POSTER PRESENTER: http://tinyurl.com/2024WSC-Bednard TITLE: Assessing biochar’s influence on soil nutrients and native plants in Great Lakes coastal wetlands ABSTRACT: Native species in Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands (GLCWs) are threatened by rampant invasion of aggressive species such as Typha angustifolia. Anthropogenic activity alters GLCW ecosystems through nutrient runoff that results in eutrophication, creating favorable conditions for aggressive plant invaders. An emerging mitigation strategy to address invasion via pollutant and macronutrient capture is the application of the soil amendment product, biochar. Research suggests that biochar has the potential to remove nutrients and pollutants from soils and thus mitigate invasive growth. However, little research has been done on GLCW native response to the addition of biochar. This project addresses how 2 common GLCW native species, Schoenoplectus acutus and Juncus nodosus, respond under the stress of biochar compared to the invasive cattail, Typha angustifolia. Experimental conditions replicate GLCW ecosystems in which biochar is utilized to inhibit the spread of invasive Great Lakes species in order to assess whether or not native growth and survival is impacted. A wetland soil mixture was used as a mesocosm substrate in two gallon buckets. Following soil addition, commercially available wood-derived biochar was mixed in respective pots (0 T/ha, 50T/ha), and two plugs of each wetland plant species were grown in each pot. Flooded conditions were maintained in the buckets to mimic wetland saturation conditions. After 12 weeks, plant survival, total biomass, soil, and plant nutrient content will be assessed. Data had not yet been analyzed at the time of this writing. Project results can subsequently be used to inform land managers about the survivorship of native wetland plants, allowing them to mitigate invasion without harming native species. BIO: Eva Bednard has participated in research of Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands during her time as an undergrad at Loyola. In early 2023, Eva earned the Mulcahy Fellowhip offered through the College of Arts and Sciences. The fellowship funded her research project, which focused on the impacts of biochar on native species in Great Lakes Wetland ecosystems.