conditions.