With over 180 different invasive species in the Great Lakes watershed, staying on top of new invasions and striving to prevent future ones is essential to the Great Lakes community. Ohio Sea Grant continues to study these invasives, funds researchers who do the same, and educates the public on how and why to stop their spread.
CURRENT
Projects
CURRENT PROJECTS
Effects of nutrients on invasive Flowering Rush in Lake Erie diked wetlands
RECORD:
R/ER-132-PDPrincipal Investigator:
Helen Michaels, Associate Professor, BGSU Department of Biological Sciences
Institution:
Bowling Green State University
RELEVANCE: Flowering Rush, an invasive plant species, has formed large stands along Ohio waterways that crowd out native plants and cover previously open waters. This dense vegetation can deplete fish habitat and damage the native ecosystem. Literature on other invasive plants like cattails suggests that management of nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen could control these invasives better than current approaches like diking or herbicide application.
RESPONSE: To understand if nutrients are contributing to the spread of Flowering Rush, researchers documented the abundance of native and invasive plants across the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. They also measured the production of rhizome buds, which can disperse Flowering Rush to new locations.
RESULTS: Preliminary analysis found Flowering Rush at 55% of randomly sampled locations, with large variation in plant density. Sampling and analysis continue to link the plant's presence and bud production to sediment nutrient levels and water depth.
BOTTOM LINE
Invasive Flowering Rush crowds out native plants and damages fish habitat in Ohio wetlands. Researchers are examining the role of nutrients in the plant's growth and spread, to potentially better manage and control this invasive species.
Trace Element Uptake in Grass Carp Otoliths
RECORD:
R/ER-131-PDPrincipal Investigator:
John Farver, Associate Professor, BGSU Department of Geology
Institution:
Bowling Green State University
RELEVANCE: There is great concern regarding the potential invasion of Asian carp species into the Great Lakes, and the resulting impact they will have on native fishes and the ecosystem. Grass carp pose an immediate concern for Lake Erie because they could cause extensive damage to existing and recently re-established wetlands. Recent studies indicate that fertile grass carp are present in the Sandusky River, and any remedial actions to suppress or eliminate an invading population requires early rapid identification of where the fish came from.
RESPONSE: Scientists will use trace metals in otoliths - the ear bones that can provide a life history including birthplace and migration for each fish - from invasive Asian grass carp to determine where they spawned and hatched. This will allow management agencies to focus their eradication and barrier efforts on the most successful, and most likely to lead to invasion, spawning locations near Lake Erie.
RESULTS: The study is ongoing.
BOTTOM LINE
Researchers will use trace metal signatures in Asian carp ear bones (otoliths) to track their spawning grounds. Knowing where potentially invading populations came from, and focusing management efforts there, could help address and prevent another dangerous Lake Erie invasion by non-native species.
Design and implementation of aquatics based after school program at PAST Innovation Lab
RECORD:
E/E-006-PDPrincipal Investigator:
Andrew Bruening, Director of Bridge Programs, The PAST Foundation
Institution:
RELEVANCE: After-school programs can be a great way for students to expand their knowledge of aquatic biology and environmental science, but many currently available options can be overwhelming for middle-school students and younger children.
RESPONSE: A seven-week after-school program for middle school students was designed to introduce them to hands-on activities, field sampling and identification techniques, as well as build student confidence.
RESULTS: Participants confidently showed what they had learned during an “open house” that included required presentations to parents and other guests. They were also familiar with local macroinvertebrate identification and water quality testing, and better prepared to participate in additional field studies like summer camps.
BOTTOM LINE
A hands-on after-school program was developed to increase middle school students' ability to participate confidently in field studies and other learning experiences outside the classroom.
Investigating Temporal and Spatial Variability of Streamflow and Salinity Level in the Mentor Marsh Watersheds for Phragmites Control and Ecological Benefit
RECORD:
R/ES-024-PDPrincipal Investigator:
Suresh Sharma, Assistant Professor, YSU Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Institution:
RELEVANCE: Elevated salinity levels in Mentor Marsh allowed invasion by Phragmites, significantly altering the marsh habitat and leading to an increase in brush fires. In addition to the invasive plant, flooding has also caused stress for marsh vegetation and its inhabitants, leading to an overall decrease in the economic value of the area for ecotourism activities such as birdwatching.
RESPONSE: Researchers are trying to quantify the salinity coming from the marsh’s upstream tributaries to help stakeholders restore the marsh and harness its economic potential better. Two monitoring stations continuously keep track of water levels and salinity in the marsh, and a hydrological model establishes the correlation between streamflow from the marsh’s tributaries and salinity levels in the marsh.
RESULTS: Analysis and monitoring are ongoing, but results will inform restoration efforts and Phragmites control programs planned by the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and the Lake County Soil and Water Conservation District.
BOTTOM LINE
Deeper knowledge of the response of Phragmites, an invasive reed, to salinity levels in Mentor Marsh will inform restoration efforts that could increase the marsh’s value to ecotourism and improve the surrounding economy by increasing visitors.
Emerald ash borer tree mortality and invasive species penetration into forested wetlands in the Lake Erie coastal zone: developing habitat restoration priorities.
RECORD:
R/NIS-001-PDPrincipal Investigator:
Christopher Tonra, Assistant Professor of Avian Wildlife Ecology, OSU School of Environment & Natural Resources (SENR)
Institution:
RELEVANCE: The death of almost all North American ash trees from emerald ash borer will open up forest canopies, making it easier for exotic plants to invade the understory and negatively impacting wildlife. Forest understories are important habitat for wildlife species, and canopy cover helps to protect that habitat from invasive plants by limiting sunlight.
RESPONSE: An ongoing study is determining the impact of ash tree mortality on the structure of wet forests near Lake Erie, and to find out how changes will impact a migratory bird species, the Rusty Blackbird, which is currently declining in population. The impacts of opening the canopy from ash death on the plant composition of the understory may also affect how birds select the habitats they use. If we find birds avoiding areas with a lot of ash die-off, and resulting invasion by exotic plants, we would recommend habitat restoration actions to alleviate the problem.
RESULTS: We have collected vegetation data from 91 survey points and over 600 foraging points for Rusty Blackbirds. We have found patterns suggesting that opening of the canopy from ash die-off has welcomed exotic plants into the understory, to the detriment of native shrubs.
BOTTOM LINE
Invasive insects like the emerald ash borer have changed forest structures by killing trees, thereby increasing sunlight in the understory and creating a friendly environment for invasive plants. This has the potential to limit the amount of good habitat available to declining wildlife species.
A Tool For Predicting the Spread of Invasive Species by Ballast Water
RECORD:
R/GIS-003Principal Investigators:
Jonathan Bossenbroek, Associate Professor, UT Department of Environmental Sciences
Institution:
RELEVANCE: Aquatic invasive species in the Great Lakes are spread by a number of vectors including currents, recreational boats, and ships containing ballast. We created a user-friendly model that can be used in ArcGIS to predict the spread of invasive species via ballast water throughout the Great Lakes to aid managers in determine locations for monitoring and to better understand risk of future spread.
RESPONSE: We created our model using Python and ArcGIS. The model has been used to predict the spread of the fish disease, VHSv, and the spread of eurasian ruffe. We partnered with The Nature Conservancy (Lindsey Chadderton and Andrew Tucker), who used our results to identify locations to use eDNA to monitor for Eurasian ruffe. Ruffe eDNA was found in several of the predicted locations (Tucker et al. in prep).
RESULTS: Our model will be made publicly available and introduced to many state and federal AIS managers through our collaboration with the University of Notre Dame. We hope that these managers can further use our model to aid in their decision making.
BOTTOM LINE
We created a user-friendly model for ArcGIS that can be used to identify priority locations for the monitoring for aquatic invasive species in the Great Lakes and aid in management decisions.