POSTER PRESENTER: http://tinyurl.com/2024WSC-Palmquist TITLE: Impact of hybrid cattail (Typha × glauca) on waterbird diversity at Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge ABSTRACT: Intact Great Lakes wetlands host diverse populations of waterbirds, provide food resources, and support breeding and migration. In the Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge (SNWR) [Saginaw County, MI], invasive hybrid cattail (Typha × glauca) has homogenized wetlands by suppressing diverse native plant communities. Responding positively to eutrophication and altered hydrology, Typha dominates throughout the region, limiting waterbird food resources. My research mentors have effectively managed Typha in a 3.28 ha plot via aboveground harvesting in North Marsh, SNWR, from 2016-2018. However, we need to understand the long-term response of waterbird usage after this Typha management. I will test the efficacy of this management to increase waterbird utilization four years after Typha harvesting. At three different sites (managed for Typha, Typha invaded, and a high-quality site), I remotely collected bird habitat occupancy using autonomous recording units (ARUs) and surveyed vegetation diversity surrounding each ARU. Each site contained 3 randomly distributed ARUs. I will assess waterbird diversity from the audio recordings with BirdNET technology and analyze species diversity in relation to vegetation; I will have preliminary results prepared by the conference. I expect that plant diversity—and likewise waterbird food resources—will be higher in the site managed for Typha compared to the invaded site. I hypothesize that the expected higher vegetation diversity in the managed site will correlate to a higher species diversity compared to the invaded site. The conclusions of this study will outline novel methods for bird surveys and evaluate the impact of restoration techniques for invasive Typha removal on native wildlife. BIO: Madeline Palmquist is an undergraduate student at Loyola’s School of Environmental Sustainability. She has worked with Loyola University of Chicago's Team Typha as an undergraduate researcher investigating invasive species management and biochar application in Great Lakes coastal wetlands. Her current research fellowship focuses on assessing the impact of invasive cattail on waterbird diversity.