POSTER PRESENTER: http://tinyurl.com/2024WSC-Winowiski CO-AUTHORS: Maja Petros and Todd Levine, Carroll University; Suzanne Joneson, UW-Milwaukee at Waukesha TITLE: Impact of invasive buckthorn on the soil mycobiome surrounding wetlands ABSTRACT: Fungi are important components of ecosystems, e.g. forming symbiotic relationships with plants, regulating decomposition, and influencing carbon cycling. Fungi are an under-studied group, partially because they are difficult to see and identify. Invasive species may exert profound impacts on the structure and function of ecosystems. Putatively allelopathic chemicals produced by buckthorn (Rhamnus spp.) may have wide-ranging effects on many taxa. We used a metagenomics approach to obtain sequences representing the soil fungal community to test the hypothesis that the fungi are impacted by the presence or absence of buckthorn. Prairie Springs Environmental Education Center and Genesee Oak Openings in southeastern Wisconsin have buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) stands of varying ages and fens that have remained uninvaded. In summer 2023, we collected soil samples from the first 5 inches of soil at sites in these areas representing a range of restored habitats on a continuum from bare ground in newly cleared areas to areas where native plant communities have been re-established. We have sequenced the fungal metagenome and collected standard physical/chemical data for each site. As we continue analyzing the processed metagenomic data, we predict that the fungal community will differ between areas impacted and those not impacted by invasive buckthorn with lower fungal species diversity in areas impacted by buckthorn. We also expect altered fungal species composition. We present preliminary results from sequencing the mycometagenome. This information will allow conservation efforts to consider the fungal community in order to attain a more complete full-ecosystem restoration, e.g. determining whether soil transplants are needed. BIO: Sophia Winowiski is a junior at Carroll University in Waukesha, WI, majoring in environmental science and minoring in public health and political science. She has engaged in numerous restoration efforts throughout Wisconsin, most recently focusing on the wetlands of her university’s field station. Upon graduating, Sophia plans to pursue a master's degree within the field of environmental science.