July 2022 Wetland Science & Practice

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Wetland Science Practice published by the Society of Wetland Scientists

Vol. 40, No. 3 July 2022 ISSN: 1943-6254

INCLUDES ABSTRACTS FROM SWS PARTICIPATION IN THE 2022 JOINT AQUATIC SCIENCES MEETING

FROM XXXXXXTHE EDITOR’S DESK Now we’ve reached the midpoint of the year, things are beginning to feel more like normal for many of us. We just completed our annual meeting via live or virtual participation in the 2022 Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting. The July issue of WSP is largely dedicated to presenting abstracts from our annual meeting, so this year it includes abstracts from presentations that our Ralph Tiner members delivered.

WSP Editor From the personal perspective, I’ve begun to travel more and am teaching face-toface again, while still using zoom for some aspects of instruction. I feel like I’ve come out of hibernation. The creaky joints are loosening up and I’ve begun to feel more like my old self…hope you can say likewise. While I haven’t ventured back to the gym, I have been more active and am inspired to take on some writing assignments.

Back to normal isn’t occurring everywhere. What is normal anyway, especially in this day and age? While the weather in New England has been wonderful, my friend Warren from Albuquerque says things aren’t going well for New Mexico as enormous wildfires are active and strong winds don’t appear to be letting up and the region is drier than normal, suffering from extreme drought. Strangely enough, two of the wildfires began as prescribed burns by the U.S. Forest Service that are designed to reduce the likelihood of such wildfires. This event will place more scrutiny on fire management practices. The weather conditions across the region have been linked to climate change.

The wildfire season is now longer than it used to be. This makes planning prescribed burns even more challenging. This is a problem faced by most Western states. A

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few years ago, I was in Grand Lake, Colorado attending a meeting of the National Technical Committee on Wetland Vegetation. On my drive there I noticed all the dead or dying evergreens in the Rocky Mountain National Park and thought that is a lot of fuel for a future wildfire. A couple of years later, I learned that the house we had rented burned down in the October 2020 wildfire that started in Arapaho National Forest; it was one of 366 homes destroyed. While fire is an important ecological factor, past fire suppression seems to have had an unanticipated role in providing more fuel for more intense fires. In New Jersey’s Pine Barrens, the lack of fire has eliminated many of the wet savannas that were present before the age of Smokey the Bear – they are now covered by trees and shrubs. With climate change, a new normal is underway and one that will challenge policy makers and land managers to address the societal and ecological issues related to fire.

Back to this issue, besides the meeting abstracts, we welcome our incoming president Bill Kleindl and thank our outgoing president Greg Noe for his leadership – see their messages. We also extend our congratulations to presidentelect Susan Galatowitsch from the University of Minnesota and to winners of this year’s SWS Awards and the winners of our Wetlands Month photo contest. Two online wetland books by Joy Zedler have been added to our Wetland Bookshelf. This issue also contains a notice on the Society’s procedure for recognizing and honoring recently deceased SWS members and renown wetland scientists.

Thanks to all our contributors and especially to Aubrey Swanson and Moriah Meeks for assembling all the abstracts and other SWS news. Their work is vital to the success of WSP. Happy Swamping! n

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Wetland Science Practice CONTENTS Vol. 40, No. 3 July 2022 ISSN: 1943-6254 170 / From the Editor's Desk 172 / President's Address 173 / SWS Webinars 174 / SWS News 176 / Wetland Science 177 / SWS Awards 178 / JASM Abstracts 280 / Wetlands in the News 281 / Wetlands Bookshelf 282 / WSP Submission Guidelines 283 / WSP 2022 Advertising Prospectus COVER PHOTO: Cover Photo: California fan palms (Washingtonia filifera) along springfed creek in Palm Canyon on the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation, Palms Springs, California. This is the largest oasis of this palm in the world. A great place to visit. (Photo by R. Tiner).

PRESIDENT / William Kleindl, Ph.D. PRESIDENT-ELECT / Susan Galatowitsch, Ph.D. IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT / Gregory Noe, Ph.D. SECRETARY GENERAL / Leandra Cleveland, PWS TREASURER / Lori Sutter, Ph.D. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR / Erin Berggren, CAE DIGITAL MARKETING SPECIALIST / Moriah Meeks WETLAND SCIENCE & PRACTICE EDITOR / Ralph Tiner, PWS Emeritus CHAPTERS ASIA / Wei-Ta Fang, Ph.D. CANADA / Susan Glasauer, Ph.D. CENTRAL / Tim Fobes, PWS CHINA / Xianguo Lyu EUROPE / Matthew Simpson, PWS INTERNATIONAL / Alanna Rebelo, Ph.D. and Tatiana Lobato de Magalhães, Ph.D., PWS MID-ATLANTIC / Jason Traband, PWS NEW ENGLAND / Dwight Dunk, PWS NORTH CENTRAL / Casey Judge, WPIT OCEANIA / Phil Papas PACIFIC NORTHWEST / Josh Wozniak, PWS ROCKY MOUNTAIN / Rebecca Pierce SOUTH ATLANTIC / Brian Benscoter, Ph.D. SOUTH CENTRAL / Jodie Murray Burns, PWS, MEd, MS WESTERN / Richard Beck, PWS, CPESC, CEP SECTIONS BIOGEOCHEMISTRY / Beth Lawrence, Ph.D. EDUCATION / Darold Batzer, Ph.D. GLOBAL CHANGE ECOLOGY / Melinda Martinez, Ph.D. PEATLANDS / Bin Xu, Ph.D. PUBLIC POLICY AND REGULATION / John Lowenthal, PWS RAMSAR / Nicholas Davidson, Ph.D. STUDENT / Steffanie Munguia WETLAND RESTORATION / Kurt Kowalski, Ph.D. WILDLIFE / Andy Nyman, Ph.D. WOMEN IN WETLANDS / Havalend Steinmuller, Ph.D.

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COMMITTEES AWARDS / Amanda Nahlik, Ph.D. EDUCATION AND OUTREACH / Jeffrey Matthews, Ph.D. HUMAN DIVERSITY / Kwanza Johnson and Jacoby Carter, Ph.D. MEETINGS / Yvonne Vallette, PWS MEMBERSHIP / Leandra Cleveland, PWS PUBLICATIONS / Keith Edwards WAYS & MEANS / Lori Sutter, Ph.D. WETLANDS OF DISTINCTION / Roy Messaros, Ph.D., Steffanie Munguia and Jason Smith, PWS REPRESENTATIVES PCP / Christine VanZomeren WETLANDS / Marinus Otte, Ph.D. WETLAND SCIENCE & PRACTICE / Ralph Tiner, PWS Emeritus ASWM / Jill Aspinwall AIBS / Dennis Whigham, Ph.D.

PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS XXXXXX Fellow SWS Members, I want to start my first message with a big thanks to all the organizers for our recent JASM22 meeting in Grand Rapids, MI. It was a wonderful gathering of scientists from all over the world and a great moment to learn, network, and be inspired. I know not all of us attended this meeting, so I would William Kleindl, Ph.D. Montana State University like to recap a few elements I SWS President covered in our awards luncheon.

The theme of JASM22 was “Rapid Changes – Collaborative Solutions.” I am sure it is the same for many of you, but I am frequently the only scientist in several of my social circles, and I hear a lot of concerns about our rapidly changing planet. I generally reply that we live in interesting times. But as I thought of this year’s conference theme, it is these interesting times that inspire many in our Society to measure and report elements of this rapidly changing world that touch aquatic systems. Still, others in our Society use that information to inform policy and economic incentives to shape how we address these changes. Others keep up on the latest papers and newly formed policies and incentives to consult and guide people trying to conduct their own important business but want to do their best to help with the environment. Still, other SWS members educate the public about this innovative and vital information, guidance, and practical approaches to help concerned individuals make a difference. Then all through our Society are students eager to join our efforts and help us create collaborative solutions to make this a better world. All our hard-working members make SWS a solid and vibrant organization with a global reach of diverse skills, experience, knowledge, and passions.

During my year as President of this great organization, I will focus on our 2020-2025 strategic plan. This plan intends to harness our passions and keep us vibrant into the future. There are four goals: 1) Communication, 2) Education and Research, 3) Global Reach, and 4) Membership. Within these goals are many specific objectives, including focused elements such as increasing diversity, supporting student research, and supporting members in far-reaching corners of the globe. Over this summer, I will be reaching out to chapters, sections, and committees to celebrate all the objectives we have

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already achieved in our plan and to prioritize our actions to complete the remaining by 2025. You can find a copy of the strategic plan on our website. Go to the About tab, then to Governance, and it is at the bottom of the page (https:// www.sws.org/governance/). We will need help with some of this, so I will be reaching out to you in the next few months as well. Stay tuned!

I am looking forward to working with you in our upcoming productive year. If you have comments or are interested in taking a more active role in the Society, please reach out to me directly. Together we will continue to provide solutions to address the impacts of this rapidly changing world on the wetlands that we love.

Fellow Wetlanders, Now that I have completed my year as President of SWS, I would like to take the opportunity to thank all of you who step forward to support our Society.

The past year reinforces the truism that the engaged members who volunteer their time are the bedrock of our community. It was immensely rewarding to Gregory B. Noe, Ph.D. Florence Bascom work with you all to help harness Geoscience Center, our passion towards good work.

U.S. Geological Survey It has been my privilege and SWS Immediate Past honor to serve our Society. I President hope to continue to contribute in other roles well into the future. Leading SWS fulfills a career goal that was far from my expectations of possibilities when I started my wetland studies and joined the Society. Don’t think that it couldn’t happen for you – step up to help out.

It is an honor to pass the torch to our new President, Bill Kleindl. Bill will do a fantastic job of engaging with our members and advancing our Society of Wetland Scientists. Onward!

With appreciation, Greg Noe SWS Immediate Past President (2022-2023) gnoe@usgs.gov

SOCIETY WETLAND SCIENTISTS

ENGLISH:

SPANISH:

July 21 | 1:00 PM ET

September 21 | 1:00 PM ET

Karst wetlands in the Yucatan Peninsula Eduardo Cejudo

Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning of coral reefs: a holistic study for their conservation from microorganisms to ecosystem Dr. Fabián Alejandro Rodríguez Zaragoza

August 18 | 1:00 PM ET

Ramsar Sites in Cameroon Kongnso Edith

December 12 | 1:00 PM ET

September 15 | 1:00 PM ET

WOW! The Wonders of Wetlands, K-12 Wetland Curriculum John Etgen & Julia Beck

The Central American Waterbird Count: the first ten years / El Censo Centroamericano de Aves Acuáticas: los primeros diez años Dr. John van Dort and Arne Lesterhuis

October 20 | 1:00 PM ET

An Overview of the History of Wetland Management Practices Dr. Andy Nyman November 17 | 1:00 PM ET

Student Section Juried Student Presentation December 15 | 1:00 PM ET

Retrospective of Research Lifetime Achievement Recipient

THANK YOU TO OUR 2022 WEBINAR SERIES SPONSORS

SWS NEWS

Meet the New SWS President Bill has more than 30 years of academic and consulting experience within public and private sectors in the science, policy, and management of aquatic environments, including extensive experience in the assessment, restoration, and management of degraded wetlands and rivers across multiple scales. The goal of his career has always been to William Kleindl, Ph.D. provide a straightforward analysis Montana State University of ecological data to facilitate SWS President a translation for management applications to solve tangible problems that intersect natural and human environments. At Montana State University, he focuses his research on assessment and management questions that address combined anthropogenic and natural disturbances and how these drive aquatic structure, function, and services.

Q&A with Sue Galatowitsch, President-elect Q: TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF AND WHY YOU’RE EXCITED TO BE THE NEXT SWS PRESIDENT. A: I joined SWS in the late 1980s when I worked for the Colorado Department of Natural Resources and was involved in environmental permitting.

SWS has been important to me professionally throughout my Sue Galatowitsch, career–early-on as someone President-elect trying to navigate new realities of permitting and mitigation and then through my career as a university professor, networking with other wetland scientists and providing my students with great opportunities for launching wetland careers. Serving on the SWS Executive Board is an opportunity for me to contribute to an organization that’s been vital to me. And the timing was great, since I recently stepped down from being head of my department at the University of Minnesota (Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology).

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Q: WHAT’S BEEN YOUR PRIMARY FOCUS AS A WETLAND SCIENTIST? A: Both my research and teaching at the University of Minnesota have been centered on advancing ecological restoration–particularly for wetlands. Prairie pothole revegetation has been a long-term research interest, since my graduate work at Iowa State, advised by Arnold van der Valk. After completing my PhD in 1993, I joined the faculty at the University of Minnesota. Since then, my research team has focused on ways to improve three aspects of wetland restoration practice: 1) revegetation of sedge meadows and littoral marshes, 2) invasive species control and 3) evaluation of restoration feasibility and project outcomes.

Q: IS WORKING WITH STUDENTS (FUTURE WETLAND SCIENTISTS!) A BIG PART OF YOUR POSITION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA? A: Yes, in several ways. The courses I regularly teach– wetland ecology and restoration ecology, attract students from diverse fields–including planning, landscape architecture, engineering, and natural resources. Interest in these courses are strong year after year, so I can build multidisciplinary teams that reflect real-world problem-solving.

Those courses provide a “pipeline” into agencies that hire wetland scientists. Also, over the course of my career, I’ve advised about 30 MS and PhD students–nearly all have been focused on wetland restoration. It’s been terrific to see the impact they’ve made, as professionals and academics.

Q: WHAT LED YOU TO BECOME A WETLAND SCIENTIST? A: I grew up in the industrial expanses extending from the southern margins of Chicago. The aquatic ecosystems of my youth were gravel pit swimming holes and the I & M Canal, which divided our town in two and was considered to be a deadly corridor. The canal’s real or imagined levels of pollution stoked a folklore tradition in my community that made an early impression on me. I felt compelled to figure out how to fix environmental damage. I pursued a bachelor’s degree in environmental biology at St. Mary’s College in Winona, Minnesota, a town on the Upper Mississippi River. The river was central to my undergraduate experience--classroom, recreation, and my first professional opportunities. After my junior year (1983), I was hired by Dr. Carl Korschgen of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to be part of his waterfowl research team based in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, just downriver from Winona. Carl’s team was investigating why the number of migrating canvasback ducks using Upper Mississippi River wetlands was declining.

Based on my interest in wetland plants, Carl encouraged me to go to graduate school and focus on aquatic botany.

Earth Day Photo Contest Winners 2022 In April, SWS held its first Earth Day Photo Contest to capture the beauty of Earth’s wetlands from our members located all over the world. We received many amazing photos from our members that will be shared over time on our website at sws.org. Our three winners and their winning photos are below and are also showcased on the homepage of the website.

Sian Ka’an Mangroves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Mexico. Captured by Philip Jessup.

Steens Mountains and Wildhorse Lake, SE Oregon, USA. Captured July 8, 2016

by Dan Cary.

High Desert Oasis, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, Wyoming USA. Captured in July 2016 by P. DuBowy.

Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 175

SWS NEWS

SWS Establishes Guidelines for Tributes to Deceased Wetlanders Those wanting to honor recently deceased members of SWS and/or renowned wetland scientists should contact the editor of WSP requesting that a remembrance be published. “Recently” is defined as within the last calendar year. If not specified, the remembrance will consist of a listing of the name of the individual in a "In Memoriam" table on the SWS website. The nominator will also have the option of preparing a short tribute about the deceased for publication in Wetland Science & Practice (WSP). For this, the text for the tribute and a photograph or two of the individual must be provided, along with a statement providing reasons for why such a tribute should be published (e.g., significant contributions to wetland science, management, and conservation, or to SWS leadership). These materials should be sent to Ralph Tiner, editor of WSP, at ralphtiner83@gmail.com. Materials will be forwarded to SWS leadership for review. The final decision on the submitted nomination will be made by the President of SWS and the chair of the Publication Committee. The committee also has the right to make any editorial changes, in terms of grammar, suitability and/or length, deemed necessary.

WETLANDS SCIENCE

Stay connected with Freshwater Research News NEWSLETTER ABOUT FRESHWATER RESEARCH NOW AVAILABLE Freshwater Research News (FRN) is a free newsletter covering all aspects of freshwater research. Compiled by Kev Warburton at Charles Sturt University, it highlights the broad significance and applicability of recent findings from around the world. FRN is produced for scientists, practitioners, educators and conservationists. It is a convenient way for specialists to stay abreast of developments in freshwater areas outside, as well as within, their own field, and its jargon-free style makes it ideal for community consumption. The newsletter is issued in PDF form four times per year.

To receive FRN automatically, just email Kev Warburton at KWarburton@csu.edu.au. A sample issue can be viewed at: https://freshwaterresearch.wordpress.com/sample-issue-pdf.

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SWS AWARDS The SWS awards program strives to acknowledge outstanding contributors in wetland science and service and looks to honor those who have made a major impact in the field. Learn more about these awards.

Darold Batzer

Dr. Scott Leibowitz

PRESIDENT'S SERVICE AWARD MERIT AWARD

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL AWARD

Jayme Jecker, PWS

Pankyes Datok

Dr. Lijuan Cui

OUTSTANDING EDUCATOR AWARD

DOUG WILCOX AWARD

In Memoriam: Dr. Joy Marburger Purdue University Northwest

Hongqing Wang

Beth Lawrence, PhD University of Connecticut

Musa Mlambo

Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 177

JASM ABSTRACTS SWS CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE JOINT AQUATIC SCIENCES MEETING 2022 In lieu of our standard annual Society of Wetland Scientists conference, this year we participated in the 2022 Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting held in Grand Rapids, Michigan from May 14-20. It was billed as “the world’s largest gathering of aquatic scientists, students, practitioners, resource agency staff, and industry representatives in history.” The meeting was designed to bring together “deep, multidisciplinary subject-matter expertise to collaboratively educate one another and solve the complex environmental problems facing our society and our planet today.” It was organized by the Consortium of Aquatic Science Societies (CASS), which includes nine organizations: American Fisheries Society, Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography, Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation, Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society, International Association for Great Lakes Research, North American Lake Management Society, Phycological Society of America, Society for Freshwater Science, and our organization – the Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS). To bring the information presented by SWS members at the meeting to all our members, we have collected and assembled unedited abstracts from their presentations. (Note: Recordings of the actual presentations are available for those attending in person or participating virtually until mid-October - access via your registration.)

Presented During: Access and Human Connection to Public Waters: Research and Outreach, 05/19/22 2:00 PM - 2:15 PM ET

ASSESSING ECOSYSTEM SERVICES FOR A LAKE WATERSHED IN CAZENOVIA NEW YORK Richard Smardon Lake related greenspace provides many benefits to residents and visitors, which are often under-valued. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Project (2005) proposed the valuation of ecosystem services, defined as regulatory, provisional, ecosystem support and cultural services provided for us by nature, free of charge. The challenge here is: How can we use cultural ecosystem services derived from scenic landscapes for greenspace management and assessment?

Cultural ecosystem services received international recognition as part of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Project (2005). Also, as part of ecosystems services, there are regulatory, provisional and ecosystem support services.

For this paper we are particularly concerned with cultural services, which include recreation, science and education, spiritual/historic as well as aesthetic functions. Different researchers offer a progression of description of cultural Ecosystem services. De Groot et al (2002) describes Information functions as including; aesthetic information, recreation, cultural artistic information and spiritual/historic information. Farber et al (2005) for cultural services include; aesthetic, recreation, science/education, and spiritual/historic functions.

Presented During: Advances in Remote Sensing Technologies to Monitor Water Quality in Large Lakes, 05/20/22 4:45 PM - 4:45 PM ET

OPTIMIZATION OF LANDSAT CHL-A RETRIEVAL ALGORITHMS IN FRESHWATER LAKES THROUGH CLASSIFICATION OF OPTICAL WATER TYPES (VIRTUAL) 178 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

Michael Dallosch, Irena Creed The emerging trend of increased algal blooms occurrence remains an ever present threat to aquatic ecosystems.

Monitoring efforts are often limited to frequented large lake systems, whereby remote and small lakes are unobserved.

Remote sensing applications allows for the construction of empirical models of surface water chlorophyll-a concentrations (chl-a), which may be complicated due to the spatial heterogeneity of inland lake water properties. Classification of optical water types (OWTs; i.e., differentially observed water spectra due to differences in water properties) has grown in favour in recent years over traditional non-turbid vs. turbid classifications. This study examined the applicability of Landsat sensors in the identification of OWTs using a guided unsupervised classification approach in which OWTs are defined through both remotely sensed reflectance and surface water chemistry data to construct chl-a retrieval algorithms. The performances of chl-a retrieval algorithms within each OWT were then compared to a global chl-a algorithm. Seven OWTs were identified and fit into four categories: turbid lakes with a low chl-a:turbidity ratio; turbid lakes with a mixture of high chl-a and turbidity measurements; oligotrophic or mesotrophic lakes with a mixture of low chl-a and turbidity measurements; and eutrophic lakes with a high chl-a:turbidity ratio. Retrieval algorithms using OWTs performed better (r2 = 0.69–0.91, p < 0.05), when compared to a global retrieval algorithm (r2 = 0.52, p < 0.05). Landsat reflectance can be used to extract OWTs and provide improved prediction of chl-a, giving researchers an opportunity to better observe algal biomass trends over time.

Presented During: All Tributaries Great and Small: Connectors Across Ecosystems, 05/16/22 4:45 PM - 5:00 PM ET

LIGHT SPATIAL PATTERNS AND HYDROLOGICAL

CONNECTIVITY DRIVE DISSOLVED OXYGEN SYNCHRONY ACROSS FLUVIAL NETWORKS Jacob Diamond, Matthew Cohen, Florentina Moatar, Gilles Pinay, Anna Lupon, Susana Bernal, Jay Zarnetske, David Lewis Synchrony of dissolved oxygen (DO) signals among river network elements reflects the dynamic balance between shared regional drivers, signal propagation, and local hydraulic, energetic, and metabolic heterogeneity. We used high frequency DO measurements at 42 sites across five watersheds catchments to evaluate DO signal synchrony among reaches in response to dynamic variation in light availability and discharge. We hypothesized that homogeneity of light availability and longitudinal hydrologic connectivity between sites would induce synchrony in DO signals. We observed strong support that increasing spatial homogeneity of light inputs, both in magnitude and diel variation, greatly increase diel DO signal synchrony both within and across stream networks during early spring and fall. We further observed the central role of longitudinal connectivity in controlling within network synchrony.

Specifically, shared regional drivers (light, temperature) increase the synchrony in DO signals when flow connectivity was high, whereas fine-scale patch behavior and low synchrony, especially in smaller streams, occurred when connectivity declines. A model including light synchrony and longitudinal connectivity explained 65% of variation in dynamic DO synchrony. We provide a framework for evaluating DO signal synchrony at confluences with implications for broadly understanding solute dynamics where network flow elements mix. DO synchrony and network and confluence scales provides an empirical demonstration of the dynamic balance between regional drivers and local patch dynamics modulated by the flow-varying length scales of signal integration.

Presented During: All Tributaries Great and Small: Connectors Across Ecosystems, 05/16/22 5:00 PM - 5:00 PM ET

LAND USE AND WATERSHED CONTROLS ON CONCENTRATION-DISCHARGE RELATIONSHIPS ACROSS A GRADIENT OF LAND USE/COVER IN ONTARIO (VIRTUAL) Georgina Kaltenecker, George Arhonditsis, Carl Mitchell, Todd Howell Human activities exert considerable pressure on surface water quality. Stream water quality is variable across both spatial and temporal domains exhibiting diverse relationships with streamflow. Disentangling the influence of hu-

man activity from natural factors on stream water quality is key to effective water resources management. We analyzed long-term (multi-decadal) stream water quality-flow relationships for sites across Ontario spanning a wide gradient of land use/cover. Using piecewise regression analysis, we established streamflow-concentration (C) relationships with discharge (Q) for eight contrasting water quality parameters and found statistically significant thresholds, suggestive of a change in C-Q behaviour at low versus high flows for all parameters. We subsequently examined watershed and land use controls on observed C-Q relationships and found land use to be an important predictor which highlights the important role that land use and human activities play in altering the source, location and transport pathways of contaminants to rivers. We also used dynamic linear modelling to examine how the relationship between water quality and streamflow has evolved over time. Results show that C-Q relationships are non-stationary and have changed in watersheds with changing land uses. With a changing climate knowledge of how human activity has affected C-Q behaviour at high flows is especially salient given anticipated changes to precipitation and hydrology patterns. Collectively, these results advance our understanding of the interplay between climate, catchment hydrological behaviour, watershed characteristics, and water quality.

Presented During: Aquatic Species in Watersheds and Reservoirs in Weather Extremes, 05/20/22 2:45 PM - 3:00 PM ET

UNDERSTANDING IMPACTS OF HYDROLOGIC VARIABILITY ON JUVENILE SALMON GROWTH IN WATERSHEDS OF SOUTHEAST ALASKA Kevin Fitzgerald, Claire Delbecq, Jason Fellman, Ryan Bellmore, Jeff Falke Climate change is altering hydrologic regimes in Gulf of Alaska watersheds, which collectively support one of the most productive salmon populations on Earth. It is expected that these coastal drainages will experience more severe low water events interspersed with larger, more frequent high flows. This raises the question: how will salmon respond? The timing and magnitude of stream flows influence juvenile salmon growth through effects on food availability, temperature, and foraging success. It is not known how interactions among the timing, duration, and sequence of flow events may influence juvenile salmon growth. For example, high flows occurring after prolonged drought may transport large prey fluxes, possibly yielding growth conditions superior to those experienced at low flow, or during repeated high flows. Within this context, the goal of this research is to investigate how hydrologic patterns influence prey Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 179

fluxes, and in turn, the proportion of juvenile Coho Salmon and Dolly Vaden growth attributed to periods of high and low flow. We conducted a high temporal-resolution mechanistic study where we intensively sampled (e.g., hourly to weekly) invertebrate drift, fish diets, and fish growth from late April through October in a dynamic rain-fed watershed in Juneau, Alaska. Initial results indicate that fish growth is influenced by hydrologic conditions, and that flow regime plays a significant role in shaping annual growth trajectories of juvenile salmon. Our results will help parse out complex relationships among stream flows, prey fluxes, and fish growth, thus improving understanding of how shifting flow regimes may impact salmon productivity.

Presented During: Balancing benefits and socioenvironmental costs of water infrastructure projects, 05/16/22 2:45 PM - 3:00 PM ET

EFFECTS OF DAMS ON THE HYDROLOGY OF SOUTH AMERICAN RIVERS AND RIVER-FLOODPLAIN INTERACTIONS Ayan Fleischmann, João Paulo Brêda, Pedro Jardim, Rafael Almeida, Héctor Angarita, Rodrigo Paiva, Alexander Flecker, Walter Collischonn South America has been called the fluvial continent for its major river systems; yet, many of them have been dammed, mainly for hydropower production. While providing important services for society, dams have the potential to disrupt hydrological regimes, and thus major ecosystem services provided by rivers and adjacent floodplains. Here, we summarize a series of recent studies addressing the effects of dams on the hydrological dynamics of some of the most impacted South American rivers, mainly based on simulations from a large-scale hydrological model (MGB). Dams affect the hydrological regime at different time scales, from seasonal to sub-daily (hydropeaking). For the seasonal scale, we investigate the downstream propagation of dam effects on hydrological alteration indices, using Colombia’s Magdalena River basin as a case study.

The long-term disruption of river-floodplain interactions is assessed for the Cuiabá River in Brazil’s Pantanal, while the complementarity between floodplains and reservoirs on altering basin-wide floods is shown for the upper Paraná River in Brazil. Regarding weekly to sub-daily hydrological alterations, we investigate hydropeaking operations by dams in the Amazon (Madeira River) and Pantanal regions, showing how run-of-river hydropower plants have the potential to affect river ecosystem services despite their limited water storage. Finally, we discuss how the synergy between changes in climate, land use and dam building can affect the hydrological regime of South American rivers. A case study is presented for the Amazon River basin, where 180 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

hundreds of proposed dams in the southern tributaries will likely face decreased water availability due to climate change.

Presented During: Better Collaborations Lead to Better Answers: Large-scale Collaborative Success Stories - Day 1, 05/16/22 9:00 AM - 9:15 AM ET

STATE OF THE STRAIT CONFERENCES: LESSONS FROM 24 YEARS OF ADVANCING ECOSYSTEM-BASED MANAGEMENT John Hartig, Casey Godwin, Jan Ciborowski, Jessica Ives The State of the Strait Conference is a Canada-United States forum held every two years that brings together governmental managers, researchers, students, members of environmental and conservation organizations, and concerned citizens to assess ecosystem status and provide advice to improve research, monitoring, and management programs for the Detroit River and western Lake Erie (https://www. uwindsor.ca/glier/state-of-the-strait-2022). The venue of this biennial conference alternates between Canada and the United States, representing a 24-year history of transboundary cooperation to better inform ecosystem-based management. A binational steering committee organizes each conference and chooses the meeting’s theme. Sponsors are recruited to cover the cost of the conferences and preparation of conference reports, which summarize individual and overall findings and recommend future needs. Major accomplishments of this initiative have included: furthering science-based habitat conservation and enhancement; promoting soft shoreline engineering (53 projects implemented over 20-years); performing ecosystem health assessments based on evaluating long-term trend data of key indicators; advancing quantitative target-setting to guide restoration efforts (one-third of 50 indicators had quantitative targets in a 2006-2007 ecosystem health assessment, rising to almost 60% of 61 indicators in a 2018-2019 assessment); promoting greater use of remote sensing and GIS; helping secure an Urban Bird Treaty designation; and furthering science-based contaminated sediment remediation and requisite collaborative financing. The success of this conference shows the potential for community-driven international networks that strengthen science-policy-management and can provide lessons for future efforts aimed at integrating monitoring, research, and modeling as part of adaptive ecosystem-based management.

Presented During: Beyond Ecotox: Opportunities and Networks for Integrating Ecosystem Contaminants Research - Day 1, 05/19/22 2:00 PM - 2:15 PM ET

THE SYNERGISTIC ROLE OF HERBICIDES ON METHANE EMISSIONS FROM SMALL WETLANDS Christine Cornish, Sheel Bansal, Olivia Johnson, Jacob Meier, Jon Sweetman Methane (CH4) is a potent greenhouse gas (GHG) responsible for ~25% of climate warming since preindustrial times. Small, freshwater wetlands account for a substantial percent of global CH4 flux. Increasing evidence suggests that agrochemical use may indirectly lead to increased GHG production in freshwater ecosystems. Glyphosate and 2,4-D are two of the most commonly used herbicides in agriculture worldwide. In recent decades with the development of herbicide-resistant crops, these compounds are more frequently used together in a “pesticide cocktail”. Independently, they can have various effects on biogeochemical processes. Glyphosate can serve as a critical nutrient source, leading to increased CH4 production via bacterial or algal activity, and 2,4-D can potentially inhibit CH4 oxidation. Subsequently, synergistic effects could increase CH4 emissions from freshwater ecosystems by having a significant impact on CH4 cycling. Our research will investigate if glyphosate and/or 2,4-D increase CH4 concentrations. Microcosm results show higher CH4 flux and phosphorus at higher glyphosate treatment; whereas CH4 flux did not significantly differ with 2,4-D treatment. As next steps, full factorial microcosm and mesocosm experiments will be conducted to test for relationships between herbicides and CH4 concentrations. These findings have policy and management implications to lower agrochemical use as a means to reduce CH4 emissions from wetlands.

Presented During: Beyond Ecotox: Opportunities and Networks for Integrating Ecosystem Contaminants Research - Day 2, 05/20/22 5:00 PM - 5:00 PM ET

ECOLOGICAL RISK ASSESSMENT AND PHYSICOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF VARIOUS ECOSYSTEM COMPONENTS OF MARALA AND BAJWAT WETLANDS IN SIALKOT, PAKISTAN (VIRTUAL) Noreen Khalid, Komal Arshad, Shanza Zaka, Adeel Mehmood, Zarrin Rizvi Growing anthropogenic activities are becoming a great threat to the ecosystem and biodiversity of wetlands in Pakistan. Marala and Bajwat wetlands in Sialkot have been recognized as Game Reserves because of their unique biodiversity. This study was performed to evaluate the ecological risk assessment of trace metal elements in different components of these wetland ecosystems i.e.

sediments, plants, water, and fish from 10 different sites.

Generally, the average mean concentration of trace metal elements in sediments, aquatic plants, water, and fish was more than permissible limits devised by the World Health Organization. The heavy metal concentration of Pb, Cd, Cr, Zn, Ni, and Cu in the sediments were ranged as 0.325 – 33.72mgkg-1, 2.70 – 10.0 mgkg-1, 3.88 – 24.4 mgkg-1, 0.125 – 15.75 mgkg-1, 0.15 – 12.47 mgkg-1, and 0.525 – 3.12 mgkg-1, respectively. Aquatic plants showed varying degree of metal concentrations, e.g. the highest concentrations of Pb (54.57mgkg-1), Cd (33.37mgkg-1), Cr (235.1mgkg-1), Zn (25.67mgkg-1), Ni (164.3mgkg-1), and Cu (9.27mgkg1 ) were recorded in Alternanthera philoxeroides, Typha latifolia, Ipomoea carnea, Alternanthera philoxeriodes, and Typha latifolia, respectively. pH values of sediments and water samples were also either basic or acidic at all the sites. A highly acidic pH (4.75) of water was recorded at site-4 in Bajwat wetlands. The fish collected from both wetlands had the potential to accumulate metals and thus was unfit for consumption. The multivariate statistical analysis revealed the anthropogenic sources of elevated concentrations of metal elements which could cause adverse biological effects in the ecosystem.

Presented During: Carbon Cycling and Climate Change Mitigation Potential of Wetlands, 05/17/22 4:00 PM - 4:15 PM ET

LAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES INFLUENCE SOIL ORGANIC CARBON STOCKS OF PRAIRIE POTHOLES Sheel Bansal, Brian Tangen, Robert Gleason, Pascal Badiou, Irena Creed The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) is home to millions of wetlands nested in an agriculture–grassland matrix. Soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in these wetlands are highly variable due to natural variation in biota, soils, climate (e.g., hydrology), and topography. Land-use history (cropland, grassland) and land-management practices (drainage, restoration) also affect SOC stocks. We conducted a region-wide assessment of wetland SOC stocks using data from the Canadian and U.S. portions of the PPR that cover a range of management types. Natural wetlands with no disturbance history had considerably greater SOC stocks than wetlands surrounded by cropland, especially those that were drained. Hydrologically restored wetlands did not show significantly greater SOC stocks than drained wetlands, and wetlands surrounded by restored grasslands did not show significantly greater SOC stocks than those surrounded by croplands due, in part, to high within- and among-wetland variability in vegetation, soils, hydrology, and topography. We conclude that avoided loss of natural Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 181

wetlands from drainage and avoided loss of native grasslands from cropping have the most benefit for preserving wetland SOC stocks. Robust PPR SOC models that incorporate multiple abiotic, biotic, and land-use factors are required to determine where and when restoration is most effective for SOC sequestration.

Presented During: Carbon Cycling and Climate Change Mitigation Potential of Wetlands, 05/17/22 2:15 PM - 2:30 PM ET

HOW DO TIDAL RESTRICTION LEGACIES AFFECT SOIL ORGANIC MATTER SIGNATURES IN A SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND SALT MARSH? Madeleine Meadows-McDonnell, Michael Hren, Beth A Lawrence Salt marshes are threatened by coastal development (e.g., bridges, roadways) that restricts tidal flow, reducing inundation frequency and salinity and leading to shifts in vegetation dominance. Tidal restoration reverses these shifts, but it is unclear how restoration alters soil organic matter (SOM) legacies. Leveraging the isotopic (_13C) signatures of dominant species (C3 Phragmites australis, vs. C4 Spartina alterniflora), we are interested in the carbon legacies of plant community shifts from tidal restrictions and subsequent restoration over the last century in a restored marsh in Stonington, Connecticut (USA). To estimate the effects of plant dominance on SOM, we measured in situ soil respiration (CO2, CH4, _13C) rates from July – October 2020 and in July 2021. There were no differences in 2020 soil fluxes (CO2, CH4) P. australis and S. alterniflora zones, but in 2021, the P. australis zone had higher soil CO2 and CH4 emissions. We observed strong seasonal signals in soil CO2 emissions from 2020 (July > October). In 2020 and 2021, _13CO2 signatures differed between species zones, reflecting the dominant species. To examine dominant vegetation legacies on SOM, we collected biomass samples and peat cores in August 2020 to quantify _13C signatures.

We observed distinct _13C signatures in biomass samples (above- and below-ground) and in surface peat (0-20 cm) between vegetation zones. Quantifying isotopic signatures of SOM is an innovative approach that can differentiate native and introduced species contributions to salt marsh blue carbon pools and inform land management decisions about tidal restoration to maximize carbon sequestration and storage.

Presented During: Carbon Cycling and Climate Change Mitigation Potential of Wetlands, 05/17/22 9:30 AM - 9:45 AM ET

DO GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE VARIABLES ALTER MANGROVE 182 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

DECOMPOSITION?: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. Loraé Simpson, Samantha Chapman, Julia Cherry Mangrove litter decomposition is a key process that regulates ecosystem energy conversion and nutrient cycling and is mediated by biotic and abiotic variables that are expected to be altered by global climate change. Thus, changes in these variables, such as temperature, inundation, and nutrient loading, have implications for blue carbon pools in these highly productive ecosystems. However, we don’t yet know how decomposition in mangrove ecosystems will change in relation to global climate change drivers. We used a systematic review approach to analyze the relationships between decay rate and proxies of global climate change (i.e., latitude, inundation timing, nutrient loading, season). We also looked at differences in decay rate in relation to genera, litter type, and sampling location. Across all genera, decay rate declined slightly, albeit insignificantly, with increasing latitude, but within genus, this latitudinal relationship was significant for Rhizophora and Laguncularia. Regardless of latitude, decay rates differed significantly among genera and leaves decomposed faster than roots and wood. Tidal inundation significantly altered the decomposition of mangrove leaves, whereas nutrient loading and season did not. This analysis is the first comprehensive global review synthesizing decay rates of mangrove litter and roots in relation to global climate change variables. The findings will contribute to an improved understanding of organic matter decomposition in mangrove ecosystems and the implications of climate change on ecosystem resilience.

Presented During: Carbon Cycling and Climate Change Mitigation Potential of Wetlands, 05/17/22 9:45 AM - 10:00 AM ET

LAND MANAGEMENT INFLUENCES OLIGOHALINE TIDAL MARSH CARBON CYCLING AND CLIMATE MITIGATION POTENTIAL Scott Jones, McKenna Bristow, Alex Ryktarsyk, Karen Thorne Tidal wetlands can be a significant nature-based solution to mitigate climate change, by storing carbon long-term in soils. At the same time, tidal wetlands can emit greenhouse gases like methane that reduce wetland climate mitigation potential, especially on decadal timescales. Tidal wetlands at the boundary of salinity influence (0-2 PSU) can have especially high methane emissions and carbon accumulation, but the variability in these key carbon processes is also high. To address these gaps, we measured soil carbon stocks and chamber greenhouse gas fluxes across wetland

land uses at the freshwater-oligahaline boundary in the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary, California, USA. We additionally investigated carbon processes at a restoration site to determine how restoration design may maximize climate mitigation potential in this setting. Initial data suggest non-tidal land uses have reduced soil carbon stocks and experienced 1-2 m of elevation loss after diking. Non-tidal impounded wetlands and actively grazed pasture both had reduced methane emissions but higher carbon dioxide emissions than tidal wetlands, likely due to altered water table depth. Additionally, small-scale restoration design (e.g., marsh platform elevation, distance to channel) influenced carbon processes and climate mitigation potential of the restoring wetland immediately after breach, with marsh elevations near MSL having higher methane emissions, carbon dioxide uptake, and plant production than other elevations.

These initial results help to understand site-scale drivers of carbon processes in oligohaline tidal wetlands and their alternative land uses, providing insight into how to manage these landscapes for maximum climate mitigation potential.

Presented During: Carbon Cycling and Climate Change Mitigation Potential of Wetlands, 05/17/22 4:30 PM - 4:45 PM ET

COMPARING OBSERVATIONS AND EXPECTATIONS OF ENCROACHMENT IMPACTS ON SOIL ORGANIC CARBON STORAGE AT MANGROVE RANGE LIMITS Havalend Steinmuller, Joshua Breithaupt, Kevin Engelbert, Prakhin Assavapanuvat, Thomas Bianchi Globally, mangrove range limits are expanding and encroaching on adjacent coastal ecosystems. Encroachment often results in the replacement of tidal marshes, leading to potential changes in ecosystem services, including organic carbon (OC) sequestration. Studies in the southeastern US have focused almost exclusively on Avicennia germinans expansion, the most cold-tolerant mangroves in North America. The Apalachicola Bay region of north Florida represents the northern range limit of mangroves in the Gulf of Mexico, and uniquely also includes Rhizophora mangle. The objective of this research was to quantify soil OC density beneath both mangrove species and compare results with soils beneath two commonly adjacent native tidal marsh species. Dominant plant taxa was not a significant predictor of soil OC or nitrogen density, highlighting the relative importance of site-specific environmental attributes as controls on soil properties. Soil profile _13C compositions included a range of values reflective of C3 and C4 plant inputs, suggesting that shifts in plant taxa, both from marsh to mangroves and between marsh species, have been occurring at all sites. These findings support

much of the literature on mangrove encroachment, which indicates mangrove soil OC concentrations, densities, or stocks are less than or equal to that of co-located tidal marsh habitats. Through a literature review, the potential of several proposed explanatory variables (climate, environmental setting, productivity, duration of encroachment) were examined to evaluate how soil OC density in mangrove habitats might increase over time, which is critical to forecasting how continued mangrove expansion might affect blue C storage as these habitats evolve.

Presented During: Carbon Cycling and Climate Change Mitigation Potential of Wetlands, 05/17/22 3:45 PM - 4:00 PM ET

MODELING THE CARBON IMPLICATIONS OF WETLAND LOSS IN COASTAL LOUISIANA Eric Ward, Camille Stagg, Colin Daniel, Bronwyn Rayfield, Rachel Sleeter, Lisamarie Windham-Myers, Kevin Kroeger, Jinxun Liu, William Conner, Richard Day, Ken Krauss, Benjamin Sleeter, Meagan Eagle, Sheel Bansal, Karen Thorne, Kevin Buffington, Scott Jones, Bergit Uhran, Zhiliang Zhu Coastal wetlands store and sequester large amounts of carbon that are at risk due to wetland loss from sea-level rise. We developed a model of carbon cycling in tidal wetlands of the coterminous USA to assess 1) baseline carbon pools and fluxes in coastal wetlands and 2) land use change impacts on carbon sequestration in coastal wetlands. We adapted the Land Use and Carbon Scenario Simulator (LUCAS) model for use in tidal wetland ecosystems using both site-level carbon cycle data and remotely-sensed land use and land cover (LULC) data. LUCAS combines a state-and-transition simulation model (STSM) to predict land change with a stock and flow model to simulate carbon dynamics, within a scenario-based framework to assess major controlling processes, characterize uncertainties, and compare impacts of future LULC change scenarios.

As a test case, we calibrated LUCAS for the tidal wetlands of the Mississippi River Alluvial Plain (MRAP), using measurements of carbon pools and fluxes across 24 sites.

While the estimated carbon lost to LULC change over 20 years represents only 1% of ecosystem carbon stores, net sequestration estimates would have been 25% greater in the absence of LULC change. Our results also highlight how the extreme sensitivity of carbon sequestration estimates to assumptions about the fate of soil carbon when coastal wetlands transition to open water. We also discuss how the modeling approach developed here will be extended to assess tidal zone carbon sequestration across the coterminous USA under different climate scenarios.

Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 183

Presented During: Carbon Cycling and Climate Change Mitigation Potential of Wetlands, 05/17/22 8:45 AM - 9:00 AM ET

HIGH SPATIAL VARIABILITY IN WETLAND METHANE FLUXES IS TIED TO VEGETATION PATCH TYPES Graham Stewart, Sean Sharp, Christine Maietta, Aileen Taylor, Michael Williams, Margaret Palmer Wetland methane (CH4) fluxes exhibit high spatial variability, which complicates efforts to inventory natural sources and mitigate CH4 from managed systems. Although spatial drivers of CH4 fluxes have been identified, it remains unclear how best to account for spatial heterogeneity to characterize CH4 flux in wetland landscapes. Given that discrete patch types integrate co-occurring spatial variables, we predicted that CH4 fluxes vary according to vegetation patch type in a freshwater wetland in Maryland, USA. Using a multi-scale approach, we combined chamber measurements of CH4 fluxes from five dominant patch types with flux data from an eddy covariance tower in the center of the wetland. Our wetland-scale approach leveraged variability in the tower footprint and used a Bayesian parameterization to estimate fluxes from each patch type. Throughout the summer-long sampling period, we found high variability in CH4 fluxes among patch types that exceeded both temporal and within-patch variability. The patch types also had markedly varying shapes of CH4 flux distributions, suggesting that the mechanisms driving CH4 fluxes may not be consistent among patch types. Concurrent with variability in fluxes, we identified differences in key biotic and abiotic that further suggest the spatial variability we observed is patch-dependent. Altogether, our results indicate that for spatially heterogeneous wetlands, CH4 fluxes may be best represented at the scale of vegetation patch types. Developing a spatially explicit understanding of CH4 flux is essential given the immediacy of climate change and the shifting composition of landscapes under multiple anthropogenic influences.

Presented During: Carbon fluxes across ecosystem interfaces: Sources, cycling, and fate - Day 1, 05/18/22 2:00 PM - 2:15 PM ET

RELATING STREAM MORPHOLOGY TO PHYSICAL AND ECOLOGICAL DRIVERS OF CO2 EVASION IN SMALL ARCTIC TUNDRA STREAMS Alina Spera, Vanessa Lougheed Arctic streams are known sources of CO2 to the atmosphere, however, few studies have directly measured the factors that drive the contribution of small, first order streams on the Arctic coastal plain to local and regional 184 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

CO2 evasion. Stream geomorphology may be an important consideration for predicting regional C flux because drivers of flux may differ across regions with physically distinct stream types. We present continuous measurements of vertical CO2 flux and dissolved oxygen at 3 distinct streams (thermokarst, beaded stream, and 4th order river) near Utqiagvik, AK through the summer in 2019 and 2021.

Metabolism modeling produced estimates of gross primary productivity (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (ER) rates. The relationship between stream discharge with CO2 evasion varies between the streams, indicating potential differences in physical drivers. The thermokarst stream has lowest CO2 due to high rates of filamentous algae growth, which drove the highest rates of GPP in both years. ER and CO2 saturation is greatest in low-lying beaded stream that is more connected to groundwater sources of bioavailable organic C. The lowest C cycling rates and weakest diel patterns were found in the higher order stream. This study demonstrates that position of a stream in the landscape provides context for physical and ecological characteristics that relate to patterns in CO2 evasion.

Presented During: Carbon fluxes across ecosystem interfaces: Sources, cycling, and fate - Day 2, 05/19/22 9:45 AM - 10:00 AM ET

CARBON GAS EMISSIONS AT THE INTERFACE OF GROUNDWATER AND STREAMBANKS Alaina Bisson, Fiona Liu, Eric Moore, Martin Briggs, Ashley Helton Groundwater is often supersaturated in carbon (C) gases and can dominate CO2 evasion in gaining headwater streams, yet we lack a robust understanding of the spatial variability of groundwater-driven C gas emissions across river networks relative to C evasion from ambient streambank sediments. To assess C gas delivery to stream corridors from active streambank groundwater discharge, we compared C gas (CO2 and CH4) emission rates measured along extended seepage faces to adjacent streambank sediments without actively discharging groundwater (i.e. inactive streambanks) in the Farmington River watershed (1571 km2; located in northwestern CT and southwestern MA, USA). We measured soil-to-atmosphere C gas fluxes from three stream reaches (3rd and 5th order) (two active and one inactive banks along each reach) ranging in organic matter (OM) content using a static gas flux chamber approach. Five replicate gas flux chambers were deployed within each streambank area. CO2 emissions ranged from 0 to 1277.99 mg/m2/min while CH4 emissions ranged from -0.19 to 5.74 mg/m2/min. Across all sites, we found that CO2 emissions were higher from active groundwater seep-

age faces compared to adjacent, inactive streambank areas.

CO2 emissions were overall higher from sites with low OM content in near-stream sediments, yet CH4 emissions were highest from inactive streambanks with high sediment OM content. We suggest that patterns of streambank C gas emissions along stream networks depend on both the advective groundwater delivery of C gases and the in-situ production of C gases in high OM near-stream sediments.

Presented During: Carbon fluxes across ecosystem interfaces: Sources, cycling, and fate - Day 3, 05/20/22 8:45 AM - 9:00 AM ET

Presented During: Carbon fluxes across ecosystem interfaces: Sources, cycling, and fate - Day 2, 05/19/22 9:15 AM - 9:30 AM ET

The coastal watersheds of Southeast Alaska have diverse hydrologic regimes driven by differences in the contribution of glacial, snow, and rainwater inputs to streamflow.

However, a dramatically changing climate is shifting the dominant source of streamflow towards rainfall rather than snowmelt and increasing the likelihood of extreme hydrologic events. These changes to watershed hydrology have the potential to impact the source, processing, and export of materials from watersheds to the nearshore marine ecosystem. However, the impact of hydrologic variability, such as droughts and floods, on material transport is poorly understood. Our study evaluates how the sequence, magnitude, and timing of stream flows impacts the magnitude and composition of nutrients, particulate organic matter, and organisms (aquatic and terrestrial macroinvertebrates) exported from a predominantly rain-fed watershed in Juneau, Alaska. We collected stream drift and water samples at least twice per week from late April through October 2021, capturing peaks and troughs in stream flow during the main runoff season. Our results suggest that nutrient and particulate organic matter concentrations vary substantially with season and discharge. Dissolved organic carbon (1.1-8.3 mg/L), dissolved nitrogen (0.03-0.13 mg/L) and alkalinity (6-33 mg/L) varied up to an order of magnitude. Stream water drift composition was dominated by terrestrial material (e.g., conifer needles, twigs), and appears to be linked to antecedent stream flow conditions. Our research will provide insight into the complex relationship between flow and material fluxes and aid in our understanding of how shifts in climate will impact materials export to nearshore ecosystems in Southeast Alaska.

THE ROLE OF VEGETATION PATCHES IN CONTROLLING ECOSYSTEM METHANE DYNAMICS IN HERBACEOUS FRESHWATER WETLANDS Sean Sharp, Christine Maietta, Graham Stewart, Aileen Taylor, Michael Williams, Margaret Palmer Herbaceous wetlands are composed of functionally distinct plant communities, including emergent grasses, sedges, submerged and floating aquatic vegetation, and non-vegetated open water or mudflats, that occur in spatially discrete patches. These patches can control the microbially-mediated production and transport of the potent greenhouse gas methane (CH4), by facilitating gas transport and modulating the soil and water environment. However, in measuring methane emissions at ecosystem scales, patches are often broadly generalized over large areas and the mechanisms controlling CH4 dynamics at individual plant and microbial community scales are overlooked. We investigate how different patch types (e.g., open water, submerged aquatic, and emergent vegetation) modulate soil methane production, consumption, and transport across spatial (i.e., root to patch to ecosystem) and temporal (i.e., hours to days to seasons) scales by analyzing porewater and soil chemistry, quantifying plant characteristics, and measuring patch methane flux in a temperate freshwater marsh. We found that porewater CH4 concentrations and CH4 flux were often negatively correlated but the size of this relationship differed greatly between patches. Notably, we found that emissions increased with patch NPP and declined with late-season senescence in some plants (e.g., grasses) more than others (e.g., sedges). This also suggests that wetland soils are potentially potent sources of CH4 late in the growing season as soil methane production outpaces rates of emission. Our investigation into the role of patches in modulating methane emissions over time with help improve future estimates of ecosystem methane flux and better inform management and conservation strategies.

HYDROLOGIC VARIABILITY DRIVES RIVERINE MATERIALS EXPORT FROM A COASTAL SOUTHEAST ALASKAN CATCHMENT Claire Delbecq, Kevin Fitzgerald, Jason Fellman, Emily Whitney, Ryan Bellmore, Jeff Falke

Presented During: Coastal wetland management and restoration in the Anthropocene- Day 1, 05/16/22 9:45 AM - 10:00 AM ET

DOES THIN LAYER PLACEMENT OF DREDGED MATERIAL ALTER SALT MARSH SOIL NITROGEN CYCLING PROCESS RATES? Charles Schutte, Amber Hatter, Metthea Yepsen, Veronica Lucchese Sea-level rise threatens existing salt marshes by decreasing Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 185

their relative elevation, which increases inundation times and can negatively impact plant growth. Despite natural sediment accumulation, many New Jersey marshes are losing elevation in the face of high rates of relative sea-level rise (>5 mm year-1). Beneficial use of dredged material is one type of management practice that may help to slow or prevent salt marsh elevation loss. From 2014–2016, three New Jersey salt marsh sites (ranging from one to 45 acres) received thin layer placement (average 15-22 cm placement depth) of dredged material. Yearly monitoring of these sites has focused on marsh elevation and plant communities. However, it has not been determined how thin layer placement may influence important salt marsh ecosystem services like nitrogen removal. We set out to test the hypothesis that, 5-7 years since placement, surficial salt marsh soil from placement areas would have similar nitrogen cycling process rates to those measured at nearby reference sites. Soil cores were collected from 14 placement areas and 11 reference areas across the 3 study sites in late summer 2021. We measured potential rates of ammonification, nitrification, and denitrification in laboratory-based slurry incubations. Sample analysis is ongoing, but the average (± standard deviation) potential nitrification rate at placement sites was 81 ± 261 nmol N gdw-1 d-1 compared with 218 ± 417 nmol N gdw-1 d-1 at reference sites. While preliminary, these results suggest the possibility that thin layer placement alters salt marsh soil nitrogen cycling potential Presented During: Coastal wetland management and restoration in the Anthropocene- Day 1, 05/16/22 4:45 PM - 4:45 PM ET

USING HISTORICAL ECOLOGICAL CONDITIONS ALONG WITH CONTEMPORARY PRESSURES (CLIMATE CHANGE, WATER REGIME CHANGES) TO RESTORE LARGE ESTUARINE WETLANDS (VIRTUAL) Peter Gell, Max Finlayson The nature of coastal wetlands reflects the interplay between the hydroclimate of the catchment and the influence of the tidal prism. Natural sediment accretion drives hydroseral change over which climate variability acts to shift the gradient from fresh to marine. Through the Anthropocene regulation of river flow, and water abstraction for human use, have affected this balance, as well as the construction of structures in the coastal systems. This combination of natural variability and human driven change is evident in two Ramsar-listed wetlands, the Coorong and Lower lakes, and the Gippsland Lakes, in Australia. In the former abstraction, regulation and the construction of barrages in 1940 has led to the freshening of coastal lakes, yet increas186 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

ing salinity in the coastal lagoons. In the latter, the artificial opening of the previously closed system in 1891 allowed the penetration of tidal waters, which has been exacerbated by inlet dredging. Both systems are also subjected to elevated nutrient loads leading to algal blooms. The main changes occurred after European settlement, but before their listing as Ramsar wetlands. The ecosystem services prioritised by management are used to justify the maintenance of a fresh state in a naturally estuarine system, and the maintenance of a marine state in one naturally brackish.

In each, decreased catchment runoff owing to a drying climate, and elevated sea-levels, are likely to force decisions that envisage novel conditions. The challenge will be to maintain their ecological function so that they can continue to support significant ecological assets.

Presented During: Coastal wetland management and restoration in the Anthropocene- Day 1, 05/16/22 3:30 PM - 3:45 PM ET

BURROWING CRABS AFFECT ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS OF CREATED AND NATURAL TIDAL WETLANDS IN THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO. Shelby Rinehart, Jacob Dybiec, August Hammill, Corianne Tatariw, Taylor Ledford, Emily Fromenthal, Behzad Mortazavi, Julia Cherry Tidal wetland creation often fails to recover all ecosystem functions, which may occur when creation strategies focus on establishing populations of foundation plant species and neglect other important ecosystem engineers. For instance, burrowing crab communities, through their tunneling and foraging behaviors, can promote the retention and accumulation of organic matter in wetland soils. To start understanding if burrowing crabs facilitate ecosystem functions in created wetlands, we conducted a comparative survey of wetland biological structure and ecosystem functions in plots with naturally occurring High (≥ 20 burrows m-2) and Low (≤ 12 burrows m-2) crab burrow densities in two created wetlands and one natural wetland on the West Fowl River in Alabama, U.S.A. In created wetlands, we found that plots with High crab burrow densities had higher densities of Juncus roemerianus stems and greater aboveground biomass than plots with Low crab burrow densities. J. roemerianus was unaffected by crab burrow density in the natural wetland. At all sites, plots with High crab burrow densities had less variable, and lower overall, soil organic matter content than plots with Low crab burrow densities.

Our findings suggest that burrowing crab communities can have greater effects on ecosystem functions in created wetlands than natural wetlands; however, the directionality of these effects depends on the specific ecosystem function.

Presented During: Coastal wetland management and restoration in the Anthropocene- Day 1, 05/16/22 2:30 PM - 2:45 PM ET

DEVELOPMENT OF A PRELIMINARY METRIC-BASED INDICATOR OF FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY FOR TIDAL MARSHES Jacob Dybiec, Taylor Ledford, Shelby Rinehart, Corianne Tatariw, Emily Fromenthal, Behzad Mortazavi, Julia Cherry Despite their known importance, an estimated 25-50% of tidal marshes have been lost worldwide over the past 50 years, and those that remain are at increased risk of loss due to climate change. While tidal marsh restoration and creation efforts are used to offset these losses, the recovery of important functions like carbon storage and nitrogen removal capacity is often not assessed due to time and budget constraints. As such, an accessible method for estimating functional recovery in restored and created tidal marshes would be of great benefit to coastal sustainability efforts.

Metric-based indicators have previously been used to assess ecosystem functions through simple and inexpensive biotic/abiotic measures and therefore may provide a useful method to assess restoration. Using data collected from 12 restored/created and 4 natural tidal marshes across the Northern Gulf of Mexico during Summer 2021, we calculated percent recovery of certain functions at restored/created marshes by pairing them with reference natural marshes.

We then used backwards model selection to determine what combination of site characteristics explained recovery. For example, we found that the recovery of soil organic matter could be estimated through site age and bulk density, while the recovery of plant biomass could be estimated by site age and percent plant cover. From these relationships, we generated metrics capable of “scoring” functional recovery in tidal marshes based on these easier-to-measure factors.

Further data collection in Summer 2022 will allow us to assess the validity of this preliminary indicator of functional recovery.

Presented During: Coastal wetland management and restoration in the Anthropocene- Day 1, 05/16/22 2:45 PM - 3:00 PM ET

COMPARING THE SEASONAL DYNAMICS OF ECOLOGICALLY IMPORTANT INSECT FUNCTIONAL GROUPS IN CREATED AND REFERENCE WETLANDS Emily Fromenthal, Jacob Dybiec, Shelby Rinehart, Julia Cherry Recovery of species richness, species composition, and biogeochemistry in restored wetlands often fails to reach levels of reference wetlands. While the effects of restoration on plant and non-insect macroinvertebrate commu-

nities are relatively well-studied, much less is known about the impacts of wetland restoration on insect communities.

The aim of this research was to determine if observed differences in biological structure between one reference and two restored J. roemerianus-dominated marshes extends to insect communities within these ecosystems. Sampling methods included pan trapping, line transect netting, and light trapping. All insect functional groups were identified monthly from April – October 2021 and analyzed for species richness, abundance, and diversity. Floral density and herbivory scars on Juncus shoots were also measured during flowering and peak growing season, respectively. Preliminary results indicate that natural and restored marshes differ in their insect community composition. For example, the reference marsh was dominated by herbivores and had significantly more herbivore damage, while both constructed marshes supported a larger number of predaceous and herbivorous insects. Pollinators were relatively uncommon in all marshes in April and May, but increased in June coinciding with observed flowering of J. roemerianus before declining again. This pattern among pollinators may signify that J. roemerianus acts as a floral resource for pollinators. By researching structural differences in insect communities between reference and restored marshes, we can further understand the community composition of an understudied group of organisms, potentially improve restoration strategies, and support the health of both wetlands and the insects that inhabit them.

Presented During: Coastal wetland management and restoration in the Anthropocene- Day 1, 05/16/22 9:15 AM - 9:30 AM ET

ASSESSING RECOVERY OF SOIL ORGANIC MATTER AND CARBON IN RESTORED MARSHES OF THE MS-AL GULF COAST Julia Cherry, Jacob Dybiec, Shelby Rinehart, Taylor Ledford, Emily Fromenthal, Corianne Tatariw, Behzad Mortazavi Tidal saline marshes provide important ecosystem services, including the accumulation of soil organic matter (SOM) and sequestration of blue carbon (C), that can mitigate climate change. However, these ecosystems are highly vulnerable to degradation and loss, and as such, wetland restoration and creation are increasingly utilized to recover marsh biological structure and ecosystem functions. To examine the extent to which tidal marsh restoration recovers C-storage functions, we quantified SOM, and will be quantifying C content, in four reference marshes and 12 restored marshes of the Mississippi-Alabama Gulf Coast.

The restored sites differed in age (7—34 yr) and restoration technique (e.g., living shoreline, large-scale beneficial use, Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 187

habitat conversion). Reference marshes consistently stored more SOM in the upper 20 cm than restored sites, with no restored site having fully recovered relative to its paired reference site. Within restored sites, SOM in the upper 5 cm significantly increased with time since restoration, while SOM in deeper soil increments (5—10, 10—15, 15—20 cm) was similar regardless of marsh age. Further, SOM content differed among restoration types, with marshes converted from forest, which were the oldest restored sites, storing more SOM than large-scale beneficial use and living shoreline sites, which ranged from 7—19 yr in age.

While none of the sites has yet to reach equivalence with their reference site, they do appear to be on a trajectory of recovery, suggesting that tidal marsh restoration is an effective strategy to recover some ecosystem services over longer time periods.

Presented During: Coastal wetland management and restoration in the Anthropocene- Day 1, 05/16/22 1:45 PM - 2:00 PM ET

INVESTIGATING IRON SULFIDE FORMATION AND FATE IN A WETLAND RESTORATION CONTEXT Yadav Sapkota, Jacob Berkowitz, Christine VanZomeren Restoration projects are being implemented to address natural and anthropogenic threats to coastal wetlands, including sea level rise and historic landuse alterations. Dredged sediments can be used in restoration projects to increase elevation and stabilize marsh platforms, however some dredged materials contain iron sulfide (FeS) precipitates.

Under aerobic conditions, such as drought, FeS quickly oxidizes generating acidity that can dramatically lower the soil pH, impact plant establishment, and threaten the success of wetland restoration projects. This study simulated wetland restoration using FeS-rich dredged materials to better understand the processes, drivers, and implications of FeS formation and fate in wetland restoration context. A 16-week mesocosm study placed FeS-rich dredged sediments on top of marsh soils under three hydrologic regimes (continuous inundation, simulated tidal, and drought treatments). Rapid declines in Eh (~400 mV to ~-200 mV) were observed during the first three weeks across all treatments, after which Eh gradually increased in the drought treatment. The concentration of Fe2+ and total dissolved Fe was significantly greater in the continuously inundated treatment, however the concentration of both Fe2+ and total dissolved Fe decreased in all treatments and sediment layers over time. This suggest that Fe was precipitating as FeS in the flooded/tidal treatments and as insoluble Fe-oxides under simulated drought conditions. Study results are being used to develop a model of FeS formation and fate 188 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

within a restoration context to promote the successful use of dredged sediments to increase the ecological function and sustainability of coastal wetlands.

Presented During: Coastal wetland management and restoration in the Anthropocene- Day 1, 05/16/22 4:30 PM - 4:45 PM ET

USING SEED AND SEEDLING TRAITS TO ENHANCE WETLAND REVEGETATION OUTCOMES Emily Tarsa, Karin Kettenring As wetlands experience degradation due to climate change and invasive species, native wetland plants that support ecosystem functioning are being rapidly lost. Understanding how plant functional traits at early life stages varies between species, populations and abiotic conditions can enhance native plant establishment, particularly when plants are introduced as seeds. For several wetland plants that commonly occur in the U.S. Intermountain West, we characterized a suite of seed and seedling traits: traits that govern dispersal (buoyancy), persistence (seed coat thickness, seed mass, dormancy), germination (t50, proportion), and establishment (root and shoot growth rates) across current and projected abiotic conditions. We used principal components analysis and generalized linear models to explore the extent, trade-offs, and implications of inter- and intraspecies trait variation. We found significant variation in seed and seedling traits across species and populations that had implications for early plant growth. Species that had thinner seed coats, lighter seeds, and shallow dormancy generally experienced more rapid early plant growth (higher root and shoot elongation rates) whereas species with thick seed coats and higher seed mass exhibited slower growth rates.

Intraspecific germination rates varied substantially across populations, indicating that managers should be strategic about where to source seeds for wetland restorations. Our findings highlight important seed and seedling traits that can be used to predict plant performance during restoration and provide a tool for managers to maximize restoration outcomes when choosing restoration species, populations, and conditions in which to sow seeds.

Presented During: Coastal wetland management and restoration in the Anthropocene- Day 1, 05/16/22 4:15 PM - 4:30 PM ET

NATURE-BASED COASTAL RESILIENCE PILOT PROJECT: OYSTER CASTLE® REEFS IMPROVING SALT MARSH HEALTH AND RESPONSE TO SEA LEVEL RISE Jennifer Karberg

Responding to coastal impacts of climate change requires the adaptation of current wetland regulation standards. To encourage science-based, natural solutions to increasing coastal resilience, conservation-minded research organizations need to design pilot projects to inform these innovations.

Faced with coastal salt marsh dieback as well as poorer harbor water quality, the Nantucket Conservation Foundation undertook the laborious process to design and permit an intertidal oyster reef to provide salt marsh protection from storm and wave impacts while improving localized water quality. This solution had not previously been permitted in Massachusetts. Working through the MA In Lieu Fee Program and building partnerships with local shellfish associations, USACE, MA CZM, MA DEP and MA DFW, we obtained permitting within a year and a half with full reef installation completed over 3 days in November 2021.

We designed extensive pre- and post-installation monitoring to capture reef impacts to intertidal water movement, storm surge impacts, salt marsh erosion, salt marsh health and harbor water quality as well as monitoring the physical reef successful.

This presentation will outline the process of design, permitting and installation of this novel pilot project as well as highlight unique data collection methods including using drone aerial photography to quantify salt marsh vegetation composition as well as tilt meters to model tidal flow and force. This project can serve as an example of how to develop and implement innovative nature-based coastal resilience solutions as well as a providing a model for other salt marsh protection projects.

Presented During: Coastal wetland management and restoration in the Anthropocene- Day 1, 05/16/22 9:30 AM - 9:45 AM ET

ASSESSING RECOVERY OF N REMOVAL CAPACITY IN RESTORED TIDAL MARSHES OF THE MS-AL GULF COAST Behzad Mortazavi, Taylor Ledford, Corianne Tatariw, Jacob Dybiec, Shelby Rinehart, Emily Fromenthal, Julia Cherry Marsh loss as a result of human activities and sea-level rise is resulting in leading to loss of ecosystem functions in coastal habitats. Despite efforts in marsh restoration or construction to counter marsh loss, the extent of functional recovery following these efforts remains highly variable. We assessed functional recovery of nitrogen (N) removal capacity across marshes in the Northern Gulf of Mexico by comparing rates of denitrification, anammox, and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) in 12 constructed/restored and four paired reference nat-

ural marshes. Average N-removal through denitrification and anammox across natural marshes was 10.2 mmol N kg-1 hr-1 and was significantly lower than N-retention through DNRA (63.5 mmol N kg-1 hr-1). Recovery of N-removal capacity varied with construction/restoration type with rates in shoreline restoration and living shoreline exceeding those in the reference marshes by 250% and 120%, respectively. In contrast, beneficial use and constructed marshes were far less efficient in their N-removal capacity compared to reference marshes. While the magnitude of N-removal was much lower in constructed compared to reference marshes, the relative proportion of N-removal compared to N-retention was similar. Marsh restoration is an effective strategy to recover some ecosystem services, however, recovery in N removal capacity appears highly variable and dependent on the type of restoration effort undertaken.

Presented During: Coastal wetland management and restoration in the Anthropocene- Day 2, 05/17/22 9:30 AM - 9:45 AM ET

IMPACT OF FRESHWATER DIVERSIONS ON VEGETATION IN COASTAL WETLANDS BASED ON REMOTE SENSING DERIVED VEGETATION INDEX Wei Wu, Evan Grimes, Glenn Suir To improve understanding on the efficacy of large-scale freshwater and sediment diversion projects in restoring coastal wetlands, we aim to evaluate the long-term changes in wetland vegetation in diversion outfall areas.

We selected two diversion outfall areas (Caernarvon and Davis Pond, Louisiana, U.S.) as the study sites and compared them to the reference wetlands with similar vegetation composition. We implemented multi-level Bayesian models to evaluate 1) how peak-season Landsat-derived normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) changed over time in reference to the initiations of the freshwater diversions, and 2) how peak-season NDVI responded to inundation and salinity (mean and variability).

Analysis showed differences in temporal trends of NDVI, and how environmental factors impacted NDVI for the two diversion projects. For the Caernarvon diversion project, variability of water level (inundation) and salinity and mean salinity were important to predict NDVI, while mean water level and mean salinity were important for the Davis Pond diversion project. The observed variability has not been traditionally accounted for in quantitative models but can be more important to consider than the mean levels.

The study provides a modeling framework that can comprehensively evaluate freshwater diversions with uncertainties accounted for. It will inform future use of freshwater Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 189

diversions for wetland restoration.

Presented During: Coastal wetland management and restoration in the Anthropocene- Day 2, 05/17/22 8:45 AM - 9:00 AM ET

MODELING FOR SOIL POREWATER SALINITY: IMPACTS OF SEA LEVEL RISE AND FIRE ON SOIL POREWATER SALINITY Devin Jen, Wei Wu Coastal marshes, which provide a number of ecosystem services, have been experiencing extensive loss due to sea level rise (SLR) in addition to other natural and anthropogenic stressors. One way in which coastal marshes can respond to SLR is through landward migration when suitable habitat is available. Soil porewater salinity is an important determinant of salt marsh extent and is largely influenced by tidal inundation and the hydrological cycle.

Increasing soil porewater salinity due to increased inundation time can hinder recruitment of juvenile trees and aid in a stepwise retreat of upland vegetation allowing space for marshes to migrate landward. On the other hand, wild and prescribed fires in the adjacent pine savanna habitats can temporally clear understory vegetation and thus may decrease vegetation evapotranspiration and soil porewater salinity. This could create less favorable conditions for marsh transgression. The objectives of this research are to develop and calibrate a soil salinity model based on data collected during 2020 and 2021 and then use the model to predict how soil porewater salinity will be affected due to increasing SLR and prescribed fire events. The study area is the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in southeastern Mississippi that contains estuarine salt marshes and fire-maintained pine savannas. We set up three transects spanning the salt marshes to the upland pine savannas, including two control transects and one transect influenced by prescribed fire in 2018. The results of this research will aid in more informed management decisions in conserving and restoring coastal habitats.

Presented During: Coastal wetland management and restoration in the Anthropocene- Day 2, 05/17/22 8:30 AM - 8:45 AM ET

SOIL EFFECTS ON SUCCESS OF PLANTING DESIGN FOR VEGETATION ESTABLISHMENT IN TIDAL MARSH RESTORATION Lorie Staver, J. Court Stevenson, Jeffrey Cornwell, Michael Owens The traditional planting design for vegetation establishment in tidal marsh restoration is a grid pattern, developed in upland habitat restoration to reduce competition between propagules. Recent work has promoted the use of clus190 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

tered planting to take advantage of facilitative interactions between propagules. Both planting designs were tested in a two-year study on fine-grained, high nutrient (x_±standard error % sand=20.8±5.0; %N=0.32±0.03), and sandy, low nutrient (x_±se % sand=81.8±4.6; %N=0.03±0.01) soils in a created tidal marsh at Poplar Island, Maryland. Survival of nursery grown Spartina alterniflora stock was 100% and 88-100% on fine-grained soil for grid and clustered designs, respectively, and 11-88% and 100% and in sandy soil, respectively. In Year 1, stem density and aboveground biomass were significantly higher in the grid vs. clustered plots on fine-grained soil, while both stem density or biomass were similar in grid vs. clustered plots on sand. In Year 2, percent coverage was higher in grid vs. clustered plots (x_±se=89.3%±5.2 and 52.7±5.2, respectively) on finegrained soil, while percent coverage was higher, but not significantly different, in clustered vs. grid plots on sand (62.0±4.4 vs. 47.3±20.2%, respectively). No significant differences in soil redox were found between vegetated and unvegetated soil on either soil type or with either planting design. Transplant mortality was due primarily to predation by birds. We conclude that a clustered design may be beneficial where low nutrient availability limits plant growth and increases vulnerability, but where high nutrient availability enhances plant growth a grid design results in more rapid vegetation coverage.

Presented During: Collaborations between ecologists and economists to improve aquatic ecosystem management, 05/19/22 9:15 AM 9:30 AM ET

PERSPECTIVES ON TRANSFERRING GEOSPATIAL MODELS OF AQUATIC CONDITION TO MANAGEMENT SCENARIOS FOR RESOURCE VALUATION Ryan Hill, C. Emi Fergus, Paul Ringold, Brenda Rashleigh, Scott Leibowitz, Phil Kaufmann, Renee Brooks, Jessie Doyle The influence of watershed land use on instream physical, chemical, and biological conditions is well documented.

Improved availability of watershed data has allowed for modeling and spatial interpolation of several such features across the conterminous US. While these models provide insights into the distribution of aquatic resources, their condition, and land uses influencing them, translating these insights into management scenarios is challenging. This difficulty arises from the coarseness of land use metrics, the irreversibility of some land use types, or both. For example, watershed agriculture is often an important covariate in models, but agricultural intensity and impacts vary widely among regions and over time but is not quantified

in standard land cover datasets. Further, changes in extent, and large-scale reversal of agriculture is unlikely. Thus, it is unknown whether models that neglect land use intensity are appropriate for predicting future outcomes. Models that confer mechanistic understanding, such as SEM, can be labor intensive and often offer little or no returns in model performance, but their insights may overcome challenges in management scenario planning and resource valuation.

In this presentation, we review recent work and provide our perspective on additional research needed to improve the transferability of spatial models to provide management scenarios for resource valuation. We show that addressing these challenges will require careful consideration of current limitations in both data and modeling and better accounting of land use intensities, the instream stressors they produce, as well as mitigating factors within watersheds, such as wetlands.

Presented During: Collaborations between ecologists and economists to improve aquatic ecosystem management, 05/19/22 9:00 AM 9:15 AM ET

EVALUATING INDICATORS OF AQUATIC ECOSYSTEM HEALTH FOR VALUATION AND POLICY ANALYSIS Chris Moore, Ryan Hill The Water Quality Ladder (WQL) and its derivatives are the primary metrics used by environmental economists to value surface water quality changes for policy analysis.

Such metrics are convenient for valuation because they combine multiple chemical and physical measurements into a single metric that is benchmarked by suitability for specific use-values – e.g. boating, fishing, swimming, and drinking. People derive value from aquatic ecosystems via motivations other than uses such as those, however, so relying solely on the WQL for valuation may underestimate benefits from proposed policy. The purpose of this study is to identify a metric of aquatic biological integrity to complement the WQL on valuation surveys to estimate the non-use value of water quality improvements. We identify a set of candidates and evaluate them using four criteria for environmental quality indicators: measurability, interpretability, applicability, and comprehensiveness. Using the supporting documentation of the candidate indicators and extensive focus group research, we identify the ratio of observed taxonomic composition of the aquatic resource to the composition expected under reference conditions (O/E) as the most appropriate indicator to capture non-use value from aquatic biological integrity. The features of O/E that drive this judgement are its national availability and reporting consistency, the ability of the general public to

accurately interpret changes in its value, and its cognitive separability with human use values. We intend to use O/E and the WQL on a forthcoming valuation survey to analyze the properties of use and non-use benefits from surface water quality improvements.

Presented During: Collaborations between ecologists and economists to improve aquatic ecosystem management, 05/19/22 9:45 AM 10:00 AM ET

FUTURE DIRECTIONS FOR COLLABORATIONS TO IMPROVE AQUATIC ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT Matt Heberling, Brenda Rashleigh The call for collaborations between natural scientists and economists has existed for a long time as a way to improve the assessment of federal, state, tribe, and local decisions necessary to achieve water quality goals. However, the wide range of economic benefits associated with improving water quality, from use values like recreation and safe drinking water to nonuse values like cultural and endangered species, makes benefits estimation difficult._ A key component of the collaborations is the link between how natural scientists measure change and how those measures can be translated into something that the public perceives and understands. Given the importance of these linkages, we also must consider how relatively new water quality issues such as harmful algal blooms, chemicals of emerging concern, or even multiple stressors affect the natural science measurements and the identification of public perceptions and behavior. This presentation will summarize future research directions based on the talks in this session and the efforts within EPA and other federal agencies, including consideration of how variability in natural systems is translated into economic valuation, valuation for culturally important species and resources, and improved endpoints for coastal systems. Collaboration on these directions will lead to concrete steps for improving the connection between the natural sciences and economics.

Presented During: Collaborations between ecologists and economists to improve aquatic ecosystem management, 05/19/22 10:00 AM 10:00 AM ET

STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELS: CAN THEY PROVIDE A MECHANISTIC LINK BETWEEN BROAD-SCALE AQUATIC RESOURCE DATA, MANAGEMENT SCENARIOS, & RESOURCE VALUATION? (VIRTUAL) C. Emi Fergus, Paul Ringold, Ryan Hill, Renee Brooks, Phil Kaufmann, Richard Mitchell Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 191

Aquatic resource management faces the challenge of developing ecologically relevant practices while managing diverse water bodies distributed across the landscape. Largescale monitoring programs provide a wealth of information to assess aquatic ecosystem condition at broad spatial extents but converting this information into mechanistic understanding of the factors that drive ecosystem health can be challenging. Structural equation models (SEM) are a powerful analytic approach to evaluate and quantify the complex pathways in which natural and anthropogenic factors affect aquatic condition and offer promise to bridge the information gap between aquatic monitoring data and management needs. We applied an SEM framework to examine hypothesized watershed, riparian, and in-stream factors affecting macroinvertebrate integrity in US streams using the US EPA National Rivers and Streams Assessment and StreamCat datasets to support economic valuation analyses. We explore the potential for riparian best management practices to protect streams by quantifying the relative effects of riparian land cover on the condition of instream habitat and biota across different landscape settings. Model results showed ecoregional differences in the pathways by which hypothesized factors affected stream macroinvertebrate integrity. These findings illustrate the need for systems-level analytic approaches, like SEM, to disentangle the complex pathways in which natural and anthropogenic factors affect aquatic ecosystems from data collected at broad spatial scales. Although SEM provides a mechanistic framework to assess the effectiveness of management practices on aquatic ecosystem health, additional work will be needed to synthesize SEM models with management scenarios and economic valuation studies.

Presented During: Collaborative Solutions in Response to Harmful Algal Blooms, 05/17/22 8:30 AM - 8:45 AM ET

USING SATELLITE IMAGERY AND NATIONAL SURVEYS TO IDENTIFY LAKES AT-RISK FOR TOXIC CYANOBACTERIA BLOOMS IN THE U.S. Amalia Handler, Jana Compton, Ryan Hill, Scott Leibowitz, Blake Schaeffer, Michael Dumelle Algal blooms caused by toxin-producing cyanobacteria are a threat to global water resources and human health. Water resource managers need tools that identify which lakes are at risk of toxic cyanobacteria blooms. We address this need by using Cyanobacteria Assessment Network satellite imagery and US EPA National Lakes Assessment field surveys to model the probability of large lakes exceeding lower and higher demonstration thresholds of microcystin toxin, cyanobacteria, and chlorophyll a. For every satellite-derived 192 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

Cyanobacteria Index (CI_cyano) increase of 0.01 (CI_cyano/km2) the odds of exceeding the six thresholds increased by 23–54%. When applied to all 2,192 satellite monitored lakes, the models identified lakes with ≥75% probability of exceeding the lower or higher thresholds as less than 336 and less than 70 lakes, respectively. Our approach identified lakes that are at higher risk of experiencing toxic algal blooms and may require additional monitoring. We compiled lake water chemistry, lake morphology, watershed characteristics, and basin climate data to evaluate potential predictors of blooms. In addition, we compared models with and without lake physical and chemical data to assess the need for in-lake information to determine lakes at higher risk for experiencing blooms. These approaches are a critical advancement in using national datasets to determine which lakes may require additional field monitoring and management priorities.

Presented During: Community Science: Adding Value, Creating Action, and Impacting Regions, 05/20/22 3:45 PM - 3:45 PM ET

CITIZEN SCIENCE FOR AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS MONITORING: A GRASSROOT FOR FLUVIAL CONNECTIVITY PROTECTION (VIRTUAL) Carla Villamarin, Daniela Rosero-López , Jose Daza, Andrea Encalada Aquatic ecosystems in the Amazon basin are currently facing various threats including mining, oil extraction, solid waste pollution and overfishing. In consequence, a call for conservation and governance has promoted generation of useful data. However, initiatives seeking long-term monitoring of aquatic ecosystems face many limitations, being the high need of time and human resources the most powerful obstacles. Thus, when long-term data collection projects are limited by afore mentioned resources, Citizen Science initiatives become the appropriate approach.

The Napo River Basin, in the Northern Ecuadorian Amazon, is home of a Citizen Science project developed in 2021 within the Aguas Amazónicas Initiative. Local scientists from the Waorani indigenous communities are involved in a capacity building strategy for monitoring aquatic ecosystems in the Curaray-Nushiño fluvial system.

The goal is to generate physical and chemical data and fish records to design management guidelines for their territory (i.e., illegal fishing, wood harvest, hunt). Local scientist of two Waorani communities collect weekly data that will allow them to understand the ecological conditions of the aquatic resources they rely on and empower to propose and participate in management decisions.

Citizen Science in remote locations face several challenges

to achieve positive outputs for useful data generation, therefore merging indigenous knowledge and monitoring tools require a continuous adaptation. The aquatic monitoring with Citizen Science participation achieved in this project has made an impact on local freshwater management and seeks to further contribute to the regional governance for fluvial connectivity protection.

Presented During: Conservation of urban aquatic systems: Interdisciplinary solutions to complicated problems, 05/17/22 5:00 PM - 5:00 PM ET

DIGITALLY UNEARTHED: URBAN STREAM DESERTS IN THE SPOKANE WATERSHED (VIRTUAL) Erin Dascher Stream burial reduces the size, extent, and resilience of river networks, and is a common symptom of urbanization. This study investigates the geography of potential urban stream deserts in the Spokane Watershed (that drains 17,039 km2 of northern Idaho and eastern Washington) using data from the National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) in conjunction with the U.S. Census Bureau’s Urban Areas shapefile and the National Land Cover Database (NLCD).

Multiple years of the NLCD data were used to measure the expansion of identified urban stream deserts between 2001 and 2019. This analysis identified twenty-three possible urban stream deserts ranging in size from 7967 m2 to 66.18 km2, with the largest urban stream deserts located along the I-90 corridor that runs east to west through the cities of Spokane and Coeur d’Alene. This study suggests that urban stream deserts may not be a phenomenon only associated with large urbanized regions or rapid urbanization, but may occur in a variety of less intense urban settings. As increasing urbanization within the Spokane Watershed will likely continue to diminish and degrade the river network, further investigation into where streams burial has occurred can help inform management practices and stream restoration efforts.

Presented During: Conservation of urban aquatic systems: Interdisciplinary solutions to complicated problems, 05/17/22 5:00 PM - 5:00 PM ET

FISH DIVERSITY IN A NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS URBAN NATURE PRESERVE - MORE THAN JUST A FISH SURVEY (VIRTUAL) Jeremy Jordan “Urban Stream Syndrome” is a newer term used to describe the degradation process associated with urbanized stream

systems. Despite their degraded state, urban streams and associated riparian corridors are vital to urban fish and wildlife and provide many benefits such as maintaining local or regional biodiversity, regulating flood waters, and providing a natural vista admist urban sprawl. Unfortunately, urban stream systems are often a patchwork network of greenspaces and channelized stream segments that serpentine through a developed area. Often times, major greenspaces are associated with parks, trailways, or nature preserves.

These larger greenspaces generally support semi-functional floodplains, native flora and fauna, and buffer the effects of surrounding development. In this presentation, I will present data from a fish survey I completed for an urban nature preserve in Garland, TX that allowed me to provide a hands-on opportunity to educate a variety of people ranging from Master Naturalists to high school students looking to pursue a career in natural resources. Under my state-issued research permit, we live-captured 13 fish species, including a regionally rare species. When combined with an informal creel survey and a recent and historic fish records search, it was determined that approximately 22 species of fish may inhabit the segment of stream within the urban nature preserve. While existing in a highly urban context, this fish survey allowed me to collect fish data for a statewide fish diversity database at a location where species distribution data was relatively absent, while also educating the public about urban streams and fishes.

Presented During: Conservation of urban aquatic systems: Interdisciplinary solutions to complicated problems, 05/17/22 1:30 PM - 1:45 PM ET

ARTIFICIAL FLOATING WETLANDS IMPROVE HABITAT QUALITY FOR AQUATIC MACROINVERTEBRATES IN URBANIZED RIVERS Samantha Garcia, Pamela Geddes Artificial floating wetlands (AFWs) have been used for beautification of urban, aquatic landscapes and may provide additional, higher quality habitat for water-dwelling wildlife. Assessing habitat quality can be achieved by measuring the diversity of organisms that are bioindicators, like benthic macroinvertebrates. To determine if AFWs deployed in the Chicago River provide higher quality habitats compared to sections of the river without AFWs, we compared the identity and abundance of macroinvertebrate taxa at a site with AFWs to a control site during the summer of 2020. Our study design included the AFW site and the control site with nine replicates per treatment.

Macroinvertebrates were collected using Hester-Dendy samplers that were submerged for seven weeks. We taxoWetland Science & Practice July 2022 193

nomically identified the individuals in each sample using a dissecting microscope. We predicted that macroinvertebrate total abundance, taxa richness, and diversity would be higher for the AFW site, indicating that the AFWs provide a higher quality habitat than aquatic environments lacking AFWs. The statistical analysis indicated that there was not a significant difference in the total abundance of macroinvertebrates or taxa richness of the two sites. However, the t-test conducted on the Shannon diversity index (H) indicated that the diversity of the AFW site was significantly higher than that of the control site. This study allowed us to determine that AFWs may be a feasible way to improve habitat quality for wildlife in urbanized rivers.

Presented During: Conservation of urban aquatic systems: Interdisciplinary solutions to complicated problems, 05/17/22 2:15 PM - 2:30 PM ET

RESTAURATION INITIATIVE FOR A HIGHLY DETERIORATED URBAN RIVER USING A JOINT APPROACH BETWEEN SOCIETY AND ACADEMIA Jose Daza, Andrea Encalada, Daniela Rosero-López The lack of a wastewater sanitation infrastructure has turned urban rivers into an environmental liability in Andean cities. Aspects related to public health and loss of connectivity in rivers greatly damage the ecological integrity and the ecosystem services. In Ecuador, the involvement of society in environmental issues has increased and drawn particular attention to the lack of wastewater treatment facilities for the main cities. Public awareness has been challenging for academia and stakeholders, however, recently the San Pedro River in the city of Quito has change this to a high level of participation. This river, which crosses three cities, included Quito, is used for human consumption at the headwaters, recreation, hydropower generation, irrigation for food production, and ultimately receives sanitary domestic and industrial wastewaters. We are proposing an interdisciplinary approach that seeks to integrate society stakeholders, politicians, and academia to become involved in the recovery of the environmental flow of the San Pedro River and the ecosystem services it provides. We intend to start a process that incurs in long-term changes, identifying the critical points and actors that need to be addressed to implement reliable, and lasting blue and green infrastructure for nature-based solutions to recovery processes in the river. The San Pedro River restauration initiative will be a pilot for the recovery of a highly degraded urban river in Ecuador and the Latin American region.

Presented During: Conservation of urban aquatic systems: Interdisciplinary solutions to complicated problems, 05/17/22 8:30 AM - 8:45 AM ET

VIRTUAL ONLY - ECO-CULTURAL RESTORATION AND FIRE RESILIENCY: LINKING ATTRIBUTES OF WESTERN ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE AND TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE Michelle Stevens, Alexandra von Ehrenkrook, Madeleine Sierra, Gunner Michaelson, Kathleen Coloma-Aguirr Bushy Lake is located within the lower American River floodplain, Sacramento, CA, and is in the traditional territory of the Nissenan people. The site is highly disturbed within an urban corridor; key threats include homeless encampments, wildfire, pollution and invasive species. The Bushy Lake Eco-Cultural Restoration Project was initiated in 2015, incorporating culturally important plant species into project design. The Project goal is to establish a pilot Eco-cultural restoration project through re-inhabiting culturally significant plants and animals that were traditionally tended within this novel ecosystem. Understanding and implementation of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) is essential to successful eco-cultural restoration.

While Western Ecological Knowledge (WEK) offers a strong foundation for restoration of species assemblages and ecosystems, TEK adds critical species targets and management practices that can help to restore cultural and ecological integrity. Our hypothesis is that native plants, adapted to thousands of years of Traditional Fire Management, are resilient to wildfires. In June 2021 a wildfire burned the entire site to the ground, enabling us to test our hypothesis. We will present results of our post-fire monitoring of culturally significant plants and wildlife. “Fire resiliency” is evaluated using both Western Ecological Knowledge (WEK) and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), comparing 11 common attributes of WEK and TEK that aid ecological restoration. The Project demonstrates that WEK-TEK restoration can be linked to honor cultural integrity and nurture a “Sense of Place” and reciprocity for Native Californians and others.

Presented During: Contributed Topic: Aquatic Sciences - Virtual talks

HOW DOES RAINFALL AFFECT ACIDIFICATION EVENTS IN NEOTROPICAL STREAMS, COSTA RICA? (VIRTUAL) Ashton Espino, Ana Meza-Salazar, Justine Neville, Alan Jackman, Carissa Ganong, Alonso Ramírez, Nicholas Marzolf, Marcelo Ardon Disturbances are recognized as key components to shaping community structure, trophic organization, and physical

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environment in ecosystems. One potential disturbance that occurs in lotic ecosystems is variation in pH. pH reduction disturbances are quantified using frequency, duration, and magnitude to measure the severity of ecological events, and can be used to define an acidification event in lotic ecosystems. Acidification events are well studied in temperate streams, particularly anthropogenic drivers. However, natural acidification driven by rainfall in Neotropical streams remains unclear. pH and water temperature were measured every 15 minutes using multiparameter sondes in six Neotropical streams. We identified acidification events from a 2-year observational study that was conducted on neotropical streams at La Selva Biological Station to determine (1) acidification disturbance events and their frequency, duration, and magnitude in four low-solute streams (Piper, Taconazo, Carapa, and ArbseepUp) and two high-solute streams (ArbseepDown and Sura) and (2) the influence of rainfall on the acidification events. Our statistical analyses showed statistical significance between minimum pH and event rainfall in Carapa, ArbseepUp, ArbseepDown, and the Sura30. Low-solute streams experienced greater changes in magnitude and acidification events were more severe. As large-scale shifts in extreme weather patterns result from anthropogenic activities, we are likely to see amplified acidification magnitudes that occur because of drought-driven disturbances, and changes to the structure and function of stream ecosystems. Future experiments should characterize ecological changes to exacerbated pH regimes and acidification events.

Presented During: Contributed Topic: Biodiversity, DNA and Ecosystem Function, 05/19/22 9:15 AM - 9:30 AM ET

IMPACTS OF SPRUCE BUDWORM DEFOLIATION ON THE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES IN STREAMS Madison McCaig, Erik Emilson, Karen Kidd, Emily Smenderovac Spruce budworm is one of the most damaging insect pests in Canadian forests. Given the high connectivity between terrestrial and aquatic landscapes, the widespread defoliation from this pest may alter terrestrial inputs to streams and the structure and function of stream microbial communities. This study investigates the effects of forest defoliation on water quality and microbial communities in streams of 12 watersheds experiencing an active spruce budworm outbreak in the Gaspé Peninsula (Québec, Canada). Six watersheds were sprayed with bioinsecticide to supress defoliation and six had no intervention, resulting in a gradient of defoliation severity across watersheds. Monthly water sam-

ples were collected spring to fall 2019-2021 and analyzed for dissolved organic matter (DOM) and nutrients. Microbial communities were assessed by incubating six leaf packs for five weeks in one stream reach per watershed.

Leaf packs were analyzed using metabarcoding of 16S and ITS rRNA genes to determine microbial community composition. Extracellular enzyme assays were performed to assess community function. Preliminary results indicate a significant positive relationship between DOM aromaticity (SUVA) and defoliation severity in 2019 and 2020, suggesting greater terrestrial carbon inputs to streams with greater catchment disturbances. This increased terrestrial carbon does not appear to be influencing hydrolase enzyme activities (phosphatase, xylosidase, and N-acetyl-_-D-Glucosaminidase) across sites. Further, bacterial species richness among sites increased with DOM aromaticity in 2019 but not 2020 and fungal species richness showed no relationship. Overall, results indicate that forest pest outbreaks alter carbon inputs to streams and the structure and function of stream microbial communities.

Presented During: Contributed Topic: Biodiversity, DNA and Ecosystem Function, 05/19/22 3:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET

USE OF GEOMETRIC MORPHOMETRIC ANALYSES AND DNA BARCODING TO SEPARATE TWO SPECIES OF SPHAERIIDAE (SPHAERIUM SIMILE AND SPHAERIUM STRIATINUM).

Adam Frankiewicz, Valerie Brady, David Zanatta Sphaeriidae, commonly called fingernail, pea or pill clams, are the smallest freshwater bivalves in North America with adult shell lengths ranging from 2 to 25 mm. Of the 39 known North American species, 35 are found in the Great Lake Region in a wide range of aquatic habitats. Despite this rich diversity, sphaeriid biological and ecological roles are poorly understood. This is primarily because of the difficulty that even skilled taxonomists have in identifying Sphaeriidae to species or even genus. Currently available keys do not account for the high level of shell plasticity found in sphaeriids, thus making identification of these tiny clams all the more difficult. However, new methods have been developed using geometric morphometric analysis to separate cryptic species of Unionidae, with identification confirmed by genetic analysis. Theoretically this method could work with sphaeriids and provide a useful tool to separate difficult species. My goal is to test whether or not geomorphological shell analysis can be used to help separate two morphologically similar species of sphaeriid (Sphaerum simile and Sphaerium striatinum). These species are common in the Great Lakes and are challenging to differentiate without experience. Thus far, I have 363 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 195

specimens from 24 locations, and have geometric measurements from 127 specimens, with 25 sent aside for genetic identification. All specimens have been identified using the latest taxonomic keys, with identifications verified by Sphaeriidae expert, Dr. Gerald Mackie. Preliminary analysis using 15 specimens of each species suggests that this method has promise.

Presented During: Contributed Topic: Biogeochemistry - Day 2, 05/19/22 2:45 PM - 3:00 PM ET

SYNTHESIS OF LONG-TERM TRENDS IN RIVER SILICON ACROSS BIOMES SHOWS WIDESPREAD CHANGES BUT HIGHLY VARIABLE DRIVERS Kathi Jo Jankowski, Keira Johnson, Paul Julian, Lienne Sethna, Patrick Thomas, William McDowell, Adam Wymore, Diane McKnight, Ruth Heindel, Arial Shogren, Pamela Sullivan, Benjamin Abbott, Linda Deegan, Wilfred Wollheim, Jeremy Jones, Joanna Carey Riverine exports of silicon (Si) influence global carbon cycling through the growth of diatoms, which account for ~25% of global primary production. Climate change will likely alter river Si exports in biome-specific ways due to interacting shifts in chemical weathering rates, hydrologic connectivity, and metabolic processes in aquatic and terrestrial systems, yet factors driving long-term changes in Si exports remain unexplored at local, regional, and global scales. We evaluated how concentrations and total exports of Si changed over the last several decades of rapid climate warming using long-term data from 65 rivers and streams spanning the globe (e.g., Antarctic, tropical, temperate, boreal, alpine, Arctic systems). We show that there have been widespread changes in river Si concentration and flux, with the most substantial shifts occurring in Arctic, Antarctic, and alpine regions and in larger rivers. The magnitude and direction of trends were highly variable within and among biomes and independent of river discharge, however, indicating mechanisms that span the land-water interface such as glacial melt, altered hydrologic flowpaths, and changes in river diatom communities are driving shifts in Si dynamics. Finally, trends were often stronger in months outside of the growing season, demonstrating an important role of shifting phenology for the flux of Si from rivers. Using these results, we develop a conceptual framework and highlight research needed to improve our understanding of the sensitivity of river Si to a changing climate.

Presented During: Contributed Topic: Biogeochemistry - Day 3, 05/20/22 3:30 PM - 3:45 PM ET

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STREAMBANK SEDIMENTS AS CONDUITS AND FILTERS OF GROUNDWATER NITROGEN Eric Moore, Alaina Bisson, Fiona Liu, Janet Barclay, Martin Briggs, Ashley Helton Groundwater discharge is often contaminated with excess nutrients from land surface applications, yet how groundwater discharge nutrient concentrations are realized within streams is complex. Groundwater nutrients can be directly transported to streams with minimal degradation, thus the streambank acts as a ‘conduit’ for groundwater nutrients.

However, organic carbon and long residence times within streambanks may allow nutrient processing to occur, acting as a ‘filter’ that attenuates nutrient loading to surface waters. To understand how streambank sediment characteristics influence groundwater nitrogen concentrations, we collected a suite of water chemistry variables (DO, Cl-, NO3-, NH3, TDN, DOC, N2:Ar ratio) at defined depths along the end of groundwater flow paths for 33 groundwater discharge locations within the Farmington River watershed in Connecticut, USA. Preliminary results suggest nitrogen processing at the groundwater-streambank interface is highly variable across the watershed. Nitrate concentrations increased with depth at 45% of sampled groundwater discharges (i.e., ‘filters’ where streambank sediments removed nitrate), decreased at 18%, and did not change at 36% of sites (i.e., ‘conduits’ where nitrate was not removed). We did not consistently see decreases in N2:Ar ratio with depth as expected, which would have suggested denitrification in streambank sediments. Instead, we saw 39% of sites decrease, no change in 27%, and an increase in 33% of sites.

Our results suggest streambank sediments are not a major control on nitrogen flux from groundwater to surface water.

Given these initial results, our next steps are to evaluate which groundwater chemistry and stream reach characteristics explain variation in nitrogen processing.

Presented During: Contributed Topic: Biogeochemistry - Day 3, 05/20/22 8:45 AM - 9:00 AM ET

HOW DOES SALT MARSH PLANT SPECIES AFFECT TEMPORAL PATTERNS IN NITROGEN REMOVAL? Corianne Tatariw, Taylor Ledford, Shelby Rinehart, Jacob Dybiec, Emily Fromenthal, Julia Cherry, Behzad Mortazavi Humans have increased the amount of reactive nitrogen (N) in the environment, resulting in negative ecological impacts such as harmful algal blooms. Salt marshes can mitigate these impacts by reducing N loads to coastal waters through uptake, burial, and microbial denitrification. Denitrification

is of particular interest because it represents a permanent pathway for N removal as dissolved inorganic nitrate (NO3-) is reduced to dinitrogen and nitrous oxide gasses that diffuse into the atmosphere. Denitrification capacity is coupled to marsh vegetation activity, as plants affect both sediment redox conditions and substrate availability. Although plant species and distribution are known to contribute to spatial variation in marsh N removal capacity, less is known about temporal variation in rates associated with phenological differences among plant species. To address this knowledge gap, we measured denitrification rates in salt marsh sediments from plots dominated by one of three plant species (Cladium mariscus, Juncus roemerianus, and Spartina patens) during fall senescence and spring greenup. Using isotope pairing technique on sediment slurries, we measured rates of denitrification and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA), a competing microbial process that results in N retention. Denitrification rates were highest in C. mariscus sediments prior to senescence. In contrast, DNRA rates were lowest in C. mariscus prior to senescence. These initial findings suggest that plant species affects N removal during the growing season. We hypothesize that this effect will not persist following senescence, as reduced plant activity will result in overall lower denitrification rates.

Presented During: Contributed Topic: Biogeochemistry - Day 3, 05/20/22 4:50 PM - 4:50 PM ET

EXPLORING FINE-SCALE DRIVERS OF CARBON SOURCES AND SINKS IN A BOREAL WETLAND (VIRUTAL) Mary Farina, Madeline Beck, Jennifer Watts, Scott Powell Rapid warming in boreal ecosystems has led to permafrost degradation and changes in wetland distribution, affecting land-atmosphere exchanges of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4). Quantifying net carbon fluxes in boreal wetlands is difficult due to high spatial heterogeneity. To monitor whether increasing CO2 and CH4 emissions are reducing overall carbon sink status, we need information on the primary drivers of flux— including soil temperature, microtopography, and vegetation type—mapped continuously in high spatial detail. Imagery from drones can be used to obtain this information at high resolution, providing detail about landscape heterogeneity and finescale processes that drive carbon sinks and sources. In this study, we investigate the Big Trail Lake boreal wetland site in interior Alaska. During a field campaign in Summer 2021, chamber-based CO2 and CH4 flux and soil variables (soil temperature, soil moisture, and soil pH) were sampled across the site, and drone flights were conducted to collect

high-resolution multispectral imagery. The flux chamber measurements indicate that carbon sinks versus sources vary over small spatial scales, and that CH4 sources are co-located with CO2 sinks. The point-based driver data suggest that patterns of CH4 sink versus source are partly explained by microtopography and vegetation type.

Drone imagery can be used to map these driver variables at sub-meter resolution, providing an initial basis for mapping fine-scale patterns of CH4 emission versus oxidation.

We expect that accounting for fine-scale spatial drivers of carbon flux will reduce uncertainties in carbon budget accounting for landscape-to-regional level assessments.

Presented During: Contributed Topic: Biogeochemistry - Day 3, 05/20/22 9:45 AM - 10:00 AM ET

USING FLOATING TREATMENT WETLANDS TO REMOVE NUTRIENTS AND RESTORE MEADOW MARSH HABITATS IN WETLAND SYSTEMS Kevin Killigrew, Rachel Schultz, Michael Chislock, Kathryn Amatangelo A significant threat that watersheds face is nutrient pollution, particularly excess phosphorus in freshwater systems.

Floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) can be an effective method to remove excess phosphorus by plant and microbial uptake directly in the water column. This study explored both a mesocosm and pond experiment, testing plant treatments on phosphorus removal. We examined phosphorus removal rates in a mesocosm setting using combinations of four wetland plant species native to northeastern North America: tussock sedge, northern blue flag, common rush, and common spikerush, as well as a control. Each plant plug was planted with a coconut coir substrate while the control had coconut coir substrate with no plants. Plant combinations of the FTWs included tussock species (tussock sedge/northern blue flag), reed species (common rush/ common spikerush [KK1] ), and a mixture. We measured total phosphorus (TP) and orthophosphate removal rates and changes in chlorophyll-a, dissolved oxygen, specific conductivity, and pH. We then examined FTW phosphorus removal in retention ponds, comparing control ponds and mixture treatment ponds. Orthophosphate concentrations decreased in each of the treatments throughout the experiment. There was a significantly greater removal of orthophosphate in FTWs with reed species compared to control FTWs. We also found that TP concentrations increased in all treatments in the mesocosm experiment. FTWs with reed species saw the lowest increase of TP compared to other FTWs, and significantly different compared to the control and tussock species. During the retention pond Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 197

experiment, we found no significant differences in TP or orthophosphate concentrations between treatment and control ponds.

Presented During: Contributed Topic: Biossessment, 05/18/22 2:00 PM - 2:15 PM ET

A BROADLY APPLICABLE, OBJECTIVE TOOL FOR ASSESSING MUSSEL ASSEMBLAGE HEALTH (VIRTUAL) Angela Burrow, Steven Price, Wendell Haag Freshwater mussels are declining across North America.

Mussel declines range from dramatic to subtle, but there are few methods for objectively quantifying the extent of decline and the overall health of mussel assemblages. Well established tools for assessing fish and insect assemblage health (e.g., Indices of Biological Integrity) are not consistently reflective of mussel assemblage health. Available mussel assessment tools have the following weaknesses: 1) they are specific to a particular stream or region; 2) they rely on an abundance of fine-scale data that may not be practicably attained; and 3) they rely on untested assumptions or subjective assessments of individual species’ sensitivity to various factors. A broadly applicable, objective mussel assemblage assessment tool is needed. We describe a mussel assemblage health assessment tool that can be applied to streams across North America using commonly collected mussel assemblage data, such as species richness, assemblage composition, recruitment, and mussel abundance. The metric is largely free of assumptions about individual species’ sensitivity to anthropogenic factors, and it accounts for expected differences in mussel assemblages due to stream size, biogeographic region, and other intrinsic factors. This tool will be valuable for early detection of mussel declines, better understanding the causes of declines, and evaluating the effectiveness of conservation strategies and management actions.

Presented During: Contributed Topic: Climate Change and Adaptation, 05/18/22 2:45 PM - 2:45 PM ET

CHARACTERIZING TEMPORAL TRENDS OF METEOROLOGICAL EXTREMES IN SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL ONTARIO, CANADA (VIRTUAL) Lamees Shah, George Arhonditsis, Carlos Alberto Arnillas Forecasts of increased frequency of meteorological extremes have received considerable attention due to their potential impact on the integrity of biotic communities, stability of terrestrial and aquatic environments, availability 198 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

of ecosystem services, and broader societal prosperity. In this context, our goal is to evaluate the long-term trends on the extremes of meteorological variables (air and dew point temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and precipitation) in southern and central Ontario (from 42°N to 50°N) from 1950-2020, while considering the role of large-scale atmospheric oscillations (El Niño-Southern Oscillation, North Atlantic Oscillation, Arctic Oscillation, and Pacific Decadal Oscillation). Our study showed that air temperature minima have increased year-round, while temperature maxima mainly increased during the cooler months of the year. Consistent with the broader evidence of a global terrestrial stilling, our analysis showed a declining occurrence of high wind-speed events. We also found seasonal trends in extreme monthly values of dew point temperature and low relative humidity, spatial variability in high relative humidity, and no distinct precipitation patterns.

Using Bayesian Generalized Extreme Value and Poisson regression models, we show that the large-scale oscillations play minimal role in these spatiotemporal trends. Observed patterns of air temperature, humidity, and wind speed extremes suggest a profound impact on the phenology of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and human experience of weather. For instance, increasing air and, in turn, lake surface temperatures typically strengthen the vertical stratification, conditions which when prolonged can favor an increase in total phytoplankton abundance and prevalence of bloom-forming cyanobacteria.

Presented During: Contributed Topic: Climate Change and Adaptation, 05/18/22 2:45 PM - 2:45 PM ET

DROUGHT INFLUENCES ON A PEATLAND LEAFROLLER MOTH OUTBREAK IN AN EXPERIMENTALLY WARMED NORTHERN PEATLAND (VIRTUAL) Sue Eggert Warming temperatures and elevated carbon dioxide (eCO2) levels associated with climate change may create physiological stresses for insects that alter species compositions, habitat ranges, feeding, and larval development. From May to September 2021, northern Minnesota experienced extreme to exceptional drought conditions with record low precipitation levels. The 10-yr SPRUCE experiment in a northern Minnesota peatland is examining ecosystem processes and organism response in large chambers exposed to a temperature gradient (0-9_C above ambient), elevated CO2 (900 ppm), and natural precipitation ranges. In fall 2019, 2020, and 2021 we quantified densities of pupating leafroller moths (Tortricidae: Acleris oxycoccana) on leatherleaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata) and Labrador tea (Rho-

dodendron groenlandicum) stems within treatment plots and unchambered ambient plots. Acleris pupae preferred, as demonstrated by greater densities and percent stem tip occupation, Chamaedaphne stems over Rhododendron stems across treatments during all years. Pupating moth densities and the proportion of stems colonized increased exponentially across temperature treatments (but not eCO2) on Chamaedaphne. Densities of pupal cases on Chamaedaphne increased 2-fold from 2019 to 2020. During the 2021 drought year however, 46% and 52% fewer pupae per unit area colonized Chamaedaphne and Rhododendron stems, respectively, than during the wetter 2020 year. Despite the decline in pupal densities during 2021, 93% of the Chamaedaphne stem tips in the +9_C treatment were affected

by Acleris herbivory. While increased temperatures can result in insect species outbreaks, our work demonstrates that precipitation extremes also influence organism responses to climate warming and the benefits of long-term studies.

Presented During: Contributed Topic: Community Ecology and Habitat Relationships, 05/16/22 9:45 AM - 9:45 AM ET

REACH-SCALE GROUNDWATER INPUTS AS A DRIVER OF SPATIAL PATTERNS IN ECOLOGICAL STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION (VIRTUAL) Lauren Banks, Isabelle Lavoie, Clare Robinson, James Roy, Adam Yates Stream communities and process are known to differ among stream reaches and habitat types in accordance with environmental variation. However, groundwater input has not been well explored as a driver of ecological heterogeneity among stream reaches and habitats. We assessed stream biofilm communities (biomass and diatom taxonomy), and cellulose decomposition in multiple habitat types across three stream reaches with varying amounts of groundwater input in Kintore Creek, Ontario, Canada. Within each reach, two riffles, two runs, and one pool were sampled.

Biomass and diatoms were assessed using artificial substrates (5 per habitat) whereas decomposition was assessed by deploying cotton strips on the stream substrate and 10 cm beneath the substrate surface. Algal biomass was greater in runs and pools than in riffles in reaches with groundwater input, but there were no differences in algal biomass among habitats in the reach receiving little groundwater.

Diatom assemblages differed with groundwater input, but only in run and riffle habitats. Pool habitats had similar diatom assemblages among reaches, although these assemblages were highly dissimilar from those in run and riffle habitats. Reaches with greater groundwater input had faster rates of cellulose decomposition on the stream substrate

in all habitats compared to the reach without groundwater inputs. However, subsurface decomposition in runs, riffles, and pools did not vary with groundwater input. Findings from this work will improve understanding of the role of groundwater inputs as a driver of spatial heterogeneity of in-stream ecological conditions.

Presented During: Contributed Topic: Community Ecology and Habitat Relationships, 05/16/22 9:45 AM - 9:45 AM ET

USING JOINT SPECIES DISTRIBUTION MODELS TO QUANTIFY DRIVERS OF AQUATIC MACROINVERTEBRATE ASSEMBLAGE COMPOSITION AT MACROECOLOGICAL SCALES (VIRTUAL) Darin Kopp, Ryan Hill, Jessie Doyle, Alan Herlihy, Phil Kaufmann, Steve Paulsen, John Stoddard Quantifying drivers of biotic assemblage composition is critical for sound ecological assessment. Potential drivers of composition are often evaluated by aggregating taxon-level responses along environmental gradients. Because this approach neglects biotic interactions, the effects of an environmental variable could be over- or under-estimated.

Here, we use joint species distribution models (jSDM) to account for biotic interactions and include taxonomic relatedness and traits information to quantify the effect of several environmental gradients on benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages in streams throughout the contiguous U.S. We fit separate jSDMs to nine major ecoregions using data collected by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Rivers and Streams Assessment program. We then evaluated how benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages vary along nutrient, salinity, climate, and physical habitat gradients and whether specific traits facilitate or exclude a taxon from a location. We found that jSDMs sufficiently differentiate between presence and absence locations for most genera and that the relative importance of the environmental gradients varies among ecoregions. However, in many ecoregions a relatively large proportion of genera responded to mean summer temperature and substrate diameter. Further, we found evidence that the expression of some traits by a genus is related to how they respond along an environmental gradient. Generally, genus richness increased with increasing mean substrate diameter but declined with increasing total phosphorous and sulfate concentrations. Our results showcase a new approach to modeling biotic assemblages in aquatic ecosystems and provide insights into how they might change under anthropogenic disturbances.

Presented During: Contributed Topic: Food Web, 05/16/22 9:45 AM 10:00 AM ET Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 199

SPATIAL VARIATION IN ZOOBENTHIC BASELINE STABLE ISOTOPES ACROSS LAKE ERIE Cecilia Heuvel, Yingming Zhao, Jan Ciborowski, Li Wang, Emilee Mancini, Aaron Fisk Stable isotope baselines are essential for interpreting trophic relationships and food web structure but many studies assume they are relatively homogenous on a spatial scale.

Spatial variation can be an issue in large, temperate freshwater systems due to multiple carbon sources, seasonal variation in productivity, and the difficulty of collecting sufficient biomass of small invertebrates. To this end, we assessed the spatial variation in _13C and _15N (Oligochaeta and Dreissenidae spp.), and _34S (Dreissenidae spp. only) in Lake Erie zoobenthos collected between 20142016. Dreissenidae are a dominant non-native freshwater mussel ubiquitous in Lake Erie. Thesefilter-feeders are often used as a baseline species for pelagic carbon. Oligochaeta in Lake Erie (mainly Naidinae and Limnodrilinae) are deposit-feeding worms that represent benthic baseline taxa. Lake Erie is a unique large lake, whose three basins differ in limnological characteristics, with an increasing productivity and decreasing depth gradient from east to west. Both _15N and _34S increased and _13C decreased from west to east in both taxa. Similar relationships were observed with depth; _15N and _34S increased and _13C decreased with depth of collection and are consistent with trends observed in Lake Ontario dreissenids. Drivers of these trends (e.g., carbon sources) are evident in isoscapes that illustrate how the spatial variation in baseline isotopes differs between these dominant benthic and pelagic-feeding organisms.

Presented During: Contributed Topic: Habitat Disturbances, 05/20/22 9:45 AM - 10:00 AM ET

EFFECTS OF EXPERIMENTAL WARMING ON COMMUNITY STRUCTURE OF FOREST STREAM INVERTEBRATES Phoenix Rogers, Jonathan Benstead, Amy Rosemond, Ashley Helton, Erin Hotchkiss, Seth Wenger We currently lack a robust framework of theoretical predictions and experimental tests of how invertebrate community structure in freshwater ecosystems will change due to rising temperatures. A recent study of an algal-based stream food web found that experimental warming increased the biomass of larger-bodied taxa. Impacts on detritus-based stream invertebrate communities are still uncertain. We are testing the effects of higher temperatures in two headwater forested streams (one reference, one experimentally 200 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

warmed) in North Carolina, USA, by quantifying invertebrate structure monthly over three years (one pre-treatment year followed by two years of warming). We conducted a preliminary analysis using one size fraction (>1-mm) of stream invertebrate community structure data from the pre-treatment year, the first year of warming (ambient plus 2.0°C), and eight months from the second year of warming (ambient plus 3.5°C) in the experimental stream. Our results indicate lower mean biomass and shifts in structure based on biomass in the second year of warming compared to the pre-treatment year (P = 0.02) and the first year of warming (P = 0.006), with SIMPER results indicating the biomass-related shifts were driven by large taxa (Lanthus, Tipula, Psilotreta, and Pycnopsyche). However, the response of these large taxa varied between time periods and differences in community structure based on abundance were not detected. Our preliminary results suggest the potential for significant changes in stream community structure due to warming, which could reduce the stability of forest stream food webs and alter their role in controlling carbon flow through stream ecosystems.

Presented During: Contributed Topic: Harmful Algae and Eutrophication, 05/20/22

WATER QUALITY OF NATURAL WORKING LANDS UNDER AN ACCELERATING HYDROLOGIC CYCLE (VIRTUAL) Annie Welch, Marcelo Ardon Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of droughts and storms. It is unclear how these changes in the hydrologic cycle will affect the water quality of natural working lands, which have been extensively ditched and drained. The Hofmann Forest is a working agricultural, silvicultural, and pocosin wetland complex in eastern North Carolina. The site contains the headwaters for three major coastal rivers: the New River, the White Oak River, and the Trent River. We used a long-term (1995-2020) water quality database to examine responses of nutrients and sediment concentrations to extreme precipitation events caused by hurricanes. We hypothesized that hurricanes would increase nutrient and sediment concentrations in agricultural and silvicultural areas more than in pocosin wetlands. Preliminary results suggest that nutrients and sediments concentrations are higher in agricultural and silvicultural sites under baseflow conditions. We are working on examining concentrations after major hurricanes. An improved understanding of how water quality in working lands responds to extreme precipitation events will be necessary to mitigate nutrient and sediment pollution in sensitive estuaries.

Presented During: Contributed Topic: Hydrodynamics/physical processes, 05/19/22 9:45 AM - 10:00 AM ET

VIRTUAL ONLY - INFLUENCE OF GLOBAL CLIMATE OSCILLATIONS ON HYDROLOGY AND WATER BUDGET OF LAKE HURON-MICHIGAN Ali Saber, Vincent Cheng, George Arhonditsis Understanding water level fluctuation patterns in the Great Lakes is critical for the design of adaptive management plans aiming to mitigate the impacts of extreme water levels on shoreline infrastructure and associated economic activities. The current study investigates the influence of four global climate oscillations, including the Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation (AMO), Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), region 3.4 of El Niño Southern Oscillation (Nino3.4), and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), on water level fluctuations in Lake Huron-Michigan, and its associated hydrological components, including precipitation, river inflow, runoff, and evaporation over 115 years. A novel wavelet processing framework is used to disentangle the signature of global climate oscillations in lake water budget components from the variability induced by regional hydrological processes. Reconstructing the influence of global climate oscillations allowed to delineate the increasing importance of climate change on the basin’s hydrology, particularly evaporation and precipitation since 1980, resulting in altered lake water fluctuations patterns. Continuous wavelet transformation and wavelet coherence analyses between hydrological variables and lake water level signified the role of runoff and evaporation as primary drivers of lake water level fluctuations. Our analysis also revealed a gradual shift in the precipitation-runoff relationship over the past century, likely stemming from the extensive land-use/ land-over changes in the region. The information provided in this study can contribute to a better understanding of stationary and non-stationary water level fluctuations in the Great Lakes and their interactions with underlying climatic and hydrological drivers.

Presented During: Contributed Topic: Land-use and Non-point Source, 05/16/22 2:15 PM - 2:30 PM ET

VIRTUAL ONLY - RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN STREAM SEDIMENT CHARACTERISTICS AND FRESHWATER MUSSELS Andrew Ibach, Angela Burrow, Juergen Geist, Steven Price, Christopher Barton, Wendell Haag Freshwater mussels are declining rapidly but causes of declines are poorly known. Increased fine sediment deposition and resulting reduced sediment oxygen penetration

are two of the most widely proposed causes of mussel declines. However, relationships between sediment characteristics and mussel assemblages are unexamined at a large scale. In 2021, we sampled 32 streams in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Tennessee, and North Carolina, USA. In each state, we chose a comparable number of streams that supported healthy mussel populations (good sites) and streams with declining populations (poor sites), as assessed by state partners. At each site, we estimated sediment particle size distribution and organic content with sediment cores. To estimate the depth of sediment oxygen penetration, we drove 25-cm steel spikes into the sediment and left them in place for about 2.5 months; we interpreted the depth of rust on the spikes as the maximum depth of oxygen penetration during the exposure period. The depth of the oxygenated zone was negatively related to % fine sediment ( < 0 .2 mm), which supports the hypothesis that fine sediment reduces oxygen penetration, but fine sediment explained little of the variation in oxygen penetration (R2 = 0.163, P = 0.031). However, neither % fine sediment, % organic matter, nor depth of oxygen penetration differed significantly among good and poor sites. These results do not support increased fine sediment deposition as a cause of faunal declines at our study sites, but better methods are needed for quantifying mussel assemblage health beyond simple categories of good or poor.

Presented During: Contributed Topic: Land-use and Non-point Source, 05/16/22 2:00 PM - 2:15 PM ET

LAND USE AND SPRING-FED PONDS: HOW PLANT COMMUNITIES SHIFT WITH THE LANDSCAPE Hannah Whaley, La Toya Kissoon-Charles Ponds are important habitat for aquatic and terrestrial life and serve many ecosystem functions. They act as breeding, nesting, and feeding grounds for birds, fishes, amphibians and macroinvertebrates. They are also effective at filtering runoff and preventing erosion. In the Ozarks, springs are often the water source for both rural and urban ponds.

Weathered limestone in the Ozarks increases the susceptibility of springs to contamination from land use activities.

To understand how contaminants are affecting the springfed ponds in the Ozarks, I conducted vegetation surveys at 18 ponds to compare their plant communities with land use in their watersheds. I also collected water and sediment samples to analyze for multiple elements. We expect that land use will have the greatest impact on plant communities, following a trend of more urban development having lower plant diversity.

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Presented During: Contributed Topic: Macroinvertebrates, 05/18/22 1:45 PM - 2:00 PM ET

NATIVE FRESHWATER MUSSELS DISPLAY NEGATIVE CORRELATIONS WITH SOME BENTHOS IN INSULAR LAKE HABITATS Benjamin Cichon, Daelyn Woolnough Unionid mussels and non-unionid macroinvertebrates are indicator species. Despite their importance in this role, and their sensitivity to similar environmental factors, there is little research into the relationships between unionid mussels and non-unionid macroinvertebrates. The goal of this study was to determine if there was a correlation between unionid mussels and non-unionid macroinvertebrates by studying their population densities in insular North American lake ecosystems in the Beaver Island archipelago, that are not invaded with dreissenid mussels, of the Laurentian Great Lakes. We also updated previous population surveys of unionids found in these insular ecosystems ten years ago.

It was found that four of the twenty-six selected macroinvertebrate groups (Amphipoda, Bivalvia, Ceratopogonidae, and Trichoptera) had negative density correlations with unionid mussels, and the other benthos had no significant correlation. The Lake Geneserath Lampsilis siliquoidea population of unionid mussels increased since the last survey, contrary to the global trend of declining unionid mussel populations. However, the Lake Geneserath population of Pyganodon spp. and the Font Lake populations of both Pyganodon spp. and L. siliquoidea decreased since they were last surveyed, with the Font Lake population of L. siliquoidea having potentially been extirpated. The results of this study have uncovered novel information regarding the relationship between unionid mussels and non-unionid macroinvertebrates that warrants further research and may aid in future conservation efforts. It also has added more information to the body of research on mussel population changes over time.

Presented During: Contributed Topic: Macroinvertebrates, 05/18/22 2:15 PM - 2:30 PM ET

DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT USE OF KISATCHIE PAINTED CRAYFISH IN TEXAS WITH INVESTIGATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES ON CRAYFISH COMMUNITY STRUCTURE Hayden Hays, Matthew Barnes The Kisatchie painted crayfish (Faxonius maletae) is known to occur in only a few localities of the Big Cypress drainage in northeast Texas. Aside from basic presence 202 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

data, very little is known about this species’ distribution, habitat use, and general ecology, leading to its designation as Data Deficient by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Lack of sufficient population and habitat data, compounded with increased anthropogenic encroachment and the impacts of global climate change, decrease the likelihood of success for any management strategies. Therefore, we conducted comprehensive surveys across northeast Texas, both within the historically known range as well as novel sites, coupled with an assessment of corresponding habitat variables and congeneric species to inform conservation plans for the species. Specifically, in spring and summer 2021, we surveyed crayfish using seine nets and trapping at 74 sites across 11 Texas counties (i.e., Camp, Cass, Franklin, Gregg, Harrison, Marion, Morris, Titus, Upshur, and Wood). At each survey site, we also collected habitat data including dominant substrate, canopy cover, mean depth, thalweg depth, flow velocity, riparian habitat characterization, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and water temperature. We encountered ten F. maletae individuals across six sites (8.1%), five of which were historical locations. We also encountered seven additional crayfish species, four of which co-occurred with F. maletae. Together, these data will help identify characteristics of suitable habitat and increase understanding of F. maletae distribution. This understanding will provide the basis for future management action to protect critical habitat for this poorly studied species.

Presented During: Contributed Topic: Management and Policy, 05/17/22 9:00 AM - 9:15 AM ET

OF KNOWN UNKNOWNS AND UNKNOWN KNOWNS: PACIFIC NORTHWEST FOREST PRACTICES AND FORESTED WETLAND ECOSYSTEM PROCESSES Nathaniel Hough-Snee Although forested wetlands contribute disproportionately to watershed hydrological, ecological, and geomorphic processes, they remain an understudied part of Pacific Northwest forested landscapes. This lack of information results in multiple unknowns, namely, how undisturbed and managed forested wetlands contribute to larger hydrological and ecological processes in forested landscapes where disturbances are common, including timber harvest. To strengthen science-based rule-making under the Washington State Forest Practices Act, e synthesized literature surrounding forested wetlands and timber harvest across the Pacific Northwest and adjacent ecoregions. We conducted a systematic literature review of how forest practices (timber harvest, road building, etc.) affect key ecological and hydrogeomor-

phic processes, mapping studies based on their geographic origin and geographic applicability to Washington State’s common forested wetlands and forest practices. We found that while there has been an increase in studies that examine forested wetland hydrology and ecology following harvest in northern Europe, Canada, and many regions of the United States, studies that examine post-harvest changes in forested wetland hydrology and ecology are still rare within the Pacific Northwest (Idaho, Oregon, Washington).

We conclude that there is insufficient information available to draw conclusions on the status and trend of forested wetland resources in working forest lands across Washington State, resulting in multiple known unknowns, and more problematically, unknown knowns, where studies from different geographic areas with different baseline hydrogeomorphic conditions, may draw different conclusions about how timber harvest affects key ecosystem processes.

Presented During: Contributed Topic: Microbial Ecology, 05/16/22 9:15 AM - 9:30 AM ET

DISTRIBUTION OF MICROBIAL TAXA AND FUNCTIONS ALONG A COASTAL ELEVATION GRADIENT Pamela Weisenhorn, Julia Cherry, Loretta Battaglia Despite their small size, microbes can play an oversized role in determining the rates of biogeochemical processes.

This effect can be seen in redox dynamic environments, such as coastal transition zones, where microbial metabolic potential is influenced by the development of microbial communities under a shifting suite of environmental conditions. Here we examine microbial community composition and functional potential across an elevation gradient within the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.

Soil cores were collected in each of four ecological zones (pine woods, freshwater marsh, brackish marsh, and salt marsh) along four replicate transects on each of four islands (n=64). DNA was extracted using the Qiagen DNEasy PowerSoil DNA extraction kit. 16S libraries were prepared for Illumina paired end sequencing. Sequence data were processed using the QIIME and UPARSE pipelines. There was an average read depth of 15,200 sequences per sample comprising 38,172 unique taxa. We show that microbial community composition and potential metabolic functions differed markedly across ecological zones, with fewer than 2% of taxa found across the gradient. Microbial communities from each zone were most similar to communities from adjacent zones. Both taxonomic richness and Shannon’s diversity were highest in the brackish marsh; however, the number of unique taxa increased along the gradient from pine woods (low) to salt marsh (high). These results are

presented in the context of their potential impacts on biogeochemical processes as a result of rising sea levels.

Presented During: Contributed Topic: Non-native Species, 05/19/22 3:30 PM - 3:45 PM ET

CAN WE MANIPULATE FISH ASSEMBLAGES WITH ATTRACTANTS: HOW FISH RESPOND IN THE LOWER SANDUSKY RIVER, OH Kailee Schulz, Matthew Acre, Andrew Mueller, James Wamboldt, Dustin Broaddus, Tyler Hessler, Tammy Wilson, Robert Mapes, Jon Amberg, Robin Calfee The Sandusky River has experienced decades of alterations including multiple invasive species introductions and in some cases establishment. Multiple invasive cyprinids, including Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon Idella), have expanded their range into the Lake Erie basin. With the goal of increasing capture rate and, therefore, eradication of invasive species, an attractant study at ten sites with five treatments was conducted in the Sandusky River near the confluence with the Sandusky Bay. Four 10-day trials were completed from April through October 2021, and comprised of treatment released bait, algae, or a combination of bait and algae with two sites designated as controls. Throughout four trials, hoop nets were set 800 times equally among sites, for approximately 23,110 hours of soak time, which resulted in 10,762 fish captured. Ordination analyses were used to assess community assemblage across treatments, species-habitat relationships, and life history strategies of the 33 species captured. Generalized linear mixed effects models were used to assess the factors that drive diversity and community assemblage temporally.

Sites were established sequentially downstream averaging 500 meters from the previous site. Physicochemical variables were similar among sites, but fish assemblages varied with a strong association between invasive species and algae treatment sites, including Grass Carp. Algae sites were correlated with North American lotus coverage and sand substrate which accounted for many invasive species captured. Results provide information on how the fish community is affected by temporal shifts, habitat, and developed attractants, which can aid managers to locate and efficiently remove invasive species from Lake Erie.

Presented During: Contributed Topic: Non-native Species, 05/19/22 9:45 AM - 10:00 AM ET

EFFECTS OF IRIS PSEUDACORUS ON ABIOTIC CONDITIONS, PLANT AND INVERTEBRATE COMMUNITIES IN A SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ESTUARY Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 203

Anita Arenas, Christine Whitcraft Despite the recognized importance of wetlands, about 90% of wetlands have been lost in California. Of the remaining wetlands, many are degraded by invasive species. Iris pseudacorus (IRPS, yellow flag iris) is one such non-native species that has been introduced to wetlands. Los Peñasquitos Lagoon, in north County San Diego, has been invaded

by IRPS in freshwater (FW), brackish (BW), and marine (MW) areas of the wetland. Our objective was to determine if IRPS impacts abiotic conditions and the invertebrate community using a paired design. Preliminary data show that aerial insect communities, via sticky traps, showed no significant difference in abundance between IRPS and non-IRPS canopies in the FW and BW sites, but at the MW site, there was higher abundance of aerial insects in IRPS relative to non-IRPS. The aerial insect community composition differed significantly among sites with more Culicidae and Muscidae in FW sites, higher Agromyzidae in BW sites, and higher Thysanoptera in the MW site. Decomposition rate showed a significant interaction of salinity area and decomposition material type. In the BW site, non-IRPS decomposition material decomposed faster as compared to IRPS decomposition material with higher rates under non-IRPS canopies. In the FW site, the opposite was true with faster decomposition of IRPS material than non-IRPS material. By exploring the impacts of IRPS on abiotic parameters as well as on the insect community, this study will help inform and prioritize management strategies by determining extent of impacts and most impacted locations.

Presented During: Contributed Topic: Remote Sensing and Sensory Technology, 05/18/22 2:30 PM - 2:30 PM ET

MAPPING HIGH MARSH SYSTEMS ACROSS THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO Nicholas Enwright, Kristine Evans, Wyatt Cheney, Hana Thurman, Auriel Fournier, Mark Woodrey High marsh along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast provides important habitat for avian wildlife, such as the federally threatened Black Rail (Laterallus jamaicensis), and priority species including the Yellow Rail (Coturnicops noveboracensis) and Mottled Duck (Anas fulvigula). Consequently, there is an urgent need to delineate the distribution and quantify the areal coverage of high marsh along the northern Gulf of Mexico. Here, we present a two-step approach for mapping high marsh that integrates high-resolution elevation data, vegetation information, and satellite imagery. First, we used Monte Carlo simulations to incorporate elevation uncertainty and lidar-derived 204 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

digital elevation models to create a probabilistic map of irregularly flooded wetlands. Next, validation and training data were collected in collaboration with land managers across the northern Gulf of Mexico coast. These data were combined with Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar imagery, multi-spectral satellite imagery from Sentinel-2, digital elevation models, and the previously mentioned probabilistic classification to generate a contemporary map of high marsh and salt pannes for the region. This product is the first regional map of these wetland systems across the northern Gulf coast and will provide a baseline for future marsh and avian monitoring efforts along the Gulf of Mexico.

Presented During: Contributed Topic: Remote Sensing and Sensory Technology, 05/18/22 2:15 PM - 2:30 PM ET

REMOTE ASSESSMENT OF WETLAND FUNCTION & ITS APPLICATION IN CONSERVATION Peter Backhaus Functional assessments are key in understanding wetland ecosystem service performance, however, they become increasingly time and cost prohibitive as more wetlands are evaluated. To better assess function at the watershed level, field-based measurements can be substituted with remote sensing methods, spatial databases, and field-based standard values with minimal loss of site-scale accuracy. This talk explores a remote sensing based functional assessment being developed for the Mid-Atlantic Region, USA and its potential applications in wetland function montoring, wetland / watershed management, and conservation practice implementation.

Presented During: Contributed Topic: Restoration/Conservation - Day 1, 05/16/22 1:30 PM - 1:45 PM ET

FORMALIZING THE RECLAMATION ASSESSMENT APPROACH (RAA) TO EVALUATE WETLAND CONDITION IN RECLAIMED OIL SANDS WATERSHEDS Jan Ciborowski Northeastern Alberta is dominated by a mosaic of wetlands and peatlands, reflecting hydrology, topography and successional processes operating since the last glaciation. Mining companies have created reclaimed watersheds harbouring seemingly productive and biodiverse wetlands. However, methods of assessing the effectiveness or ‘functionality’ of wetland reclamation are lacking especially during early succession. The RAA is a standardized approach to quantify biological condition of

an ‘at risk’ wetland of a particular age and its sustaining environmental elements.

Presented During: Contributed Topic: Restoration/Conservation - Day 2, 05/17/22 3:30 PM - 3:45 PM ET

INFLUENCE OF MICROTOPOGRAPHY AND PLANT COMMUNITY TRAITS ON DENITRIFICATION POTENTIAL IN RESTORED CRANBERRY BOGS Sarah Klionsky, Christopher Neill, Beth A Lawrence Cranberry farms are being retired and restored to wetlands in Massachusetts (USA). Restoration aims to re-establish native vegetation, promote flood resilience, and attenuate nitrogen in coastal watersheds that are exporting excess nitrate. It is unclear, however, how plant communities and microtopographic relief created during restoration affect denitrification, the microbially-mediated reduction of nitrate to gaseous forms. In two sections of a restored cranberry farm, we sampled the lowest and highest elevations within 20 plots (mean within-plot elevational difference: 45.36 cm). To quantify denitrification potential and identify possible denitrification hotspots, we estimated in situ N2O fluxes and laboratory-based denitrification enzyme activity potentials. We also calculated N2O yield, the proportion of denitrification that produces N2O, a potent greenhouse gas, versus inert N2. Denitrification potentials were higher in low microtopographic positions. We are investigating relationships among denitrification potential, physicochemical factors (soil moisture, nutrients, organic matter, pH, EC) and plant communities (biomass, diversity, root porosity).

Initial analyses indicate that root porosity is positively correlated with denitrification potential. Although we saw high N2O yield from locations with higher denitrification potentials, we saw no N2O accumulation in situ, suggesting little denitrification is taking place in this restored wetland.

These results indicate that recently restored wetland conditions are not promoting denitrification, possibly because nitrate-rich groundwater is not coming into contact with denitrifying microbial communities in wetland soils. We recommend further investigations into how restoration features (river channels intersecting groundwater, incorporating peat into surface sediments) and environmental conditions affect denitrification to inform future restoration designs of retired cranberry farms.

Presented During: Contributed Topic: Restoration/Conservation - Day 2, 05/17/22 4:45 PM - 5:00 PM ET

FIELD OF DREAMS WATERSHED: BRINGING PEOPLE BACK TO THE WATER

Judith Joyce The City of Dyersville, home of the Field of Dreams movie site, is leading efforts in Iowa to improve the water quality of its streams while providing economic and recreational development opportunities. In the past, the streams have largely been ignored except during extreme flood events.

Realizing that streams can be a resource to the community, this vision unites public, rural, and downtown private partners with the mantra “If you clean the water, they will come!” The confluence of funding for water quality practices, flood mitigation, brownfield redevelopment, and stream restoration, provides the framework needed to throw the first pitch by addressing water quality concerns and improving river access.

Presented During: Contributed Topic: Restoration/Conservation - Day 2, 05/17/22 8:45 AM - 9:00 AM ET

ASSESSING RIVER RESTORATION: ARE WE EFFECTIVELY ADDRESSING CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES FACING INLAND FRESHWATER FISH? Kiah Wright, Jane Rogosch, Hadley Boehm, Craig Paukert, Elisabeth Webb, Ralph Tingley River and stream restoration programs are common tools to help reduce stressors and reverse biodiversity loss.

Restoration programs with the goal of conserving and rehabilitating inland fishes have a multi-decadal history, but evaluation of past restoration actions has been limited by ambiguous project objectives, lack of monitoring, and uncertainty about appropriate assessment metrics. We conducted a literature review to assess how restoration efforts published over the past decade are meeting the challenges facing inland fishes, such as flow alteration, habitat degradation, and fragmentation. Using a global systematic review, our objectives were to (1) identify restoration measures used to address major stressors, (2) quantify the effects of specific management actions on fish populations using research synthesis techniques, and (3) assess whether metrics and monitoring strategies are effectively evaluating restoration success. Restoration actions addressed major stressors primarily by restoring in-stream habitat (~45%), and increasing longitudinal (~30%), or floodplain connectivity (~18%). Authors reported 70% of restoration efforts as successful, with 35% being effective within 5 years following restoration. While restoration activities aimed at improving aquatic habitat and connectivity have resulted in increased fish density post-restoration, post-restoration monitoring time period, number of sites, and restoration measures were not strong predictors of success. The spatial Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 205

and temporal scale of evaluation effort, catchment conditions, and extraneous ecological influences are often cited as factors confounding restoration outcomes. Emphasis on setting quantitative criteria for restoration goals, project monitoring, and information synthesis across projects may likely continue to improve knowledge gains that are transferable to future restoration endeavors.

Presented During: Contributed Topic: Restoration/Conservation - Day 3, 05/18/22 10:00 AM - 10:00 AM ET

RIVERINE ECOLOGY RESTORATION MONITORING AND ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT CASE STUDY LITTLE SPOKANE RIVER @ COLBERT SPOKANE COUNTY WASHINGTON. (VIRTUAL) Sondra Collins The successsful outcomes of Riverine and the associated Forest Wetlands Restoration along the Little Spokane Drive @ Little Spokane River @ Colbert, Spokane County Washington and the outcome of long term monitoring and adaptive management case study and findings will be presented via virtual youtube.com video. The author, Sondra L. Collins will address the successful tools that were used for Critical Area Riverine and associated Wetland Buffer Mitigation and Restoration from 2018-present onsite along Little Spokane Dr. Colbert, Washington.

Presented During: Contributed Topic: Restoration/Conservation - Day 3, 05/18/22 10:00 AM - 10:00 AM ET

FRESHWATER OIL SPILL BIOREMEDIATION USING FLOATING WETLANDS AT THE IISD EXPERIMENTAL LAKES AREA, CANADA (VIRTUAL) Madeline Stanley, Aidan Guttormson, Lauren Timlick, Julien Tremblay, Lisa Peters, Jose Luis Rodriguez Gil, Charles Greer, Richard Grosshans, Gregg Tomy, David Levin, Vince Palace Production and transport of oil puts ecosystems at risk for accidental release events. In addition to the concerns of oil toxicity, conventional recovery methods (e.g., dredging) can cause additional damage to sensitive habitats and can leave residual oil in the environment. The Royal Society of Canada prioritized a need to understand the effectiveness of oil spill responses and improve recovery methods. Research at the International Institute for Sustainable Development-Experimental Lakes Area is exploring the use of engineering floating wetlands (EFW) as a non-invasive method for recovering residual oil from shoreline environments following primary recovery. EFWs are platforms that support 206 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

emergent vegetation, creating a root system that stimulates microbial colonization with potential to enhance biodegradation of oil compounds. Model spills were conducted within shoreline enclosures in an experimental boreal lake with weathered, diluted bitumen (2019), and conventional heavy crude oil (2021). In 2019, the experimental enclosure received 1,444 g of oil, and primary recovery removed 49 g (3%), leaving 1,395 g of residual oil in the enclosure. Total polycyclic aromatic compounds in the water peaked on day 20 (12,441 ng/L) and declined on day 66 (360 ng/L), nearing pre-oil addition conditions (290 ng/L), and remained stable until day 411. Alpha diversity and taxonomic profiles of the EFW root biofilm revealed that prokaryotes had higher diversity and evenness than eukaryotes, with some dominating eukaryotic organisms. The 2021 data analyses are ongoing. Results will be communicated to industry and spill responders to offer guidance on implementing EFWs for non-invasive and cost-effective spill recovery.

Presented During: Contributed Topic: Restoration/Conservation - Day 3, 05/18/22 10:00 AM - 10:00 AM ET

COMPLETE SUBMERGENCE TOLERANCE OF TYPHA DOMINGENSIS (VIRTUAL) Sunshyne Hendrix, Robert Doyle The frequency and magnitude of floods due to extreme weather events are rising. These disturbances may alter the community composition and biodiversity of wetland vegetation depending on the flood tolerance of the species present. Flood survival of emergent plants vary based on morphology, growth cycle and flood tolerance strategy.

The two major strategies plants employ when they are submerged are low-oxygen escape syndrome (LOES) and low-oxygen quiescence syndrome (LOQS). Under LOES, plants try to out-grow the floodwater while LOQS relies on conserving resources to wait-out the flood. Post-flood survey of a constructed wetland marsh in central Texas dominated by Typha domingensis (typha) in 2016 prompted us to investigate the submergence survival threshold of T. domingensis to better understand the post-flood recovery potential of this species. We collected preliminary data from the wetland in fall 2016 following a 5-week flood.

We designed our experiment to emulate a deep flood (complete submergence) using transplanted typha in plastic pots and a 3-meter-deep tank filled with well water. We extracted replicates at weekly intervals, gave them two weeks to recover, then evaluated the rhizomes for life. We conducted two 5-week submergence experiments (2018, 2021) with fully mature typha plants growing in large pots. Under our experimental conditions, no plants survived longer than

three weeks of flooding.

Presented During: Contributed Topic: Zooplankton, 05/17/22 3:30 PM - 3:45 PM ET

CHANGES IN POND ZOOPLANKTON METACOMMUNITY DYNAMICS DERIVED FROM CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE ARCTIC Bryan Yu, Vanessa Lougheed, Mariana Vargas Medrano The onset of anthropogenically induced climate change has caused marked shifts in the structuring of Arctic ecosystems as a result of changes in seasonality. Zooplankton form the basal portion of aquatic food webs and are especially sensitive to these shifts, thus, the purpose of this project is to determine how zooplankton metacommunities in the Arctic have been affected in terms of their similarity, synchrony, and nestedness with respect to time. To examine these phenomena, multiple ponds (IBP-B, C, D, E, and X) within a thermokarst region in Utqia_vik, Alaska were sampled on a weekly basis during the summer months of 1971 through 1973, and 2010 through 2012. Data concerning metacommunity composition were analyzed in the statistics program R. The values for the metrics calculated are ordered by historical and modern values respectively, and are as follows: a Sorenson’s Similarity Index of 0.2659 and 0.3862; synchronies of r=0.447 and r=0.397; nestedness temperatures of 5.94º and 8.62º. These data show an increase in mean similarity and nested temperature, coupled with a slight decrease in synchrony. Therefore a possible restructuring of zooplankton metacommunities is occurring, such that there is a shift towards a metacommunity of increased similarity, and reduced synchrony and nestedness. Thus, with regard to the impact of climate change on Arctic metacommunity restructuring, the potential for the observed changes to magnify as average global temperatures continue to rise is of great concern, especially for preserving the biodiversity of organisms that contribute to the stability of their ecosystems.

Presented During: Depressional Wetland Biodiversity: Controls, Threats, and Conservation Implications, 05/20/22 3:45 PM - 4:00 PM ET

INVASIVE SPECIES ABUNDANCE DRIVES WETLAND PLANT COMMUNITY COMPOSITION ON U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE FEE-TITLE LANDS. Seth Jones, Edward DeKeyser, Cami Dixon, Breanna Kobiela Prairie Pothole wetland plant communities are highly variable depending on hydrology, salinity, and anthropo-

genic disturbance in and around the wetland. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined a regionwide assessment of prairie potholes on their fee-title lands in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana was necessary to improve management practices on those lands. While a portion of the fee-title lands are remnant native prairie, most were cultivated in the past and reseeded into perennial grassland. The Index of Plant Community Integrity was used to assess 200 wetlands in the region, and species cover data from the assessments was used to provide insight into the weltand plant community composition and determine the major drivers of the plant communities. The assessments showed a low percentage of species observed in the study were found in wetlands in reseeded grassland. Instead, most wetlands in reseeded grassland had low diversity and a high abundance of invasive species. Environmental variables, such as hydrology and salinity, appeared as minor drivers of plant community composition, but abundance of the dominant invasive plant species were the major drivers. Significant differences in plant community composition were also observed between wetlands in native versus reseeded grassland largely due to the abundance invasive species. Invasive species have become extremely prevalent in the region and pose a major threat to biological diversity. Despite land management efforts to convert past agricultural land into diverse, productive ecosystems, invasive species still continue to dominate these landscapes and are encroaching into native grasslands and wetlands as well.

Presented During: Depressional Wetland Biodiversity: Controls, Threats, and Conservation Implications, 05/20/22 5:00 PM ET

PARTITIONING VARIATION OF INVERTEBRATE ASSEMBLAGES IN FRESHWATER WETLANDS (VIRTUAL) Sophie Racey, Jamie Kneitel, Douglas Bell, Darold Batzer Researchers examining spatial and temporal variation of invertebrates in wetlands often find negative results or inconsistency among sites or years, or they find that factors examined explain a small amount of the variation that occurs. If a factor is found statistically significant, but explains < 2 5% of the variation, is this really of biological consequence? If 40% of variation can be explained by a well-designed study, isn’t the fact that 60% remains unexplained important? Perhaps we should reevaluate the questions we’re asking to enable better resolution. In this study, we assess how much population or community variation of invertebrates is explained by spatial and temporal factors in three large data sets of invertebrates in depressional wetlands from across the US: Carolina bays of the SoutheastWetland Science & Practice July 2022 207

ern Coastal Plain (warm humid climate); pothole wetlands of the Northern Prairie (cool, dry climate); and rock pools of the Central Valley of California (Mediterranean climate).

Each of these data sets include multiple wetlands, sampled across multiple seasons and years, and each occurs in a unique geologic and climactic setting. We analyzed each data set using statistical techniques that partition the variation in invertebrate populations or communities into spatial factors (i.e., wetlands), temporal factors (i.e., seasons or years), and unexplained factors (i.e., neither spatial nor temporal variation). While spatial and/or temporal factors explain a significant amount of the variation, most variation remains unexplained. If this pattern occurs broadly, it suggests researchers should explore new influences on invertebrates beyond only spatial and temporal controls.

Presented During: Depressional Wetland Biodiversity: Controls, Threats, and Conservation Implications, 05/20/22 2:00 PM - 2:15 PM ET

THE EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE ON CRUSTACEAN COMMUNITY STRUCTURE IN PRAIRIE POTHOLE WETLANDS Jacob Buchanan, Kevin McCluney, Taylor Arens, Mica Rumbach, James Thorp, Chris Patrick, J. Derek Hogan, Christopher Frazier, Wiebke Boeing Dormant or resting stages are an adaptation which facilitates intergenerational persistence in temporally variable conditions. Such stages are present most notably in plants, but also in other taxa including branchiopod, ostracod, and copepod crustaceans. The environmental conditions at the time of hatching, temperature included, and those present during the remaining life cycle of the organism may differentially impact those organisms and alter the trajectory of the community. In this study, soils collected from dry seasonal wetlands across the US Great Plains were rehydrated in a mesocosm experiment in North Dakota in spring/summer 2021. Three binary treatments were applied in combination: soil source (local or mixed), passive heating, and a brief drawdown partway through the experiment.

Invertebrate community composition was sampled every three days over the eight-week course of the experiment.

Across all crustacean orders examined, there were greater abundances in the tanks containing mixed sediment than those with local sediment. This implies that the egg banks in North Dakota contain relatively fewer numbers of eggs than elsewhere or are constrained by some other variable.

The drawdown treatment reduced Cladocera abundances but may have increased Spinicaudata and Copepoda abundances, with the timing of the drawdown in relation to the developmental cycle potentially playing a role. The heating 208 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

treatment, though weak overall, did lead to an increase in the abundance of Spinicaudata. The results suggest that complex interactions between multiple variables alter the community structure in these systems and growing season temperature is less important than species pool and drying events.

Presented During: Depressional Wetland Biodiversity: Controls, Threats, and Conservation Implications, 05/20/22 9:15 AM - 9:30 AM ET

WETLAND CHARACTERISTICS INFLUENCE ANURAN OCCURRENCE AND ASSEMBLAGE IN COASTAL INTERDUNAL WETLANDS Morgan Morin, Tiffany Schriever Interdunal wetlands are suspected breeding habitat for anurans because they are fishless, open-canopy, and present unique niche opportunities. Interdunal wetlands range from rush-and-sedge dominated pools within open dune fields, to forested pools within wooded dune and swale complexes.

Forested pools are recognized as important anuran breeding habitat, however, little is known about amphibian use of interdunal wetlands within open dunes. In this study, we investigate the relationship between the degree of aquatic macrophyte coverage and anuran occupancy and diversity.

We performed an exploratory survey of anuran presence in 41 open-canopy interdunal wetlands within the Big Sable Dunes complex in Ludington State Park, Michigan. In each wetland, we visually estimated macrophyte cover and measured macrophyte biomass of each structural category (shoreline, submergent, emergent), measured water quality parameters and benthic organic matter. We calculated the correlation between anuran breeding presence and anuran occurrence with wetland characteristics. Shoreline macrophyte coverage ranged from 2.17 percent/m2 to 63.89 percent/m2 and 5.97 g/m2 to 259.47 g/m2; submergent macrophyte coverage ranged from 1.11 percent/ m2 to 56.56 percent/m2 and 0.47 g/m2 to 197.87 g/m2; emergent macrophyte coverage ranged from 0.06 percent/ m2 to 11.52 percent/m2 and 0 g/m2 to 26.68 g/m2. Four anuran species were detected: Hyla chrysoscelis/versicolor, Pseudacris crucifer, Lithobates clamitans, and Anaxyrus sp.

Breeding presence of Anaxyrus fowleri, a Michigan species of special concern, was discovered at seven sites (17%).

Study results will provide critical baseline information regarding distribution, assemblage, and abundance of anuran communities in relation to wetland vegetation within the Big Sable Dunes complex.

Presented During: Depressional Wetland Biodiversity: Controls, Threats, and Conservation Implications, 05/20/22 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM ET

ENVIRONMENTAL DRIVERS OF WETLAND INVERTEBRATE BIODIVERSITY AT DIFFERENT SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL SCALES Kyle McLean, Luis Epele, Jon Sweetman Depressional wetlands support many endemic and uniquely adapted species. The diverse invertebrate assemblages found in these systems are a reflection of spatially and temporally dynamic ecohydrological conditions. Therefore, environmental predictors of wetland invertebrate assemblages should vary by the spatial and temporal scales at which they are assessed. To investigate this assumption, we used a multiscale approach to synthesize environmental drivers of invertebrate assemblages from 16 prairie-pothole wetlands located in the Cottonwood Lakes Study Area in North Dakota sampled. At the wetland-complex scale, we used estimates of temporal beta diversity and estimates of temporal coherence to correlate wetland and landscape level environmental predictors of invertebrate assemblages.

At the complex scale, structural equation modeling indicated that water level and corresponding habitat structure were the dominant intrinsic predictors of invertebrate assemblages. Levels of temporal beta diversity indicated that among wetland diversity increased under wetter conditions, and temporal coherence patterns indicated that the increases in beta diversity during wet years was due to landscape-scale processes. Data were also incorporated into continental and global analyses of depressional wetland beta diversity. At these much larger spatial scales, beta diversity was largely driven by air temperature and precipitation seasonality.

Thus, drivers of wetland invertebrate assemblages vary by the scale they are assessed, and the importance of processes at different scales can abruptly change in response to shifting ecohydrological conditions or slowly shift due to shifts in climate. Therefore, we suggest that a multiscale approach will best inform conservation plans intended to sustain depressional wetland biotic diversity.

Presented During: Depressional Wetland Biodiversity: Controls, Threats, and Conservation Implications, 05/20/22 4:00 PM - 4:15 PM ET

POPULATION CONNECTIVITY IN AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPES: LAND USE AFFECTS GENE FLOW IN NORTHERN LEOPARD FROG (RANA PIPIENS) IN THE PRAIRIE POTHOLE REGION Justin Waraniak, Craig Stockwell, David Mushet

The Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) is one of the most wetland dense regions in the world, however, land-use conversion to agriculture has fragmented prairie habitats in the PPR, with upland prairie wetlands particularly targeted for conversion. This fragmentation can lead to negative consequences for wetland obligate organisms, heightening the risk for inbreeding depression, local extinction, and reducing the evolutionary potential for populations to adapt to changing environmental conditions. This study models biotic connectivity of prairie-pothole wetlands using a genetic analysis of populations of northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens). Twenty frogs from each of 22 sites in the James River and Lake Oahe river basins in North Dakota were genotyped using Best-RAD sequencing at 2868 bi-allelic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Clustering analyses of population structure indicated weak spatial structure of six population clusters loosely organized along a northwest to southeast gradient. Circuit theory-based landscape resistance analysis suggested land use, including row crop agriculture, and topography were the primary influences on genetic differentiation among the twenty-two sample sites.

There was a noticeable difference in the patterns of connectivity between the James River valley, which was dominated by row crop agriculture, versus the Missouri Coteau where topography played a greater role. This information can help identify important amphibian dispersal corridors and prioritize lands for conservation and/or restoration.

Presented During: Depressional Wetland Biodiversity: Controls, Threats, and Conservation Implications, 05/20/22 5:00 PM - 5:00 PM ET

MACROINVERTEBRATES DIVERSITY PATTERNS IN THE HETEROGENEOUS AND INCREASINGLY DRY PATAGONIAN DEPRESSIONAL WETLANDS (VIRTUAL) Luis Epele, Marta Grech, Luz Manzo, Pablo Macchi, Walter Dromaz, Laura Miserendino Wetlands are among the most valued habitats of the globe since they disproportionately contribute to people welfare and hold a large diversity of organisms, including macroinvertebrates which play crucial ecological roles.

Depressional wetlands from Argentinian Patagonia (southern South America) are relatively little impacted by human activities, constituting ideal systems to test the importance of multiple-scale factors, as well as to track the effects of climate change on macroinvertebrates assemblages. Here we synthesized the results of 15 years studying depressional wetlands macroinvertebrates and their environmental drivers in the heterogeneous Patagonia. We found that main local drivers of macroinvertebrate diversity patterns Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 209

include aquatic plant cover, dissolved oxygen, electric conductivity, nutrient availability, and geomorphological origin of the wetlands. On a regional scale, the maximum temperature of the hottest month would be the main driver, but westerly winds also seem to exert a significant effect on macroinvertebrates metacommunity structure. Moreover, wetlands existence and consequently their diversity are regionally driven by precipitation patterns, which abruptly shifted since 2010 leading to a “megadrought” period. For example, after just three years monitoring montane depressional wetlands (2020-2022) we already recorded species colonization of wetlands previously inhabited by macroinvertebrates due to snow accumulation. We expect profound impacts on wetland distribution, structure, and functioning in the forthcoming years, with consequent biodiversity loss.

We suggest the establishment of more long-term monitoring programs that contribute to understanding the effects of climate change on Patagonian wetlands biodiversity.

Presented During: Development of a Binational Decadal-Scale Science Strategy for the Great Lakes, 05/16/22 1:45 PM - 2:00 PM ET

IDENTIFYING SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH PRIORITIES FOR LAKE ERIE OVER THE NEXT DECADE Aaron Fisk, Michelle Selzer Lake Erie is the shallowest, warmest, and most productive Laurentian Great Lake, and faces a unique set of challenges over the next decade. The IJC Great Lakes Decadal Science Plan surveyed the Great Lakes science community and held workshops in 2021 to assess the current state of and rank the most important research and monitoring needs for Lake Erie and its connecting channels (Detroit and Niagara Rivers). This effort was to help establish management priorities and also provide guidance to establish priorities for the 5-year rotating Cooperative Monitoring and Science Initiative (CSMI), when intensive sampling in Lake Erie will occur in 2024 and 2029. These efforts identified three high-level priority science questions for Lake Erie, largely related to significant harmful algal blooms (HABs), including: i) binational access, sharing and integration of data and better integration and coordination of monitoring and research, ii) linkages between Lake Erie watershed land use changes and in-lake processes, and iii) high frequency, real-time, year-round monitoring technology (e.g., remote sensing, AUVs). This presentation will summarize the survey and workshop findings and discuss the needs in Lake Erie for binational coordination to increase access, sharing, and integration of data, and better coordinate monitoring and research.

210 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

Presented During: Discoveries in ecosystem services provided by human created hydrological systems, 05/16/22 4:30 PM - 4:37 PM ET

ECOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF WASTE AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT OF THE EAST CALCUTTA WETLANDS AS A MODEL TO ADDRESS CHALLENGES IN INFORMAL AMPHIBIOUS COMMUNITIES Divya Manek, Andy Cole, Leann Andrews Calcutta, India, is home to an innovative organic sewage treatment- The East Calcutta Wetlands (ECW). Ecological processes, such as bioremediation, in these wetlands, treat the wastewater of a mega city with more than 15 million people. Additionally, these wetlands sprawling over 12,500 ha, support a thriving agriculture, and aquaculture sector, a rich biodiversity, flood management and provides employment to over 100,000 people. These wetlands managed primarily by the fishing community, were designated a Ramsar site for the exemplary environmental protection and resource recovery guided by complex ecological processes.

Presented During: Drying freshwaters in the Anthropocene: ecological effects and socio-economic perspectives - Day 1, 05/17/22 3:30 PM - 3:45 PM ET

UNDERSTANDING THE DYNAMICS OF METABOLIC ÌHOT SPOTSÎ IN INTERMITTENT STREAMS OF THE ANDEAN CHOCÓ, ECUADOR Daniela Rosero-López, Daniel Escobar Camacho, Andrea Encalada, Giovanny Mosquera, Jose Daza, Karla Barragán, Carla Villamarin, Milena Campaña, Segundo Chimbolema, Núria Bonada, Thibault Datry Intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams (IRES) are bodies of water characterized by seasonal or temporary flow interruption. Microorganisms are important primary producers in IRES because microbial consortia, covering benthic and hyporheic substrates, create biofilms that act as metabolic “hot spots”. In this study, we sought to identify the benthic algae and microbial community within biofilms of naturally intermittent streams from the Andean Chocó.

We sampled headwater streams (n = 6) in the Cube River Basin, Northwestern Ecuador, during the dry and wet seasons of 2021. We collected the slurry of biofilms from cobbles of pools and from riffles of streams in both seasons. We preserved filters and water samples for molecular and morphological analyses. Using MinION sequencer of Oxford Nanopore Technologies® and morphological analyses, we aim to characterize the benthic algae and microbial community in streams. We hypothesize that the benthic algae and microbial community composition will

be more diverse during the wet season and that this change will be driven by flow cessation in streams. Our results will be the first to report the dynamics of metabolic hotspots in intermittent Neotropical streams by combining molecular and morphological approaches. Understanding the seasonal diversity of benthic algae and microbial community consortia in these systems will allow us to design strategies for maintaining the ecological status of intermittent and ephemeral streams.

Presented During: Drying freshwaters in the Anthropocene: ecological effects and socio-economic perspectives - Day 2, 05/18/22 3:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET

FISH METACOMMUNITIES IN THE CUBE RIVER BASIN, AN INTERMITTENT SYSTEM OF NORTHERN ECUADOR (VIRTUAL) Daniel Escobar Camacho, Karla Barragán, Daniela Rosero-López, Giovanny Mosquera, Jose Daza, Carla Villamarin, Emilia Palomeque, Segundo Chimbolema, Milena Campaña, Thibault Datry, Núria Bonada, Andrea Encalada Intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams are common flowing waters on Earth. Seasonal flow cessation in these hydrological systems leads to complex biological and ecological processes that cause resident communities of aquatic taxa to be constantly rearranged. Fish metacommunities are shaped by both local and regional environmental variables and the magnitude of the effect of each of them is expected to be largely influenced by flow interruption.

However, these effects are still poorly understood in the Neotropical region.

dominate downstream. However, the NPH has not been tested extensively in intermittent systems. Here we examined benthic invertebrate metacommunities across eight intermittent watersheds spanning a broad hydroclimatic gradient in the continental United States. We identified the dominant frequencies in streamflow at each network via spectral analysis on the output of a distributed hydrologic model. The model simulated daily streamflow at 10-meter resolution, and was calibrated with sensors that tracked hydrologic conditions (wet vs dry) in each network. We examined (1) pairwise dissimilarity in benthic invertebrate community composition and structure among ten sites in each network; (2) whether dissimilarity was overall more strongly explained by environmental factors (flow regime, habitat structure) or by spatial factors (aerial and watercourse distances); and (3) whether the balance between environmental and spatial factors tended to favor the latter in main-stem habitats. We found mixed support for the NPH and high levels of multiple-site community dissimilarity (78-97%). Dissimilarity within each metacommunity was consistently generated by environmentally-driven turnover (or balance) gradients. These results suggest that drying-induced fragmentation often limits invertebrate dispersal and reduces mass effects in main-stem habitats of intermittent river networks. Metacommunity dynamics in intermittent river networks may be akin to that observed in lentic ecosystems, where local factors such as hydroperiod length are a paramount driver of community composition and structure.

Presented During: Drying freshwaters in the Anthropocene: ecological effects and socio-economic perspectives - Day 2, 05/18/22 1:30 PM - 1:45 PM ET

Presented During: Drying freshwaters in the Anthropocene: ecological effects and socio-economic perspectives - Day 2, 05/18/22 2:15 PM - 2:30 PM ET

DOES ARIDITY INFLUENCE DIFFERENTIATION OF INTERMITTENT RELATIVE TO PERENNIAL STREAM MACROINVERTEBRATE COMMUNITIES?

EXAMINING SUPPORT FOR THE NETWORK POSITION HYPOTHESIS VIA INTERMITTENT STREAM INVERTEBRATE METACOMMUNITIES ACROSS A HYDROCLIMATIC GRADIENT

Brian Gill, Daniel Allen, Travis Apgar, Carla Atkinson, Elizabeth Cook, Stephen Cook, Kelsey Hollien, Kyle Leathers, Meryl Mims, Albert Ruhi, Arial Shogren, Samuel Silknetter, Chelsea Smith, Michael Bogan

Albert Ruhi, Travis Apgar, Shang Gao, Brian Gill, DANIEL ALLEN, Carla Atkinson, Elizabeth Cook, Stephen Cook, Kelsey Hollien, Yang Hong, kyle leathers, Meryl Mims, Rose Mohammadi, Arial Shogren, Samuel Silknetter Chelsea Smith, Michael Bogan, , , , , , , , , , , , Community assembly processes may vary within and across stream networks. The network position hypothesis (NPH) posits that species sorting is important in isolated upstream habitats, whereas dispersal-driven mass effects

Intermittent streams are now increasingly recognized as harboring unique and important aquatic biodiversity. However, the extent and mode of differentiation of intermittent stream communities relative to perennial counterparts is variable. In some cases, intermittent stream communities are nested subsets of nearby perennial communities, whereas in other cases intermittent and perennial communities contain different sets of taxa. To test the prediction that the distinctiveness of intermittent stream communities Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 211

should increase with aridity, we sampled and identified aquatic macroinvertebrates from both perennial and intermittent reaches in seven basins spanning an aridity gradient ranging from arid West Coast to mesic East Coast locations in the United States. Using data for 412 taxa, we find that differences between intermittent and perennial stream communities significantly increase as mean annual rainfall decreases. Results of this work increase our understanding of the drivers of variation in community composition in a historically understudied habitat type.

Presented During: Drying freshwaters in the Anthropocene: ecological effects and socio-economic perspectives - Day 2, 05/18/22 1:45 PM - 2:00 PM ET

INVERTEBRATES IN INTERMITTENT AND PERENNIAL STREAMS: A METACOMMUNITY ANALYSIS OF A NEOTROPICAL DRYING RIVER NETWORK Andrea Encalada, Daniela Rosero-López, Daniel Escobar Camacho, Giovanny Mosquera, Segundo Chimbolema, Jose Daza, Núria Bonada, Thibault Datry Drying river networks are a combination of intermittent and perennial streams changing in flow conditions through time. Under pressing climate change scenarios, streamflow is expected to vary drastically thus affecting ecological processes driven by hydro-climatic conditions. Aquatic invertebrates, as sentinels of flow fluctuation, are expected to show strong responses to naturally occurring flow cessation in intermittent and perennial streams. However, our understanding of these patterns in Neotropical drying river networks is still limited. In this context, this project was aimed at exploring the relationships between the structure and distribution of aquatic invertebrate communities and the patterns of flow cessation along interconnected intermittent and perennial streams. To achieve our goal, we sampled 20 stream reaches distributed along an altitudinal gradient of the Cube River Basin in the Pacific lowlands of Ecuador. During six sampling periods in wet and dry seasons, we collected quantitative samples using a Surber net, and including pool and riffle habitats according to stream width and flow conditions. Preliminary results indicate that intermittent sites appear to be less diverse than perennial sites, with many unique species occurring in intermittent sites. The metacommunity analysis suggests that local and regional flow connectivity affect invertebrate beta diversity, for both intermittent and perennial sites. Intermittency does modulate the strength with which flow patterns shape invertebrate community composition. Analysis of aquatic invertebrate metacommunities in a Neotropical drying river network provides first-hand information on the effects of 212 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

fluctuations of natural flow connectivity on ecological processes and diversity.

Presented During: Ecological models as tools for integrating aquatic sciences - Day 1, 05/19/22 2:30 PM - 2:45 PM ET

TOWARDS THE DEVELOPMENT OF A LONG-TERM PHOSPHORUS MANAGEMENT TOOL FOR THE BAY OF QUINTE AREA OF CONCERN Aisha Javed, Alex Neumann, Agnes Richards, Shan Mugalingam, George Arhonditsis The Bay of Quinte is an Area of Concern located at the northeastern end of Lake Ontario and is well known for its long history of eutrophication problems manifested as extensive algal blooms, prevalence of toxic cyanobacteria, and hypolimnetic oxygen depletion. Emerging evidence suggests that phosphorus inputs from the Napanee and Wilton Creek watersheds are significantly higher than historically assumed and may be modulating the frequency of harmful algal blooms in the receiving waterbody. In light of this evidence, our modelling work involves the development of a multivariable phosphorus (P) calibration approach using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) with special focus on the role of extreme events in exporting P losses. The work being presented will attempt to bridge the gaps in our understanding of the potential factors driving the eutrophication phenomena in the Bay of Quinte. My analysis suggests that a significant fraction (>50%) of the annual phosphorus loads can be generated during a small number of brief but intense precipitation events. While the association of phosphorus with stormwater is plausible, the flow-concentration relationship can be profoundly modulated by factors such as watershed physiography, land use patterns, and antecedent conditions.

The research framework will aim to serve as a long-term management tool for the protection and restoration of water quality in the area by accounting for the long-term effects of climate change including the predictions of an accelerated hydrological cycle.

Presented During: Ecological models as tools for integrating aquatic sciences - Day 1, 05/19/22 9:45 AM - 10:00 AM ET

VIRTUAL ONLY - IMPLEMENTATION OF A MONITORING AND MODELLING FRAMEWORK TO SUPPORT ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT IN THE CANADIAN SIDE OF THE LAKE ERIE BASIN George Arhonditsis The present study aims to provide guidelines with respect

to the implementation of a watershed modelling framework that can support adaptive management in the Canadian side of the Lake Erie basin. Our primary objective is to highlight the establishment of a multimodel ensemble as an appealing strategy that can address a wide range of conceptual and operational uncertainties typically underlying any modelling exercise. We identify three ensemble strategies that have different implications for the granularity of the analysis, empirical knowledge and data input demands to constrain the individual models, and required timeframe to operationalize them. Alongside SWAT, we propose the use of SPARROW — a data-driven model — to delineate hotspots, examine landscape predictors for nutrient mobilization and retention. The second option considers two models (HYPE, HSPF) that are conceptually sound and can increase the structural and functional diversity of the ensemble of catchment models by offering alternative representations of fundamental processes associated with the water cycle, soil erosion, biogeochemical cycles, and soil-plant interactions. The third option introduces local and edge-offield monitoring and modelling (EPIC or APEX) tools to refine the spatial resolution and design in-field conservation practices that mitigate nonpoint source pollution. Our study also pinpoints data monitoring needs to elucidate critical unknowns of the watershed functioning, such as the role of legacy phosphorus, the causes and consequences of the increasing long-term trends in dissolved reactive P loading, the challenges in reproducing spring-freshet or event-flow conditions, and the dynamic characterization of water/nutrient cycles under the non-stationarity of a changing climate.

Presented During: Ecological models as tools for integrating aquatic sciences - Day 1, 05/19/22 4:45 PM - 5:00 PM ET

VIRTUAL ONLY - TOWARDS THE IMPLEMENTATION OF APEX AS A GENERAL FARM-MODELLING PLATFORM IN SOUTHERN ONTARIO Carlos Alberto Arnillas, Lamees Shah, Peter Doris, George Arhonditsis There are ongoing modelling efforts in Southern Ontario to develop integrated watershed management to balance land- and aquatic-ecosystem service provisions. These models focus on water as the most important driver of nutrients, pollutants, and sediments. However, most watershed models poorly represent plant dynamics, despite plants playing a fundamental role in regulating nutrients, sediments, and water itself. Further, management strategies promoted amongst farmers to address nutrient losses and optimize productivity act at the field- or farm-level instead of the catchment scale. The efficiency of any given strategy

strongly depends on a farmer’s specific implementation. To close the gap between management practices and watershed models, we are implementing the Agricultural Policy / Environmental eXtender (APEX) in the broader Bay of Quinte area. APEX can represent heterogeneous farms and provides several parameters to specify local farming practices.

We developed tools to help researchers integrate Ontario data (soil, weather, elevation, land-use) into APEX. Then, we tested the sensitivity of crop yield, biomass production, nutrient dynamic, and sediment yield to changes in parameters for corn. We used weather data from nine years, five soil types, and two cover crops. We implemented a pipeline to perform a global sensitivity analysis using R and found that several responses, particularly nutrient dynamics, were affected by the environment but not by crop parameters.

We discuss future steps related to farm-level modelling as a part of an integrated management strategy in the area.

Presented During: Ecological models as tools for integrating aquatic sciences - Day 1, 05/19/22 4:00 PM - 4:15 PM ET

DEVELOPING MACHINE LEARNING MODELS TO ANALYZE SONAR DATA COLLECTED IN A GREAT LAKES COASTAL WETLAND Alexandra Bozimowski, Kaylee Sharp, Meghan Dailey, Paul Seelbach, Kurt Kowalski Traditional monitoring of restored aquatic systems often includes passive (e.g., fyke/gill netting) and more active (e.g., electrofishing) sampling methods, but their effectiveness is contingent upon weather, time of day, flow conditions, and water clarity. Sonar-based monitoring techniques can overcome these challenges by collecting data with minimal physical oversight during high flow, near-zero visibility water conditions. However, resulting datasets can be very large (e.g., petabytes) and made up of thousands of individual files. Therefore, cost-effective, semi-automated methodologies (e.g., Machine Learning Models (MLMs)) for processing and analyzing these big data are necessary.

In 2020, a MLM was built to identify and enumerate bi-directional fish passage captured via an Adaptive Resolution Imaging Sonar (ARIS; Sound Metrics Corp.) mounted adjacent to water-control structures in hydrologically restored wetlands. The complete dataset consisted of approximately 20 terabytes of over 3,000 individual hour-long video files.

A file conversion tool to convert raw video data files into universal file formats was developed to prepare data for a Python-based modified Residual Network (ResNet50) machine learning model built to process the dataset. Model training used 4,000 frames from early Spring 2020 video files, resulting in a 65.94% precision rate and 85% average Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 213

confidence. From just nine randomly selected hours of video data, 15,376 fish were identified showing roughly equal movement into and out of the wetland unit. In addition to object identification, the model can be further modified to incorporate additional parameters (e.g., body-size classifications) making MLMs effective tools in analyzing large image datasets for multiple ecologically important outputs.

Presented During: Ecological models as tools for integrating aquatic sciences - Day 2, 05/20/22 3:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET

A MACHINE LEARNING FRAMEWORK FOR SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS OF AQUATIC BIOGEOCHEMICAL MODELS (VIRTUAL) Haibin Cai, Yuko Shimoda, George Arhonditsis, Shan Mugalingam Simple models have significant contribution to the development of ecological theory. However, these minimalistic modelling approaches usually focus on a small subset of the causes of a phenomenon and neglect important aspects of system dynamics. In this study, we use a complex aquatic biogeochemical model to examine competition patterns and structural shifts in the plankton community of the Bay of Quinte, Lake Ontario. Our primary focus is to describe the interplay among multiple functional phytoplankton (diatoms, N-fixing cyanobacteria, and Microcystis) and zooplankton (herbivores and omnivores) groups. To achieve this objective, we propose a sensitive analysis framework of advanced statistical and machine learning techniques.

Principal component analysis is first applied to identify different modes of seasonal variability of model endpoints.

Classification and Regression Tree analysis is then used to depict the interplay among critical ecological processes that underlie the variability of each mode. We then employ Self-Organizing Maps to unravel any non-linear model responses. Based on our results, the intergroup variability in the phytoplankton adaptive strategies for resources procurement (regulation of transport kinetics, effects of transport kinetics on the kinetics of assimilation, relationship between assimilation and growth) along with the group-specific metabolic losses can shape the structure of plankton communities. Zooplankton feeding selectivity, algal food quality, phosphorus fractionation, and filtration from the invasive dreissenids are additional influential factors. We conclude that the articulate representation of the producer– grazer interactions using stoichiometrically realistic terms will offer insights into the patterns of nutrient and energy flow transferred to the higher trophic levels.

Presented During: Ecological models as tools for integrating aquatic sciences - Day 2, 05/20/22 9:30 AM - 9:45 AM ET 214 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

HYBRID SPECIES DISTRIBUTION MODELS INFORM FLOW MANAGEMENT IN A WORLD OF WATER SCARCITY Katie Irving, Kris Taniguchi-Quan, Eric Stein, Jennifer Rogers, Raphael Mazor With flow alteration a pervasive issue worldwide, flow managers are tasked with assessing the ecological impacts of water allocation for industrial and social needs. Commonly, benchmarks for such assessments are based on the presence of a species and the ability of the system to provide species’ habitat requirements. Flow-ecology analyses are instrumental in relating flow alteration to its impacts on biological communities, and predictive models, such as species distribution models (SDMs), are useful tools in such analyses. Nonetheless, current SDM approaches comprise varying levels of requirements and abilities. Statistical SDMs are most common however, they are limited in their application and interpretation due to e.g., broad-scale applicability and high data requirements. Mechanistic models are more comprehensive however, due to e.g., the vast amount of expert knowledge and/or practical experiments necessary, tend to be scarce. A hybrid approach, a combination of the two, is an emerging method that utilizes the strengths of both approaches and can be tailored to specific species, systems, and management concerns. We present the concepts behind the hybrid approach through its application in highly urbanized, semi-arid systems in Southern California where altered flow has been identified as a key issue. The models are applied on various species groups, incorporating different life stages and associated phenology. We discuss the advantages and challenges of the hybrid approach, as well as potential future directions.

Presented During: Ecological Responses to Freshwater Salinization Day 1, 05/19/22 3:30 PM - 3:45 PM ET

ESTIMATING NATURAL BACKGROUND WATER QUALITY IN CALIFORNIA RIVERS Emma Debasitis, John Olson, Raphael Mazor, Janet Walker Water chemistry affects organisms at all levels of the food web. Water quality alteration from natural conditions can seriously degrade habitat quality, survival of native species, and human health. Estimating background water quality of impaired streams can be difficult due to the effects of anthropogenic involvement in the aquatic systems over decades to centuries. To better understand baseline water chemistry levels, we created random forest models for ionic and integrated water quality parameters, including chloride, calcium, TDS, specific conductivity, magnesium, hardness,

sulfate, sodium, and alkalinity. Water quality measurements from minimally impaired reference sites across the United States were used as response variables for model training.

We developed these models using both static (i.e., geology, soils, etc.) and dynamic (i.e., monthly evapotranspiration, precipitation, and temperature) EPA StreamCat predictor variables. Chloride and magnesium models both explained 85% of the variation with RMSE values of 2.02 and 3.67 mg/L, respectively. The top predictors across models include sulfur in the watershed/catchment, annual precipitation, and aluminum oxide in the watershed. The baseline water chemistry estimates produced by these models will assist California establish site specific water quality standards and manage habitat in various situations, including urban development projects, habitat restoration, and endangered species monitoring.

Presented During: Ecological Responses to Freshwater Salinization Day 1, 05/19/22 4:15 PM - 4:30 PM ET

IMPACTS OF SALTWATER INTRUSION ON NITROGEN CYCLING IN FRESHWATER FORESTED WETLANDS Kelsey Morton, Marcelo Ardon Due to factors such as sea level rise and changes in weather leading to drought and storm events, saltwater intrusion is an increasing problem along the coastal US. Coastal wetland ecosystems, which are very vulnerable to this problem, provide a myriad of important ecosystem services, including nitrogen cycling. Some effects of saltwater intrusion have already been well observed in the literature, such as increased availability of NH4+ as it is displaced from cation exchange sites, while others are much less consistent and may depend on many other factors like hydrology and nutrient availability. Using soil cores from the Timberlake Observatory for Wetland Restoration, located on the coast of North Carolina, we are performing ocean salt additions at levels that may be observed during an intrusion event. We then measure the effects these additions have on the various pools and fluxes of nitrogen in the soil. We predicted that generally, rates of microbially-mediated N transformations like nitrification and denitrification would decrease, while N pools would see more varied effects, with organic N in storage decreasing as previous research has shown increased salinity increasing N mineralization, for example, which releases NH4+ at the same time as it is being forced off cation exchange sites. While this research and analysis is still ongoing, preliminary results suggest denitrification rates were not affected by salinity level, and more results are forthcoming shortly. When completed this research will continue to expand knowledge of the many

effects saltwater intrusion has on valuable wetland ecosystems.

Presented During: Effects of climate driven changes in rainfall on aquatic ecosystems, 05/16/22 5:00 PM - 5:00 PM ET

HABITAT QUALITY AND DROUGHT EFFECTS ON BREEDING MALLARD AND OTHER WATERFOWL POPULATIONS IN CALIFORNIA, USA (VIRTUAL) Sharon Kahara, Daniel Skalos, Buddhika Madurapperuma, Breana Hernandez As many as 500,000 waterfowl reside in California during summer, but little is known about the availability or quality of their habitats. Wetland size and distribution serve as proximate cues for habitat selection by breeding waterfowl in other parts of North America such as the Prairie Pothole Region. In heavily modified landscapes such as California’s Central Valley, disturbance from factors like crop cultivation and urban development may limit access, effect survival and decrease reproductive success. Water limitations due to recurring seasonal droughts pose another potential threat to breeding waterfowl. Spatial and temporal disparities in environmental resources may provide clearer indications of ultimate habitat selection. We addressed waterfowl habitat selection in 9 regions surveyed annually by California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife, to determine relative importance of drought severity, wetland area and habitat quality on mallard and other waterfowl population dynamics from 2007-2019. Habitat quality refers to the conditions in the environment that affect not only the distribution and abundance of waterfowl, but that also affect long term individual and population persistence. This study period included an extended drought (2012-2015) and flooding (2016-2017). Statewide, habitat quality was the best predictor of mallard and other waterfowl population fluctuations.

The habitat quality model, which accounted for influence of adjacent land-use, outperformed models that included wetland area alone. At the regional level, drought severity out-ranked other variables in most regions, suggesting management at regional scales must account for climate.

Presented During: Evaluating wetland easements for restoration success, 05/17/22 4:30 PM - 4:45 PM ET

DO ESTABLISHED WETLAND COMMUNITIES INFLUENCE THE SUCCESSION OF ISOLATED CREATED WETLANDS? Adam Austin, Tiffany Schriever Wetlands created for the purpose of compensatory mitigation are among the few contemporary examples of primary Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 215

succession, and the patterns of community succession within these ecosystems are not well understood. Given a scarcity of potential wetland locations, mitigation wetlands are often constructed in abandoned agricultural fields amidst a landscape mosaic of high-intensity land coverage, impeding species dispersal and thereby creating isolated ecosystems which may take many years to achieve a desired level of biotic integrity (i.e. diversity and conservation value).

We asked whether created mitigation wetlands achieve the same level of biotic integrity as established wetlands, and whether the aquatic communities of mitigation wetlands become more similar to those of nearby established wetlands across space and time. To answer this, we examined the plant, aquatic macroinvertebrate, fish, and herpetofauna communities of a chronosequence of 10 mitigation wetlands located throughout Michigan from June - August 2020, comparing each with its nearest available established wetland for a total of 20 study sites. There were no significant differences in biotic integrity between mitigation and established sites, nor were there any distinct patterns of community assemblages between these two broad categories. Wetland age was not a significant predictor of dissimilarity, but distance between sites was significant to at least two km. These results suggest that mitigation wetlands function as effectively as established wetlands despite their isolation, though both types show clear indicators of anthropogenic degradation. Without direct corridors to established systems, the succession of created wetlands is difficult to predict and warrants further study.

Presented During: Evaluating wetland easements for restoration success, 05/17/22 3:30 PM - 3:45 PM ET

QUANTIFYING CONSERVATION RETURN ON INVESTMENT FOR RESTORED BOTTOMLAND HARDWOOD WETLANDS David Hicks, Jon Podoliak, Elisabeth Webb The Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) is a federally funded conservation program with a goal of protecting, conserving, and restoring wetlands on private lands. The WRP restores substantial amounts of marginal farmland to wetlands annually, however there is a lack of post-restoration monitoring and evaluation of restoration practice effectiveness. To assess the cost-efficiency of WRP restoration practices, we evaluated 36 WRP easements in western Kentucky and Tennessee using a conservation return on investment (ROI) framework (ROI = conservation benefit/cost). We measured avian species richness using triannual point count surveys (winter, spring, and autumn) at WRP easements in 2020 and 2021. We assessed bird species richness in four distinct cover types: constructed 216 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

shallow water areas, reforested areas, naturally regenerating forest areas, and remnant forest habitat. To calculate ROI values, we divided bird species richness per hectare (ha) by the total cost per ha (sum of acquisition and restoration costs) and multiplied by 10,000 to indicate the number of avian species conserved per $10,000 spent.

Presented During: Evaluating wetland easements for restoration success, 05/17/22 2:45 PM - 3:00 PM ET

EVALUATING THE POTENTIAL FOR WETLAND RESERVE PROGRAM EASEMENTS TO PROVIDE MULTIPLE ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS Jon Podoliak, David Hicks, Spencer Womble, Robert Brown, Elisabeth Webb, Justin Murdock In the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley, the Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) focuses on restoring bottomland hardwood (BLH) forested wetlands because of their important ecosystem functions including wildlife and fish habitat, and biogeochemical cycling. Most previous BLH research has focused on evaluating the recovery of individual ecosystem functions, with limited information on whether wetland restorations can maximize multiple functions simultaneously. Thus, we designed our study to evaluate the potential for restored BLH wetlands to concurrently provide wildlife habitat and biogeochemical functions. We assessed avian communities and denitrification rates on 30 WRP easements across western Tennessee and Kentucky during spring 2019, 2020, and 2021. Our objective was to determine whether sites with greater avian species richness also had greater denitrification rates. Within each site we surveyed avian species in four cover types: shallow water area (SWA), tree planting, remnant forest, and natural regeneration. Mean avian species richness was 8.6 (± 1.7) in remnant forest, 8.3 (± 3.3) in natural regeneration, 8.0 (± 3.1) in SWA, and 6.3 (± 2.7) in tree planting. Mean denitrification rates were 7.8 (± 6.8) for natural regeneration, 6.0 (± 6.7) for SWA, 5.6 (±4.6) for tree planting, and 4.3 (± 3.1) for remnant forest. Our preliminary results show remnant forest had the greatest avian species richness, but natural regeneration habitat had the greatest denitrification rate. However, both avian species richness and denitrification rates were high in natural regeneration indicating the importance of this habitat type in BLH restorations.

Presented During: Evaluating wetland easements for restoration success, 05/17/22 4:15 PM - 4:30 PM ET

POST-RESTORATION MONITORING OF HYDROLOGIC RECONNECTION AT SHIAWASSEE NATIONAL WILDLIFE

REFUGE Matthew Conrad, Josh Fishbein, Claire Watts, Kuiran Zhang Since its creation in 1953, Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge has restored unique coastal wetlands, providing vital habitat for migratory waterfowl and other threatened wildlife in the Lake Huron Watershed. Ecosystem services provided by wetlands, such as flooding control and wildlife refugia, have grown in importance due to increasing frequency of volatile weather conditions as a result of climate change. Student teams from the University of Michigan have conducted post-restoration monitoring of recently reconnected floodplain wetland units; here we report on the third monitoring season - 2021. Additional sampling locations were added in 2021 to expand monitoring efforts and create a more comprehensive picture of the total ecology.

To understand temporal and spatial differences between each wetland unit, we collected ecological data of aquatic macroinvertebrates, fish, vegetation, and water quality on a monthly basis in four main wetland units and two secondary sites. Macroinvertebrate sampling was conducted via D-nets, fish sampling was conducted via fyke netting and electrofishing, vegetation sampling was conducted via community assemblage; and water quality data were collected through water samples, continuously with permanent sondes, and point-in-time samples. Initial analyses show differences in catch per unit effort between sampling sites over sampling years for macroinvertebrates and fish, but similar IBI scores as previous years in fish and macroinvertebrate communities. Further analyses will shed light on how continued restoration of wetland units has affected ecological assemblages, helping guide more informed management decisions. Long-term monitoring efforts also help guide restoration efforts elsewhere in Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands, and coastal wetlands.

Presented During: Evaluating wetland easements for restoration success, 05/17/22 4:45 PM ET

LANDSCAPE FACTORS INFLUENCE THE NATURALLY COLONIZING PLANT COMMUNITY IN FLOODPLAIN WETLANDS RESTORED UNDER THE WETLANDS RESERVE PROGRAM (VIRTUAL) Kinga Hill, Howard Whiteman, Karen Baumann, Michael Flinn The lower Mississippi River Valley and connecting tributaries have lost an estimated 80% of original bottomland hardwood forested wetlands to agricultural conversion. For the

past three decades, the Wetlands Reserve Program has restored thousands of wetlands with the objective of recovering wetland functions and supporting wildlife diversity. To inform future restoration decisions, we assessed the recovery of the naturally colonizing plant community in wetlands restored from agriculture in western Kentucky, USA. We measured six floristic variables and five landscape variables in sixteen wetlands along a gradient of disturbance (degraded, restored, and reference) and a chronosequence ranging from 0 to 13 years since restoration. We found that reference wetlands had significantly higher floristic quality and a higher proportion of woody and perennial species than restored wetlands and that, over time, restored wetlands lost exotic species and increased in floristic quality. Wetland plant community composition was influenced by the landscape setting; species composition shifted with increasing distance from forest edges and decreasing surrounding remnant wetlands. The successional trajectory of naturally colonizing plant communities in restored wetlands was likely inhibited by dispersal limitations, thus future projects should focus on optimizing project locations to increase recruitment, continue afforestation efforts for heavy seeded trees, and consider planting native understory species. With ongoing biodiversity loss and the effects of climate change, the success of wetland restorations has important local and global implications.

Presented During: Exploring past, present and future of Lake Erie: physicochemical and food web change and their application to ecosystem-based management - Day 1, 05/19/22 5:30 PM - 5:30 PM ET

WHEN NUTRIENT ABATEMENT MEETS CLIMATE CHANGE: PROJECTED IMPACTS ON LAKE ERIE AND ITS WATERSHED (VIRTUAL) Stuart Ludsin, Noel Aloysius, S. Keitzer, David Dippold, Michael Fraker, Jay Martin, Scott Sowa, Gust Annis, Jeffrey Arnold, Prasad Daggupati, August Froehlich, MariVaughn Johnson, M. Lee Norfleet, Dale Robertson, Anthony Sasson, Michael White, Haw Yen Climate change and land modification are prominent global threats to biodiversity and ecosystem services. Thus, anticipating their individual and interactive effects on ecosystems at spatial and temporal scales relevant to conservation and management is critical. Herein, we projected the response of Lake Erie water quality, harmful algal blooms (HABs), fisheries recruitment, as well as stream-fish communities in the agriculturally dominated western Lake Erie basin watershed (WLEB), to two climate scenarios crossed by three agricultural conservation scenarios (ACPs). Our modeling demonstrated that anticipated climate change and ACP imWetland Science & Practice July 2022 217

plementation are likely to drive ecosystem change through both antagonistic and synergistic interactions. For instance, while climate change was predicted to double HABs by 2065 in the absence of additional ACP implementation, widespread ACP implementation could erase this projected increase by reducing nutrient runoff. By contrast, anticipated winter warming was predicted to reduce recruitment to the fishery of native species (Walleye Sander vitreus and Yellow Perch Perca flavescens), with reduced ACP implementation magnifying the negative impact on Yellow Perch.

Conversely, recruitment of White Perch (Morone americana), a warm-water, invader harmful to Yellow Perch, was predicted to increase regardless of ACP scenario. Shifts in WLEB stream-fish communities were also predicted. with ACP implementation generally enhancing diversity and outweighing climate change effects. Collectively, our findings show that climate change and ACP implementation are likely to affect aquatic ecosystems in complex ways that will cause tradeoffs in valued ecological quality and services, thus highlighting the need for climate change to be considered when developing future management strategies.

Presented During: Exploring past, present and future of Lake Erie: physicochemical and food web change and their application to ecosystem-based management - Day 1, 05/19/22 5:30 PM - 5:30 PM ET

THE EFFECT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON THE PHYSICAL DYNAMICS OF LAKE ERIE AND THUS THE BIOCHEMISTRY AND ECOLOGY OF THE CENTRAL AND WESTERN BASINS. (VIRTUAL) Josef Ackerman, Aidin Jabbari, Leon Boegman, Yingming Zhao We investigated the effects of climate change on the physical conditions in the Laurentian Great Lakes in August between 1980 and 2018. We found significant increases in surface-water temperature (0.39 ± 0.16 oC decade_1), surface winds (W = 0.4 ± 0.1 m s_1 decade_1 from the south and southwest) and wave power (WP = 0.059 ± 0.027 kW m-1 decade-1); the transport of wind energy into lake-surface motion). WP was associated with largescale atmospheric phenomena (e.g., Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation and Multivariate ENSO) typically attributed to oceanographic phenomena. These changes affected the physical dynamics and consequently the biogeochemistry and ecology of Lake Erie. Specifically, we found a pattern in WP, in response to extreme winds, that served as a proxy to predict interbasin coupling in Lake Erie. Specifically, cold and hypoxic (DO 7 m s-1 the TP mixed throughout the water-column affecting water quality. Further, we found that hypoxic events due to interbasin exchange have 218 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

increased in the western basin over the past 40 years (43% occurring in the last decade). The effects of theses perturbations on water quality have implications for Lake Erie, in other large lakes with multiple basins, lake-rivermouth, or interconnected basins of reservoirs.

Presented During: Flooded with ideas on dry rivers: Hydro-biogeochemistry of intermittent freshwater systems, 05/20/22 4:15 PM - 4:30 PM ET

MULTIDISCIPLINARY MONITORING OF AN INTERMITTENT FRESHWATER SYSTEM IN A NEOTROPICAL BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOT Giovanny Mosquera, Daniela Rosero-López, Daniel Escobar Camacho, Jose Daza, Carla Villamarin, Segundo Chimbolema, Emilia Palomeque, Karla Barragán, Milena Campaña, Ricardo Jaramillo, Thibault Datry, Andrea Encalada Intermittent streamflows strongly depend on hydro-climatological conditions, varying markedly between wet and dry seasons. Interest in the biology, ecology, and hydrology of these streams has recently increased worldwide because they influence biological and ecological processes, determine water availability to humans, and are highly vulnerable to the impacts of anthropogenic stressors. However, most research on these topics has focused on temperate environments whereas knowledge of intermittent streams in tropical settings remains limited. To fill this knowledge gap, the Cube River Ecohydrological Observatory (CREO, 40 km2) was established in late 2020 in the Pacific lowlands of Northwestern Ecuador within a tropical biodiversity hotspot, the Andean Choco ecoregion. The CREO exhibits a variety of land uses ranging from well-conserved rainforests to highly deforested areas used for intensive agriculture and cattle grazing. In this context, we aim to introduce the hydrometeorological monitoring setup and preliminary results of field observations of 6 spatially-distributed multidisciplinary sampling campaigns in which biological and ecological (e.g., benthic algae, cyanobacteria, benthic macroinvertebrates, and fish), physicochemical (e.g., temperature, electrical conductivity, stable isotopes, dissolved oxygen, nutrients, and metals), and hydrological variables (e.g., streamflow, morphology) were monitored at 20 stream reaches expanding across intermittent and perennial sites during wet, transitional, and dry flow conditions in 2021. These observations will be further analyzed and used to elucidate how intermittent hydrological regimes and land use influence biological, ecological, and biogeochemical processes; knowledge of which little is known in Neotropical regions.

Presented During: Genetic applications in conservation and restoration biology - Day 2, 05/20/22 3:45 PM - 4:00 PM ET

MOLECULAR PHYLOGENETICS UNEARTHS HIDDEN BIODIVERSITY WITHIN ALASMIDONTA VIRIDIS (RAFINESQUE, 1820) SPECIES COMPLEX IN THE MIDWESTERN US Kentaro Inoue, Michael Compton, Scott Faiman, John Harris, Anna Pieri, Gabrielle Sanfilippo, Bernard Sietman, Alison Stodola, David Zanatta As freshwater mussels are one of the most endangered group of animals, developing effective conservation strategies requires better understanding of taxonomic status and ecology of target species. Current efforts using molecular techniques uncover hidden diversity in freshwater mussels and lead to taxonomic revisions and descriptions of new species. Alasmidonta viridis (Rafinesque, 1820), Slippershell, inhabits small headwater streams throughout the Midwestern US including tributaries of the Upper Mississippi River and Great Lakes basins. Although A. viridis currently has no federal protection, it is designated as threatened, endangered, or species of conservation concern in many states due to declining populations and vulnerability to environmental changes. Despite its conservation status, its taxonomic status and genetic diversity have never been assessed. In this study, I assessed phylogenetic structure of A. viridis across its presumptive range and evaluated the taxonomy and systematics of the species. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that A. viridis was comprised of multiple distinct lineages and possible unrecognized species within the species complex. Furthermore, the genus Alasmidonta was polyphyletic, and its generic revisions are warranted.

The results will be used to aid in future research and conservation efforts including population genomics, controlled propagation, and population restoration.

Presented During: Great Lakes Connecting Waters: Research, Monitoring, and Progress, 05/17/22 4:45 PM - 5:00 PM ET

DETROIT R. AREA-OF-CONCERN INDICES OF BIOLOGICAL INTEGRITY VS. STRESS RELATIONSHIPS - DERIVING HABITAT IMPAIRMENT DELISTING CRITERIA Li Wang, Justin Landry, Giuseppe Fiorino, Ian Smith, Greg Grabas, Jon Midwood, Jesse Gardner Costa, Susan Doka, Jabed Tomal, Jan Ciborowski The Detroit River Canadian Clean-up (DRCC) is endeavoring to delist habitat-related Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs) – “Degradation of Fish and Wildlife Populations” and “Loss of Fish and Wildlife Habitat.” Indices of Biological Integrity (IBIs) developed to assess these attributes

in the Detroit R. are informative; however, interpretation of IBI scores was challenging due to a lack of agreed-upon suitable frames of reference (i.e., sites in the reference condition) against which to calibrate them. We compiled existing data to interpret available IBI scores relative to habitat conditions (summarized by measures of land use, water quality, and other manifestations of stress). We identified breakpoints in the IBI score vs. stress relationships to define benchmark IBI scores that could serve as BUI delisting criteria for submerged aquatic vegetation, zoobenthos, fish, and marsh-dwelling bird communities. We compiled georeferenced Great Lakes Environmental Indicator stressor data for 1,051 2nd-order watersheds draining into L. Erie, and calculated IBI scores for each taxon. Thresholds in the taxon-specific IBI score - environmental stress relationship were identified using piecewise quantile regression.

Subsequently, biota in the AOC’s wetlands and shorelines were classified as being in the reference condition or at risk of degradation. Although few locations within the AOC supported biota whose IBI scores were ‘equivalent to reference’, most sites fell within a range of environmental conditions considered to be ‘nonreference’ rather than ‘degraded’ and thus are not necessarily ‘impaired’. The stress thresholds at which IBI breakpoints occur are recommended as restoration targets for future conservation or remediation programs.

Presented During: Great Lakes Tributary Restoration Projects - Successes, Challenges, and Approaches, 05/18/22 9:30 AM - 9:45 AM ET

RESTORATION OPPORTUNITIES FOR MUSKELLUNGE IN A GREAT LAKES AREA OF CONCERN BASED ON MOVEMENT AND TROPHIC ECOLOGY Daniel Sullivan, Jeramy Pinkerton, Loren Miller, Joel Hoffman Ecosystem restoration is important in the face of degradation because functioning ecosystems influence abundance and diversity of inhabiting flora and fauna communities while enhancing ecosystem services for anthropogenic use.

Efforts to restore rivers critical to the Great Lakes ecosystem have been accelerated since establishment of Great Lakes Restoration Initiative in 2010. St. Louis River (SLR) has been designated as an Area of Concern (AOC) because of severe degradation and efforts to restore ecological function of Lake Superior’s largest tributary are underway.

To improve our understanding of the state of SLR AOC following remediation and to inform restoration efforts, we investigated the movement and trophic ecology of an indicator species, Muskellunge (Esox masquinongy). From 2015-2017, we captured and tagged 60 adult Muskellunge Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 219

for passive acoustic telemetry and sampled 350 individuals of varying sex and size for genetic and stable isotope analysis. We found Muskellunge were largely resident in the estuary, but that Minnesota strain fish were more likely to use Lake Superior than Wisconsin or hybrid strain fish.

Stable isotope ratios indicated diet composition was broadly represented between habitats of SLR and Lake Superior, but smaller fish resided in SLR and larger fish resided in Lake Superior and adjacent habitats. Our results indicate that genetic composition and effects of remediation and restoration could be related while suggesting a strong potential for restoration of SLR to positively influence inhabiting populations. Our results increase our understanding of how populations respond post-remediation and provide information needed for future Great Lakes ecosystem restoration.

Presented During: Greenhouse Gas Dynamics of Coastal and Freshwater Ecosystems, 05/16/22 3:45 PM - 4:00 PM ET

MEASURING THE IMPACT OF ACUTE SALTWATER INTRUSION ON METHANE AND CO2 FLUXES FROM TYPHA DOMINGENSIS VEGETATION PATCHES IN A FRESHWATER ENVIRONMENT. Diana Taj, Robert Bordelon III, Jorge Villa Typha domingensis (Southern cattail) is a native freshwater wetland species characteristic of upper estuary systems in Louisiana with reported tolerance to low-concentration saline environments. As sea-level rises, vast areas of coastal freshwater wetlands dominated by this species become more exposed and vulnerable to saltwater intrusion (SWI). The stress brought by increased salinity compromises plant fitness and soil carbon dynamics. However, it is not clear how acute saltwater intrusion (SWI) events like those caused by storm surges during hurricanes can affect greenhouse gas fluxes in the short term. We recreated an acute SWI event in an experimental wetland and measured methane and carbon dioxide gas-soil concentrations and fluxes from the water surface and vegetation before, during, and after the event. Our findings showed that when salinity is raised from ~0 to ~ 0.85 ppt, both methane and carbon dioxide fluxes were influenced within these freshwater vegetation patches. At a leaf level, carbon dioxide uptake increased during the SWI event. However, at the surface level, they decreased after the SWI event. In the soil profile, methane concentrations decreased after the event. Our next step in this project is to measure the impact of recreated SWI events at higher salinity concentrations with other dominant freshwater plant species in Louisiana.

Presented During: Harmful and Nuisance Algal Bloom/Proliferation Impacts on the Environment - Day 2, 05/19/22 4:37 PM - 4:45 PM ET 220 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

VIRTUAL ONLY - LINKING TOXICITY AND BIOLUMINESCENCE IN PYRODINIUM BAHAMENSE BLOOMS FROM FLORIDA AND PUERTO RICO Kathleen Cusick, Nick Milza, Mark Martin-Bras, Bofan Wei, Gregory Boyer Saxitoxin (STX) is a potent neurotoxin produced by several genera of marine dinoflagellates. Pyrodinium bahamense is a STX-producing bioluminescent dinoflagellate that blooms in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), Florida and the bioluminescent bays in Puerto Rico. Blooms in Puerto Rico have not been tested for toxicity and are assumed to be non-toxic. Unlike other high biomass HABs, which have negative impacts on economic drivers such as tourism, high biomass of P. bahamense results in brilliant bioluminescence displays that support a robust eco-tourism industry.

SxtA4 is a key gene in STX biosynthesis. A multiplex PCR assay was developed and used to determine sxtA4+ and sxtA4- genotype frequencies at the single cell level in P. bahamense populations from the IRL and PR over several months in 2020. SxtA4 was identified in cells from both locations, marking the first identification of sxtA4 in PR. The sxtA4+ genotype occurred at much higher frequencies in the IRL than PR. A primary difference between locations is that P. bahamense is present in PR year-round, while it (typically) disappears over the fall and winter months in the IRL. In 2021, IRL blooms extended into the winter. SxtA4 transcripts were detected at all IRL sites over multiple months, with abundance differing among sites, corroborating ELISA-based STX detection measurements. Samples are being analyzed via the multiplex assay to determine sxtA4 genotype frequency dynamics over the course of the P. bahamense blooms. Results are couched in the context of the link between bioluminescence and toxicity in bloom success.

Presented During: Harmful and Nuisance Algal Bloom/Proliferation Impacts on the Environment - Day 2, 05/19/22 9:30 AM - 9:45 AM ET

THE MISSING MIDDLE Ñ INVESTIGATING A NORTH AMERICAN METALIMNETIC CYANOBACTERIA LAYER Kevin Erratt, Irena Creed, Erika Freeman, Arthur Zastepa, Judy Westrick, Charles Trick While the majority of cyanobacteria research and bloom reports pertain to near-surface proliferations, investigations of deep-living cyanobacteria are lacking. Metalimnetic cyanobacterial layers (MCL) are a phenomenon forming distinct depth stratum, often unreported due to their inconspicuous nature, particularly in North America. Sunfish Lake (On-

tario, Canada) is a North American lake that contains an MCL. Here, we (1) reconstructed long-term cyanobacteria records to establish the changing occurrence of cyanobacterial blooms; and (2) investigated the spatial distribution of cyanobacteria and bioactive metabolite concentrations with lake monitoring. The sediment record at Sunfish Lake revealed an unprecedented abundance of cyanobacteria in modern times (i.e., 1980s onwards), coinciding with increasingly warmer and wetter climatic conditions in the region. Lake monitoring revealed an MCL and subsequent toxin analysis showed that peak toxin production (anabaenopeptin and microcystin) coincided with the MCL. Taxonomic screening found two Planktothrix isolates with subsequent toxin analysis showing the dominant green phenotype exhibiting 10-fold less microcystin and anabaenopeptin content per cell than the red phenotype. Our findings provide (1) evidence for climate-driven shifts in cyanobacteria abundance and that even incremental alterations in climate signals over short temporal scales can push freshwater lakes towards cyanobacteria dominance; (2) importance of comprehensive monitoring to avoid “missing the middle” due to potential health risks at greater depths, especially in systems with direct drinking water withdrawal; and (3) relevance of understanding species composition, as different cyanobacteria exhibit varying degrees of toxin production and taxonomic shifts can pose more significant health risks.

Presented During: Harmful and Nuisance Algal Bloom/Proliferation Impacts on the Environment - Day 2, 05/19/22 1:30 PM - 1:45 PM ET

VIRTUAL ONLY - HARMONIZING SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT OPTIONS TO REDUCE RISKS OF CYANOBACTERIA BLOOMS Charles Trick, Kevin Erratt, Irena Creed Managing cyanobacteria blooms has become an increasingly complex venture, as lakes are changing at unprecedented rates and management targets established decades earlier are shifting. The nexus of complex management challenges and existing knowledge gaps invoke significant conflict in advising optimal bloom management strategies. Concerned communities are further disillusioned by unarticulated and often complicated scientific approaches from lake managers or scientists offering remedial measures from opposing fronts. While a universal system (i.e., one-size-fits-all management) fails to provide a management path forward due to the increased diversity of causal pathways and management options, we offer a method of triaged knowledge exchange. The bow-tie analysis and harmonizing scientific and managerial perspectives enable the design of a multi-barrier approach for localized strategies customizable to the stressors and the desired outcome. We then present

harmonized management interventions that are flexible, agile, and informed by advances in scientific understanding to get ahead of the rise in cyanobacteria harmful algal blooms.

Cyanobacteria bloom management that continually adjusts/ adapts in response to scientific advancements and employs a calculated assortment of interventions across the upstream-downstream continuum will be essential as society pushes forward in an era of bloom uncertainty.

Presented During: How Professional Science Societies Can Promote Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice, 05/16/22 4:00 PM - 4:15 PM ET

FROM A TRICKLE, TO A RIVER, TO AN OCEAN: THE FUTURE OF WATER DEPENDS ON HOLISTIC INCLUSION IN THE AQUATIC SCIENCES Amy Rosemond, Checo Colon Gaud, Patina Mendez, Daniel McGarvey, Amanda Rugenski, Breanna Ondich, Zanethia Barnett, Denzell Cross, Arial Shogren, Elliott White Jr., Ma_eika Patricio Sulliván The future of aquatic ecosystems requires centering inclusion in the practice of aquatic science. Ecological and societal systems have been damaged through exploitation and exclusion that have contributed to undesirable outcomes including declining water resources and homogeneity of cultures represented by aquatic scientists. Scientific societies can be incubators of change, by rejecting business-as-usual values and practices and promoting inclusion within the society and field as a whole. We provide inspiring examples from several aquatic scientific societies that have led to increased inclusion in the past two decades, highlight current and ongoing activities, and suggest greater and more comprehensive change needed in the future. Individual to system-level changes start with personal and shared passions for inclusion. Scientific societies link scientific and social networks and thus have tremendous capacity for enacting cultural and structural changes across larger scales.

This capacity is driven by multiple interacting components of these linked systems such as 1) scholar development and mentoring programs (such as SWS SWaMMP, SFS Instars & Emerge, ASLO MP, and others), 2) a shared commitment to awareness of implicit bias, and 3) leading and modeling reward structures that value inclusion. Leading scholars on inclusion in STEM have identified keys to holistic change: a shift from “gatekeeping to grounds-keeping” (Montgomery), and espousing an equity ethic (McGee) that can be applied to aquatic science. These concepts, if fully embraced, can comprehensively change our discipline, leading to aquatic science serving as a model of an inclusive, effective, problem-solving field for others in STEM.

Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 221

Presented During: How Professional Science Societies Can Promote Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice, 05/16/22 4:15 PM - 4:30 PM ET

SUCCESSES FROM THE SWAMMP: SWS DIVERSITY EFFORTS AND ITS MULTICULTURAL MENTORING PROGRAM. Vanessa Lougheed, Elliott White Jr. The Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS) Multicultural Mentoring Program, or “SWaMMP,” was established in 2004 and has been a major part of SWS’s diversity efforts for every year since that time. We bring students from groups traditionally under-represented in the sciences to the annual meeting; encourage them to present their research; convene professional development workshops and pair them with mentors who help them navigate the meeting. To date, the program has funded travel to the conference for over 160 undergraduates and 25 graduate students from 90 different US colleges and universities. After attending the meeting, more than 80% of SWaMMP respondents express an interest in considering a career in the wetland sciences. Increasingly, SWaMMP participants are returning to the annual meeting in subsequent years and acting as peer mentors, suggesting a greater retention of a diverse group of wetland scientists. These diversity and mentoring programs for students are likely one of the keys to diversifying our societies. Other efforts, past, present and future, by the Society will also be highlighted during this talk.

Presented During: Importance of food webs for trophic transfer across aquatic ecosystems - Day 2, 05/19/22 2:15 PM - 2:30 PM ET

EFFECTS OF SPRUCE BUDWORM DEFOLIATION ON STREAM FOOD WEBS AND MERCURY CYCLING Sally Ju, Karen Kidd, Erik Emilson, Carl Mitchell Spruce budworm outbreaks cause widespread defoliation of spruce and fir trees, and this landscape disturbance likely alters allochthonous inputs from catchments and the carbon supporting stream food webs. This study examined 12 streams in the Gaspé peninsula (Québec, Canada) with catchments experiencing a gradient of defoliation to assess whether food web structure and methylmercury (MeHg) cycling is altered by this disturbance. In 2019 and 2020, water, food sources, several macroinvertebrate taxa, and fish were collected for dissolved organic matter (DOM), nutrients, stable isotope (_13C and _15N) and MeHg or total Hg (fish only) analyses. Benthic algae concentrations were measured in stream biofilms in 2019. DOM aromaticity (SUVA) and benthic algal density increased significantly with severity of catchment defoliation (r= 0.63 – 0.76; p < 0.05). Despite these effects, there were no relationships be222 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

tween defoliation severity and food chain length, or _13C and _15N values for each sample type. Isotope biplots indicated that brook trout had greater had greater reliance on allochthonous food sources than co-occurring slimy sculpin and their total Hg ranged from 1.76 to 54.1 and from 2.25 to 17.7 µg/kg wet weight, respectively, across sites. MeHg analyses are ongoing to understand how catchment defoliation affects the availability and trophic transfer of this metal, and Bayesian mixing models were run to compare differences in % autochthony of biota among catchments.

This study will bridge a knowledge gap on the impact of large-scale terrestrial pest outbreaks to aquatic ecosystems and the trophic transfer of MeHg, a potent metal contaminant.

Presented During: Importance of food webs for trophic transfer across aquatic ecosystems - Day 2, 05/19/22 9:15 AM - 9:30 AM ET

VARIATIONS IN FOOD WEB STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION ACROSS HEADWATER STREAMS IN CANADA’S BOREAL Celine Lajoie, Karen Kidd, Scott Capell, Erik Emilson As Canada’s boreal forest faces increasing industrialization, headwater systems are at risk to disturbances in their watershed and such sensitivities likely depend on their habitat characteristics and underlying geology. To establish differences in food web structure and function of pre-disturbance boreal headwater streams, 12 streams representing three habitat types (open wetlands, covered forests, and transitional) and geological regions were sampled in 2019. Leaf litter decomposition, a key ecological function, was measured using coarse and fine mesh leaf packs.

While percent mass loss did not differ significantly across habitat type for coarse (range 5.4-41.5%) and fine (range 0.14-45.6%) mesh leaf packs, decomposition rates for the former (range 0.0017-0.014 day-1) differed across regions.

Their invertebrate communities, identified to the lowest possible taxonomic resolution, were significantly different in streams within forests compared to those of transitional and wetland habitats, and the abundances of Chironomidae, Leptophlebidae, and oligochaetes cumulatively contributed the most to these differences. Despite this, the percentage of sensitive taxa (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera, %EPT) was similar across habitat type and region.

Streams ranged in their Dissolved Organic Carbon (3.8037.35 mg/L), Total Nitrogen (0.303-0.824 mg/L), and Total Phosphorous (1.8-15.9 ug/L) concentrations. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses of basal food sources, invertebrates, and fish are ongoing to examine metrics of food web structure and their spatial variation. Overall, combined measures of stream food web structure, community assem-

blages, and functions such as leaf litter decomposition will assist in identifying which boreal habitats are vulnerable to land-use disturbances.

Presented During: Importance of food webs for trophic transfer across aquatic ecosystems - Day 2, 05/19/22 9:30 AM - 9:45 AM ET

STABLE ISOTOPE ANALYSES SHOW A LACK OF TROPHIC GUILD STRUCTURE IN TEMPERATE RIVER FISH COMMUNITIES Jarrett Landreth, Gabriel Madel, Aaron Fisk, Tracy Galarowicz, Brent Murry The study of trophic guilds has significantly advanced fish community ecology. Managers use trophic guilds to assess fish assemblage response to habitat modification and introduction of invasive species, gauge the state of aquatic systems, and identify the structural mechanisms of fish assemblages. Though a popular and useful tool, most trophic guild classifications stem from diet analyses, and in many aquatic systems are untested. We hypothesize that temperate stream fishes are largely opportunistic during the main summer growing season and may overlap considerably in assimilated diets. We sampled muscle tissue from aquatic invertebrates and 354 fish (22 species) within 5 temperate riverine communities. The samples were then analyzed for _13C and _15N, lipid corrected, and compared with accepted trophic guild identities from literature for each species.

Stable isotope analyses using multivariate statistics showed no apparent structure and substantial trophic overlap existed between species of all trophic guilds. The results do not show dietary specialization during the summer growing season, but instead suggest opportunistic feeding takes place that is similar among all species. These findings do not support trophic guild classifications for these five temperate river communities, which differs from similar research in sub-tropical and tropical river fish assemblages demonstrating the need to evaluate trophic guilds in other aquatic communities in more depth.

Presented During: Importance of food webs for trophic transfer across aquatic ecosystems - Day 3, 05/20/22 4:15 PM - 4:30 PM ET

FISH FEEDING STRATEGIES AND PHYTOPLANKTON COMMUNITY COMPOSITION MODULATE FOOD WEB RESILIENCE TO REOLIGOTROPHICATION Yuko Shimoda, Haibin Cai, Yasasi Fernando, Akunne Okoli, Zhuowei Xu, Shan Mugalingam, George Arhonditsis Food web theory predicts that one of the consequences of oligotrophication is the decline in fisheries following the establishment of nutrient-deficient conditions and low

biogenic production. However, emerging evidence suggests that more complex trophic interactions, including nutrient recycling, dietary diversification, temporal and spatial heterogeneity, variations in fish age and size structure lead to ecosystem responses that deviate from theoretical predictions. In this study, two end-to-end modelling strategies are used to characterize potential food web structural shifts and overall ecosystem productivity in response to oligotrophication. Using as a case study the Bay of Quinte, Lake Ontario, we first show that fish can adapt to the reduced availability of the pelagic staples of their diet by displaying greater reliance upon benthic food sources. Our analysis further suggests that the degree of diet overlap between competing trophic guilds of fish can significantly modulate their productivity. Specifically, when the secondary consumers depend on benthic food items and the top-predator is predominantly piscivorous, fish production is consistently high even when oligotrophic conditions prevail.

The composition of the autotrophic community is another major confounding factor that can induce significant variations from the predicted food web productivity patterns in response to oligotrophication. Specifically, the gradual prevalence of an algal assemblage dominated by r-strategists of high nutritional quality (or a diatom-based food web) results in distinctly steeper slopes for the top predator biomass-TP relationship and higher food web stability compared with the flatter slopes and inherent uncertainty registered when the phytoplankton community resembles to a (cyanobacteria-like) K-strategist.

Presented During: Importance of food webs for trophic transfer across aquatic ecosystems - Day 3, 05/20/22 4:30 PM - 4:45 PM ET

PUTTING A LAKE TOGETHER: FOOD WEB STRUCTURE AND DYNAMICS IN A LARGE OLIGOTROPHIC LAKE Jonathan Borrelli, Matthew Schuler, William Hintz, Mary Alldred, Brian Mattes, Candace Schermerhorn, Erika Yates, Lawrence Eichler, Mark Lucius, Laurie Ahrens, Rick Relyea Understanding the structure and function of lake ecosystems requires knowledge about the abundance and spatial distribution of organisms throughout the lake. Food webs provide context to understand how ecological communities will respond to environmental change, but revealing their structure typically requires time-intensive sampling and analysis of species’ diets. We combine databases with extensive field surveys, including gut-content analysis, to generate a preliminary food web for Lake George, NY, USA to inform future work on the dynamics of the lake community. The inferred Lake George food web showed several patterns that match expectations for food webs including Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 223

short trophic chains and the prevalence of the tritrophic chain. We also sought to determine whether the food web in Lake George can be considered as a single homogenous waterbody, or whether we may need to account for spatial heterogeneity in food web structure and dynamics. Using generalized additive models, we established how the densities of major trophic groups have changed over time and whether those changes were similar across multiple sub-basins of the lake. Most groups showed synchronous dynamics across basins, though we found that density was highest in the South Basin, potentially reflecting the gradient of decreasing nutrients in the lake from south to north. Similar trends in abundance across basins suggests that bottom-up regulation, rather than variation in food web structure causes observed density differences in space. While habitat heterogeneity in large lakes can generate variation in foodweb structure, but high connectivity and movement may mask its effects on population dynamics.

Presented During: Importance of food webs for trophic transfer across aquatic ecosystems - Day 3, 05/20/22 2:15 PM - 2:30 PM ET

INSECTIVOROUS BAT FORAGING ALONG THE COLORADO RIVER IN GRAND CANYON IS DETERMINED BY AQUATIC PREY AVAILABILITY AND TALL VEGETATION DENSITY Anya Metcalfe, Theodore Kennedy, Jeffrey Muehlbauer, Michael Dodrill, Theodore Weller, Laura Durning, Joel Sankey, Carol Fritzinger Aquatic insects emerging from streams are resource subsidies that support riparian consumers such as birds, spiders, lizards, and bats. In this study, we collaborated with whitewater river runners in Grand Canyon to sample adult flying insects using light traps and to record acoustic data of bats foraging over the Colorado River from 20172020. We collected 1,428 paired samples. We predicted that sampling nights with high catch rates of insects would also have high rates of bats foraging activity. Additionally, we expected that aquatic insects would be better predictors of bats foraging in the riparian zone than terrestrial insects.

We constructed Bayesian regression models that included variables to account for variation in bat foraging activity due to spatial and temporal relationships, landscape structure, riparian vegetation, air temperature, and lunar phase, as well as insect catch rates. We found that total bat foraging activity was greatest on sampling nights that had high catch rates of aquatic insects, along sections of river with high densities of tall riparian vegetation, and with more moonlight. We also found that mouse-eared bat (Myotis spp.) foraging activity was greatest when sampling occurred later relative to sunset and that canyon bats (Para224 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

strellus hesperus), conversely, were more active earlier in the evening. We recorded a total of 20 bat species, including the first record of Mexican free-tailed bat (Nyctinomops femorsaccus) in Grand Canyon. Our results highlight the importance of aquatic insects as prey for terrestrial wildlife and demonstrate the power of community science as a tool for ecosystem monitoring.

Presented During: Improved fisheries management by understanding spatial ecology - Day 1, 05/19/22 8:45 AM - 9:00 AM ET

GLOBAL RESEARCH TRENDS IN FISH TRACKING: HOW WELL DO ACOUSTIC TELEMETRY GOALS MATCH MANAGEMENT PRIORITIES? Jordan Matley, Natalie Klinard, Ana Barbosa Martins, Steven Cooke, Jean-Sébastien Moore, Christopher Vandergoot, Aaron Fisk Acoustic telemetry (AT) is one of the main methods used worldwide to track the movement of fish and other aquatic animals. AT provides data-rich spatiotemporal information about biological and environmental drivers of behaviour, making it a powerful tool for fisheries management. However, despite widespread use in marine and freshwater habitats throughout the world, the role of AT research to directly contribute to different management priorities is not known.

We reviewed 1834 AT research papers reflecting ~250,000 animals being tracked throughout the world to characterize how AT has been utilized by researchers in the context of management themes. Study objectives from each article were categorized based on eleven management-related themes and specific priorities across geographic regions of the world were quantified. Approximately 75% of AT studies over the last decade conducted research that pertained to at least one management theme, and regional differences existed in how they were prioritized due to social, economic, and ecological factors. For example, in freshwater areas of North America, such as the Great Lakes, migration and spawning were the most common themes due to the high interest in fisheries (e.g., walleye) and conservation (e.g., sturgeon). However, it was evident that several gaps existed in study objectives throughout global regions, particularly fisheries, which was identified as under-utilized because of the capacity for AT to inform traditional fishery science metrics. As collaborative, technological, and infrastructural advancements continue to shape movement ecology research, specific goals that unambiguously contribute to management need to be prioritized.

Presented During: Improved fisheries management by understanding spatial ecology - Day 2, 05/20/22 4:15 PM ET

ACOUSTIC TELEMETRY REVEALS DIFFERENCES IN SPAWNING SITE SELECTION BETWEEN STOCKED AND NATURALLYPRODUCED LAKE TROUT IN LAKE CHAMPLAIN(VIRTUAL) Matthew Futia, Aaron Fisk, J. Ellen Marsden Naturally-produced (wild) adult lake trout have been largely absent from most annual spawning surveys in Lake Champlain after five decades of stocking and nearly a decade of natural recruitment. We hypothesized that if only some of the spawning sites used by stocked fish contribute to the wild population and if lake trout have strong natal spawning site fidelity, the overall spawning distributions of stocked and wild populations will differ. Our goal was to identify wild lake trout spawning locations and compare the seasonal distributions of stocked and wild adults.

Between 2019 and 2021 we tagged 45 stocked (638 +/- 95 mm) and 29 wild (523 +/- 97 mm) lake trout with V9 and V13 acoustic transmitters. Detections during the spawning season confirmed that two of three sites sampled during annual spawning surveys were used intensively by stocked individuals and infrequently by wild fish. However, most stocked and wild fish were detected at alternative spawning sites, particularly in the central region of the lake.

Subtle differences in seasonal distributions of stocked and wild lake trout were also observed, providing insight into optimal locations for monitoring both adult populations and demonstrating different habitat preferences between the stocked and wild populations.

Presented During: Improving Wetland Restoration Outcomes: Revisiting Monitoring and Adaptive Management, 05/19/22 3:15 PM - 3:30 PM ET

FEASIBILITY OF STEM-AREA-AT-GROUNDLINE TO ASSESS WOODY VEGETATION DEVELOPMENT IN MITIGATED WETLANDS Jessica Bryzek, Christopher Rota, Elizabeth Byers, Walter Veselka, James Anderson As a long-term inhabitant of restored ecosystems, woody vegetation has the potential to be useful for assessing restoration trajectory in mitigated wetlands. Identifying data driven functional attributes are necessary to select performance standards that cumulatively evaluate restored wetland characteristics. Previous research suggests Stem-Areaat-Groundline (SAG) to be indicative of woody vegetation functions such as biomass accumulation. SAG is defined as the morphological measurement of the cross-sectional area where the stem enters the ground. This study assesses the feasibility of SAG to be useful as a performance standard.

We apply existing woody vegetation protocols adopted in Virginia, USA to mitigated wetlands in West Virginia, USA. Using a chronosequence approach, 40 mitigated wetland sites ranging from 1 to 29 years following creation were assessed. Circular plots with a 5.6 m diameter were randomly generated within each national wetland inventory habitat type. All woody vegetation within each plot were identified to the species level and SAG measured. Preliminary results suggest SAG responds to site age, following an increasing trend as time since restoration increases, which suggests potential to be used as a performance standard. While the dominant species sampled included Alnus serrulata, Hypericum densiflorum, Cornus amomum, Salix nigra, and Platanus occidentalis, some study sites exhibited higher species diversity and unique species due to the quantity and type of planted stock. Overall, woody vegetation community composition and development is dependent upon site specific characteristics and implementation techniques.

Results of this study will be useful for incorporating woody vegetation characteristics into effective, science-driven performance standards.

Presented During: Improving Wetland Restoration Outcomes: Revisiting Monitoring and Adaptive Management, 05/19/22 8:45 AM - 9:00 AM ET

MODULAR MONITORING FRAMEWORK TO ASSESS PERFORMANCE OF COASTAL WETLAND MANAGEMENT Janet Walker, Eric Stein, Kevin O’Connor, Ross Clark Our inability to answer basic questions about the effectiveness of coastal wetland restoration and management result from highly fragmented, uncoordinated, and inefficient monitoring approaches that lack mechanisms for effective data sharing and leveraging of resources. We attempt to remedy these deficiencies through the creation of a modular, function-based assessment program that can be customized to specific sites, yet still be synthesized across large geographic areas. We developed a multi-layer monitoring framework, which leverages existing regional monitoring organizations, universities, NGOs, and indigenous communities. A key aspect of this program is a focus on ecological functions versus a single type of flora or fauna. This focus allows the framework to accommodate different estuary types and assimilate data from diverse existing monitoring programs, while maintaining an underlying data comparability. In service of assessing functional performance, we developed standard protocols to assess key estuarine features, coupled with standard data templates and guidance on analysis, synthesis, and reporting. The program focuses on four guiding principles – flexibility, comparability, inWetland Science & Practice July 2022 225

terpretability, and practicality. Currently, our team is testing the monitoring framework across three geographic regions and fifteen estuaries. This framework provides an opportunity to assess general condition and trends of coastal wetlands that can be used as baselines for regional assessments, proposed restoration projects, and the development of bioassessment tools, as well as help the state assess its large investment in coastal wetland protection, enhancement, and restoration.

Presented During: Improving Wetland Restoration Outcomes: Revisiting Monitoring and Adaptive Management, 05/19/22 8:30 AM - 8:45 AM ET

PRACTICAL APPROACHES TO IMPROVE WETLAND RESTORATION SITE MONITORING AND PROJECT OUTCOMES Andy M Herb, Joy Zedler Monitoring (measuring a site’s response to restoration) is essential to understand project outcomes. Because ecosystems are dynamic, there is not likely to be a linear progression toward the expected performance standards and overall project “success” (a term that can be misleading and confusing, and that warrants clear definition). The monitoring method, period, and frequency must be adequate to assess whether a site is self-sustaining. It also must provide the data needed to inform any actions necessary to improve the outcome of the site and other future restoration efforts (i.e. adaptive management). This new-age monitoring and associated feedback requires substantial financial and technical resources, and is recommended for all projects.

Restoration projects should begin with agreement on what constitutes “success” (What are the metrics? Must each be met? On what timeline?). Then, cost-effective and efficient monitoring programs must be created that extend beyond the typical monitoring period and frequency, and provide data that are easily translated into on-the-ground adaptive management actions. The benefits of appropriate monitoring and feedback will be improved restoration projects and practices. Recent wetland restoration examples will illustrate practical solutions.

Presented During: Improving Wetland Restoration Outcomes: Revisiting Monitoring and Adaptive Management, 05/19/22 3:45 PM ET

THE ROLE OF GOVERNANCE IN SETTING GOALS AND PATHWAYS FOR WETLAND RESTORATION: LESSONS FROM LOKTAK, A RAMSAR SITE IN NORTHEASTERN INDIA (VIRTUAL) Ritesh Kumar, Max Finlayson 226 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

Institutions and governance arrangements play a critical role in steering wetland restoration towards clearly defined goals and pathways, also enabling the incorporation of diverse stakeholder views and knowledge systems in the process. Persistent mismatches of governance arrangements with the functioning of the wetland social ecological system may position these ecosystems in a ‘social-ecological systems trap’ wherein piecemeal and incremental changes fail to deliver the restoration outcomes aligned with the overarching goal. Loktak, the largest of the Manipur River floodplain wetland complex, and with characteristic mats of floating vegetation (locally called phumdi) forming the habitat of globally endangered ungulate Rucervus eldi, was designated as a Ramsar Site in 1990. Construction of the Ithai barrage downstream of Loktak in 1984 for hydropower generation converted a naturally fluctuating wetland into a reservoir leading to inundation of peripheral areas, loss of migratory fisheries, reduction and degradation of national park habitat, and decline in water quality, ultimately culminating in the Ramsar Site being placed in Montreux Record in 1992. The Government of Manipur constituted the Loktak Development Authority in 1986 as a nodal agency for the conservation and management of the Ramsar Site. Despite the availability of a science-base to guide restoration goal setting, and the expenditure of nearly US$ 90 million to implement management plans, the restoration is far from being effective and complete, primarily due to lack of adaptability within the Authority to respond to changes in wetland social-ecological systems, and effective use of monitoring mechanisms to decide on optimal pathways.

Presented During: Improving Wetland Restoration Outcomes: Revisiting Monitoring and Adaptive Management, 05/19/22 3:45 PM ET

A PRACTICAL APPROACH TO SETTING ACHIEVABLE RESTORATION GOALS IN SOUTH AFRICA (VIRTUAL) Nancy Job, Damian Walters A key challenge of most restoration programmes is to ensure that efforts are as effective as possible. Effective restoration is strongly influenced by the ability to diagnose ecosystem damage, and then to set effective and realistic restorative goals for the ecosystem in question. When assessing a wetland ecosystem for restoration, it would be useful to be able to identify the presence of impediments to restoration and to develop an understanding of the degraded state, in order to better predict what would be required to restore the system, and what the most appropriate restorative level may be. If a system is shown to have too many impediments, it may be prohibitively expensive or difficult to restore the system, while a less degraded system with su-

perior restoration potential may be a better candidate. The purpose of our research was to develop a framework for identifying potential impediments to restoration, assessing their significance to the restoration potential of the wetland, as well as how these could be practically incorporated into restorative project planning. We present a scaffolded framework that provides guidance for systematically constructing a conceptual model of wetland dynamics, investigating the presence of impediments to restoration and finally setting effective and realistic restoration objectives.

Presented During: Improving Wetland Restoration Outcomes: Revisiting Monitoring and Adaptive Management, 05/19/22 3:45 PM ET

APPLICATION OF AN INTEGRATED MONITORING AND EVALUATION FRAMEWORK FOR RESILIENT WETLAND RESTORATION TO SELECTED CASE STUDIES IN SOUTH AFRICA. (VIRTUAL) Nancy Job, Damian Walters Evaluation of ecological restoration project success is a vital component of the restoration project cycle, to deepen reflection and demonstrate the value of restoration within natural resource management, support continued development of best practice, and enhance the sustainability of the restoration project. However, evaluation is often informal, and poorly, if at all, documented, and emphasis remains largely on the ecological outcomes of restoration, with little focus on socio-economic outcomes. In response to a growing need for sharing lessons on wetland restoration best practice, the South African National Biodiversity Institute Freshwater Biodiversity Programme, together with the South African Working for Wetlands Programme, solicited evaluations of independent wetland restoration case studies using a prescribed set of criteria to evaluate restoration project outcomes and capture lessons being learnt in the private sector. The criteria were part of a newly developed monitoring and evaluation framework for South Africa which integrates the social, economic and ecological aspects of wetland restoration, and includes a specific focus on evaluating resilience of the post-restoration ecosystem.

Four case studies were commissioned across a diversity of wetland types, issues and management contexts in South Africa. The resilience of the wetland restoration projects was reviewed through application of the monitoring and evaluation framework, while simultaneously testing the applicability of the framework, and enabling a further synthesis of lessons.

Presented During: Improving Wetland Restoration Outcomes: Revisiting Monitoring and Adaptive Management, 05/19/22 2:15 PM - 2:30 PM ET

EXPANDING THE EVIDENCE BASE FOR WETLAND RESTORATION IN SOUTH AFRICA: HARD LESSONS FROM A STRATEGIC INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT Ian Bredin The Spring Grove Dam development resulted in the loss of 4.62km2 of wetlands. The securing and restoration of selected wetlands were required to mitigate the loss of wetlands resulting from this strategic infrastructure project. A Participatory Action Research approach was adopted for the case study, and the WET-RehabEvaluate framework was used to evaluate the programmatic approach to the wetland offsite mitigation for the Spring Grove Dam development.

The case study found that while significant progress was made to overcome the challenges of setting ecosystem-specific targets at a landscape scale, little progress was made in resolving the complex governance issues surrounding wetland offsite mitigation. As such, the securing and restoration of wetlands for the Spring Grove Dam development continues to unfold years after the completion of the development. However, given the evaluation and the stakeholder-focused reflection undertaken for the case study, important opportunities for improving the practice and process of securing and restoration wetlands offsite were identified.

Presented During: Improving Wetland Restoration Outcomes: Revisiting Monitoring and Adaptive Management, 05/19/22 1:30 PM - 1:45 PM ET

USING HYDROGEOMORPHIC CHARACTERISTICS TO PREDICT TREE SPECIES DISTRIBUTION AND RESULTING ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS Matthew Shockey, Nate Jones, Carla Atkinson, Lisa Davis, Christina Staudhammer Floodplain forests are an important and integrated component of river corridors. They reduce downstream flooding, store carbon, and are hotspots for biodiversity. While contemporary restoration and management efforts often aim to restore and enhance these critical ecosystem functions, key uncertainties associated with feedbacks between inundation regime and ecosystem function limit those efforts. In this study, we are beginning to address this challenge by examining the relationships between the abundance and distribution of tree species, inundation regimes, and cascading ecosystem functions. We characterized tree species abundance and distribution by establishing 50-0.04 ha Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 227

experimental plots, where we identified tree species and hydrogeomorphic characteristics. We then characterized inundation regimes using a raster-based inundation model paired with 93 years of streamflow data from an adjacent USGS gage. Finally, to characterize ecosystem function, we used the TRY Plant Trait Database to collect physiological traits such as Leaf Mass per Area (LMA) and leaf Nitrogen-Phosphorus ratio (N/P ratio), which are commonly associated with ecosystem function. Our results highlight strong linkages between hydrogeomorphic characteristics, species distribution, and resulting ecosystem function.

We found that both inundation duration and height above nearest drainage (HAND) were good predictors of species distribution (p=0.001, p=0.002 respectively). Similarly, we found both inundation duration and HAND were strongly associated with LMA and N/P ratios. Although more research on the predictive powers of HAND is needed, this study suggests it could be an effective metric that can improve current and future floodplain restoration projects.

Presented During: Improving Wetland Restoration Outcomes: Revisiting Monitoring and Adaptive Management, 05/19/22 3:45 PM ET

DID IT WORK? A CASE STUDY ON A 13 YR OLD PEATLAND RESTORATION (VIRTUAL) Valerie Brady, Kelly Beaster, Kari Hansen, Katya Kovalenko, Robert Hell, Holly Kelly, Zachary Wagner, Jerry Henneck In 2002 the Natural Resources Research Institute received regulatory approval to restore 525 acres of a one-time peatland with the goal of creating a peatland wetland bank.

The original peatland formed on the bed of the ancient glacial Lake Upham in northern Minnesota. In the 1950’s the land was drained for vegetable farming. Over the decades other land use activities included peat and sod harvesting, agricultural experimentation, and peat research. Restoration followed the “Canadian approach” of using plant material from a nearby “donor” bog to help revegetate the site.

Restoration was completed in phases, ending in 2009. The various wetland bank areas were monitored through 2013 and wetland credits were approved in 2014.

Presented During: Improving Wetland Restoration Outcomes: Revisiting Monitoring and Adaptive Management, 05/19/22 1:45 PM - 2:00 PM ET

DRONE PHOTOGRAPHY VS TRADITIONAL PLOT BASED MONITORING IN TIDAL WETLANDS Metthea Yepsen, Terresa Doss, William Smith, Elizabeth 228 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

Muntean, Ildiko Pechmann, Adrianna Zito-Livingston, Steven Jacobus Plant cover and species composition are common metrics used to evaluate wetland condition and restoration project success. Vegetation is assessed on foot in plots as part of regional monitoring programs as well as mitigation and voluntary restoration projects, but depending on where plots are located, this method can easily misrepresent the general condition of the wetland and can be resource intensive.

Drone-based monitoring of natural areas and restoration projects are discussed. In the Meadowlands of New Jersey, drones are used to monitor changes in vegetation patterns and distribution, shoreline erosion, change in marsh surface elevation, and to assess plant health at disturbed and reconstructed wetlands. In Southern New Jersey, traditional plot-based monitoring of vegetation was compared with assessments conducted using drone imagery at three tidal wetland elevation enhancement projects. Preliminary analysis suggests that using image-based classification of orthorectified drone photos in ArcPro to delineate areas that were vegetated and unvegetated was very similar to plotbased assessments of the percentage of the sites that were vegetated or unvegetated. The equipment used and analysis conducted with drones gave a higher estimate of plant cover than plot-based monitoring, but both methods tracked the same trends in increases and decreases in cover. In addition, species composition was not able to be determined during the drone analysis. Classification results may be improved using drones equipped with RTK units and multi-spectral cameras.

Presented During: Improving Wetland Restoration Outcomes: Revisiting Monitoring and Adaptive Management, 05/19/22 3:30 PM - 3:45 PM ET

MITIGATING A MITIGATION: ADDRESSING FAILURE IN WETLAND DESIGN AND MAINTENANCE Will Downey Compensatory wetland mitigation and stormwater wetland sites can require substantial time and cost investment for design, construction, monitoring, and maintenance.

These costs can be further exacerbated when wetland sites decline into a state of failure. Three wetland sites have been highlighted to discuss the problems and eventual solutions needed for success.

Presented During: Innovative Approaches to Freshwater Monitoring, 05/20/22 4:45 PM - 5:00 PM ET

UNDERSTANDING DYNAMIC FLOODPLAIN WETLANDS IN

SOCIOECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS: INSIGHTS FROM PORTFOLIO THEORY William Kleindl, Frank Kerins, Jr., Mark Rains, Paul Stoy Ecosystem structural attributes operate in portfolios that support a wide range of ecological functions. In riparian areas, these attributes exist within a shifting mosaic of non-wetlands, riverine wetlands, and other riverine waters, driven by natural land/riverscape disturbances and constrained by anthropogenic land-use decisions. Modern portfolio theory (MPT) provides compelling analytics and applications to address the variance and covariance of these ecosystem attributes to inform relationships between system volatility and integrity and guide management. Here we combine the tenets of MPT and a multi-metric index (MMI) of habitat condition to examine riparian spatiotemporal patch composition dynamics by harnessing 36 years of remotely sensed data along the 240 km Flathead River system in Montana and British Columbia (~59000 ha), we established multiple reaches based on geomorphic characteristics (n=43; 290-7660 ha) and management zone types: silviculture, preservation, and agriculture/urban-dominated (n=3; 14660-25575 ha). The habitat condition from the MMI defined dependent portfolio output. Combinations of variance, covariance, and MMI attribute weights defined the independent portfolio components. We found areas with intensive silviculture and agriculture/urban management have similar conditions scores, but logging impact-recovery dynamics have high volatility as it trends toward recovery, while agriculture/urban management has low volatility due to anthropogenic hardening (e.g., bank-armoring) resulting in ecological simplification. Preservation areas have high condition values but range from low variance in meta-stable mature patches to highly volatile floodplains. Although MPT tenets of risk/return may not directly apply to ecosystems, MPT provides important insights into volatility/ condition relationships that can and inform holistic riverine wetland management.

Presented During: Innovative Approaches to Freshwater Monitoring, 05/20/22 9:45 AM - 10:00 AM ET

VIRTUAL ONLY - IMPLEMENTATION OF SLOCUM GLIDERS FOR COLLABORATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL OBSERVATION IN THE GREAT LAKES Cailin Burmaster, Hayden Henderson, Russ Miller Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are an emerging technology used to collect data and contribute to longterm monitoring programs in aquatic ecosystems; the

use of AUVs, specifically Slocum gliders from Teledyne Marine, has increased in the Great Lakes in recent years.

The Real-Time Aquatic Ecosystem Observation Network (RAEON), based out of the University of Windsor, has implemented Slocum gliders in the Great Lakes to provide high-resolution environmental and telemetry data on greater temporal and spatial scales than provided by shipbased or stationary observations alone. In September 2020, RAEON and the Cooperative Institute for Great Lakes Research (CIGLR) deployed one Slocum glider in western Lake Erie to determine the feasibility of operating in shallow water (10-13m) while observing the water column.

In 2021, RAEON lead eight deployments in Lakes Ontario, Superior, Erie, and Huron from June-November in collaboration with CIGLR, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), and the US Geological Service (USGS). The value of collaborative research was demonstrated by the 2021 Lake Erie deployment, which aimed to inform ODNR’s fall turnover (hypoxia impacted) trawling surveys using glider observations of stratification and dissolved oxygen. Nearby ship and stationary buoy sensor data was used to increase the spatiotemporal extent of observations and corroborate glider measurements. Further collaborative glider surveys are planned for several of the Great Lakes in 2022.

Presented During: Innovative Approaches to Freshwater Monitoring, 05/20/22 8:45 AM - 9:00 AM ET

SCALABLE SENSOR NETWORKS FOR REAL-TIME WATERSHED MANAGEMENT Brandon Wong Across the Great Lakes, watershed managers face the challenge of improving water quality against more frequent and increasingly severe storms. The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District is responsible for nearly one million residents across 380 square miles and has been tasked with reducing pollutant discharge into Lake Erie by billions of gallons. In Upstate New York, harmful algal blooms have regularly struck the Finger Lakes, which residents rely upon for their drinking water supply. Advances in management practices promise to help managers mitigate these impacts for both residents and wildlife, however, insufficient monitoring leaves them effectively operating in the dark.

Presented During: Integrating perspectives on nitrogen fixation across the aquascape, 05/17/22 2:00 PM - 2:15 PM ET

ARE N-FIXING TREES RESPONSIBLE FOR HIGH NITRATE IN TROPICAL STREAMS? Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 229

Marcelo Ardon, Nicholas Marzolf, Alonso Ramírez, Catherine Pringle High abundances of nitrogen (N) fixing trees in tropical forests are thought to be responsible for higher tropical stream nitrate (NO3) concentrations compared to temperate counterparts. However, direct examinations of NO3 concentrations and possible links with growth of N fixing trees and leaf litter production are lacking. Here, we combined three unique long-term datasets from La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica: 20 years of mean annual stream NO3 concentrations in six stream sites, annual measurements of tree diameter growth, and annual leaf litter fall in nearby plots. We hypothesized that years of higher tree growth and litter production would be correlated with higher stream water NO3 concentrations. We found that mean annual NO3-N concentrations in the streams were high (150-350 µg L-1) and decreased from small headwater streams to larger rivers. Annual tree growth and leaf litter production varied across the landscape, and were negatively correlated to each other. When accounting for dilution, NO3 concentrations were positively related to growth of N fixing tree species, but negatively related to litter production. NO3 concentrations were not related to growth of non-N fixing tree species. Our results suggest that both growth of N fixing trees and leaf litter production are important drivers of inter-annual variability of stream NO3 concentrations, but they have opposing effects. Understanding links between aquatic N processes and terrestrial C cycling is necessary to forecast how tropical forests will respond to climate change and alterations of the global N cycle.

Presented During: Invasive species collaboratives: Tackling invasive species problems through coordinated action, 05/20/22 8:30 AM 8:45 AM ET

A COLLECTIVE IMPACT APPROACH TO PHRAGMITES MANAGEMENT Samantha Tank, Taaja Tucker, Patrick Canniff, Theresa Gruninger, Erika Jensen, Kurt Kowalski The Great Lakes Phragmites Collaborative (GLPC) was formed through a collaborative effort between the Great Lakes Commission (GLC) and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in 2012 to facilitate communication among stakeholders across the region and serve as a resource center for information on invasive Phragmites biology, management, and research. The GLC and USGS continue to support the GLPC by serving on the Core Team and working closely with an Advisory Committee comprised of bi-national Phragmites experts that provides guidance to the collab230 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

orative. The GLPC utilizes an approach called Collective Impact, a structured collaborative process to improve efficiency and effectiveness of inter-organizational partnerships which leads to collective progress on challenging issues like invasive Phragmites. One of the core tenets of Collective Impact is the establishment of a common agenda. The Advisory Committee, with support from the Core Team, released the Great Lakes Phragmites Collaborative Common Agenda in fall 2020. The common agenda is a shared understanding and an agreed-upon path for addressing invasive Phragmites in the Great Lakes basin. The agenda sets goals, defines gaps and problem areas in Phragmites management, and outlines the strategies collaborative members can use to control invasive Phragmites. Through regular evaluations of progress, the GLPC has been able to identify high priority needs of the Phragmites research and management community and address those needs through the development of various programs and products including the Phragmites Adaptive Management Framework and a best practice guide to management.

Presented During: Invasive species collaboratives: Tackling invasive species problems through coordinated action, 05/20/22 9:00 AM 9:15 AM ET

COLLABORATIVE-DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT OF A SUCCESSFUL PHRAGMITES ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM Taaja Tucker, Samantha Tank, Patrick Canniff, Theresa Gruninger, Christine Dumoulin, Charles Bargeron, Erika Jensen, Clinton Moore, Kurt Kowalski Identifying effective control methods is a common goal of invasive species collaboratives. For some invasive species, such as Phragmites australis, the common reed, experts are highly uncertain and in disagreement about which management techniques work best. In response, the Great Lakes Phragmites Collaborative (GLPC) established a technical working group to develop the Phragmites Adaptive Management Framework (PAMF), a collective learning and participatory science program designed to find best management practices for Phragmites. We will describe the development, desired outcomes, and progress of this collaborative-led program. Participants enrolled in PAMF submit Phragmites monitoring and management data for inclusion in an annual predictive model. This model learns from data collected over time and predicts the optimal management techniques for use in the next season given a site’s Phragmites establishment level, treatment costs, and any management restrictions. PAMF bridges the gap between research and management, allowing managers to contribute directly to, and benefit from, applied research. Compared

to uncoordinated management, PAMF speeds the pace of progress toward identifying best management practices by relying on data submitted by managers across the Great Lakes basin. Since PAMF began in 2017, 417 sets of data-driven Phragmites management guidance were provided to participants, reducing Phragmites invasion in the majority of management units where guidance was followed.

Through collaborative action, PAMF continues to serve and learn from Phragmites managers across the Great Lakes basin, while also working toward advancing the goals and common agenda of the GLPC. Presented During: Lessons on Leadership and Mentorship: Tips and Stories, 05/17/22 8:30 AM - 8:45 AM ET

BRIDGING THE GENDER GAP IN WETLAND SCIENCE & POLICY THROUGH MENTORSHIP Marla Stelk Despite significant advancements in women’s rights over the past 100 years, gender inequality still exists in many forms. For many women, however, the struggle doesn’t end there. Various additional layers of discrimination based on skin color, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious beliefs, age, and more can create obstacles for talented women seeking positions of leadership within the field of science and policy. Finding a good, trusted mentor can make all the difference. As the Executive Director of the Association of State Wetland Managers (ASWM), my presentation will share some of my personal stories and challenges that I have encountered over the years, how I overcame them, and my experiences as both a mentee and a mentor. This presentation will also share information about the new mentorship initiative that the ASWM and the Society of Wetland Scientists will be spearheading this year.

Presented During: Lessons on Leadership and Mentorship: Tips and Stories, 05/17/22 1:30 PM - 1:45 PM ET

LEADERSHIP IS HARD: I WANTED TO STUDY BIRDS, WHERE DID ALL THESE PEOPLE COME FROM? Auriel Fournier In my freshman year of undergrad one of my professors said ‘welcome to wildlife management, which is really people management’, and he was correct, though I didn’t believe him at the time. Tackling the complicated natural resource problems of today requires us to work closely with large teams of people across organizations with differing missions, timelines and needs. In my job running a field station I am fortunate to work closely with scientists, biol-

ogists and land managers from state and federal agencies, universities and non profits to answer questions to support the conservation and management of wetlands and wetland birds. Leading people formally, informally or otherwise is a rewarding, challenging skill that we can all improve on, regardless of our career stage. In my talk I’ll talk about my own leadership journey and share some things I’ve learned, and resources I’ve gained a lot from along the way, because leading people is hard, but to achieve conservation goals we have to face that challenge head on.

Presented During: Lessons on Leadership and Mentorship: Tips and Stories, 05/17/22 3:00 PM ET

LEADERSHIP BUILDING: PERSPECTIVES FROM AN ASCENDING LEADER (VIRTUAL) April Doroski Do you remember how Netflix started with DVDs? I remind myself of the humble beginnings of this now billion-dollar company when I feel hesitant taking a step outside of my comfort zone. Recently this step led me to run for a leadership position on the Executive Board for the New England Chapter of the Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS-NE). My initial concerns of my inexperience compared to other Board members dissipated when I realized that I’ve been building leadership skills for years. My training has largely been informal and unintentional, and it is still ongoing, but with it I have successfully led various initiatives on behalf of SWS-NE. Although my journey as a leader is still in its early stages, I attribute three key areas - education, exposure, and experience - as crucial to my development as a leader. Often used in the context of career development, “the three E’s” are also fundamental for leadership building. During this presentation, I will provide a background on the meaning of the three E’s, share examples of how each have applied to my leadership development. Lastly, I will challenge each of you to reflect on how your professional and personal experiences fit into this framework.

Presented During: Lessons on Leadership and Mentorship: Tips and Stories, 05/17/22 9:45 AM - 10:00 AM ET

SWS WOMEN IN WETLANDS: THE VALUE OF LEADERS AND MENTORS Alani Taylor For many of us, the terms “leader’ and “mentor” bring to mind the notion of someone who is strong, capable, knowledgeable, and reliable. I have found that these Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 231

attributes are valuable in these roles, but also that just as valuable has been knowing the less impeccable “human” sides of my mentors, and letting them know the human side of myself.

Presented During: Lessons on Leadership and Mentorship: Tips and Stories, 05/17/22 9:30 AM - 9:45 AM ET

WHEN THE MENTOR MAKES MISTAKES La Toya Kissoon-Charles I sought a career in academia for many reasons, one of them was to make an impact on the lives of students who will someday influence the affairs of the world. This was a part of the mission statement of my alma mater, and it is now one of my goals when training students in science. I mentored several students as a graduate student, post doc, and now as a faculty member. These students went on to graduate school, medical school or became science teachers, wildland firefighters and natural resource managers.

During my undergraduate career, I never had the opportunity to engage in scientific research and was not aware that such opportunities existed. I’ve had few mentors who are women in science and with their support and advice I have been able to find my place in academia. I am now committed to providing opportunities to engage undergraduate students in scientific research. In my lab, students work on projects in teams or independently. A look at our past conference abstracts will reveal that my students have a range of interests and skills. The diversity of projects makes for fun lab meetings, but it often makes it difficult for me to describe my research in one sentence. Different projects at different stages can also cause friction and discontent. I recall an instance of a student comparing projects and indicating that their project was not as cool as others. I will share mistakes I made and what I learned from this experience.

Presented During: Lessons on Leadership and Mentorship: Tips and Stories, 05/17/22 3:00 PM ET

VIRTUAL ONLY - THE MISADVENTURES OF AN ACCIDENTAL WETLAND SCIENTIST, OR LESSONS I LEARNED ABOUT BUILDING CONNECTIONS Mary Thiesing Many newly graduated scientists often find themselves both intimidated and at a loss about moving on to professional life following intense years of academic study. While many often start their studies with a particular concept of a career path, frequently the intervention of stochastic life events and circumstances change the professional 232 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

trajectory of the individual. This is not necessarily bad; indeed, it can be both enlightening and transformative. The only constant in life is change, and the ability to engage with fellow practitioners and create a network of personal professional relationships is the surest way to successfully navigate change and make it a positive growth experience.

The interdisciplinary nature of wetland science tends to drive collaboration with fellow professionals with different expertises, which improves both the depth and quality of the work. What is true of the technical aspects of our work, however, is also true for our own development as persons as well as scientists. The lessons I learned as the result of taking a job with the government while considering my career options informed both my professional development and, hopefully, my ability to influence my colleagues and the public in valuable ways. We are not merely collections of technical skills. This presentation explores the ways in which our other professional interactions can strengthen our own professional development and career trajectory, as well as enhance the value we bring to our colleagues and to society at large.

Presented During: Modelling aquatic ecosystems and food webs under global change, 05/17/22 4:30 PM ET

MODELING THE EFFECTS OF WILDFIRE ON AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST (VIRTUAL) David Roon, Kevin Bladon, Becky Flitcroft, Joseph Ebersole Wildfires are widespread disturbances that influence the structure of ecosystems in the forested landscapes of the western United States. After decades of natural resource policies that suppressed fire activity on the landscape, changes in climate and forest conditions are shifting fire regimes increasing the occurrence of large, high severity fires. Fires can have complex effects on aquatic ecosystems—affecting aquatic systems through a variety of physical and ecological processes and pathways. While previous research has evaluated the effects of fire largely via field-based observational studies, these empirical studies are often limited in the inferential ability to tease apart complex mechanisms and extrapolate findings across broader spatial extents. Here, we present two modeling efforts to help us better understand the complex effects of fire on aquatic ecosystems. First, we are applying the Aquatic Trophic Productivity model—food web system dynamics model—to provide a mechanistic, process-based approach to synthesize the multiple pathways by which fires can affect aquatic ecosystems. Second, we are developing spatial analyses of wildfire risk to identify the relative

vulnerability and resilience of watersheds across the Pacific Northwest. Taken together, these modeling platforms will contribute an improved understanding of the effects of fire on aquatic ecosystems that can help to develop new conceptual models, direct future empirical studies as well as guide management actions.

Presented During: Modelling aquatic ecosystems and food webs under global change, 05/17/22 9:45 AM - 10:00 AM ET

THE ROLE OF GROUNDWATER IN STREAM NETWORK CARBON CYCLING UNDER A CHANGING CLIMATE Danielle Hare, Ashley Helton, Phillip Bumpers, Nate Tomczyk, Carolyn Cummins, Seth Wenger, Vladislav Gulis, Erin Hotchkiss, Jonathan Benstead, Amy Rosemond Climate-driven increases in stream temperatures may alter organic carbon breakdown and ecosystem respiration in river networks. Groundwater discharge modulates stream temperatures and delivers organic carbon and carbon dioxide to streams. We are explicitly considering how these dual roles played by groundwater will change carbon cycling patterns at the network scale as air temperatures increase.

We developed a stream network model of a 3rd-order forested stream catchment (Coweeta Creek, 16 km2 in North Carolina, USA), and combined baseflow regression analysis, annual stream temperature analysis, measured carbon mass balances, and the thermal response of microbial and shredder communities. We considered the relative depth of contributing groundwater flowpaths and how flowpath depth may contribute to network-scale carbon transformation. Our modeling scenarios show that streams fed by shallow groundwater flowpaths warm much quicker than streams fed by deep groundwater, indicating that streams fed by shallow groundwater are not strong thermal refuges and could exhibit altered instream decomposition rates, driving different carbon cycling dynamics under baseflow conditions. We are currently exploring thermally-induced consequences for the ratio of CPOM to FPOM transport and DOM export. Our results emphasize the importance of considering groundwater flowpaths as we examine how stream ecosystems respond to climate change through both their effects on stream temperature and its seasonality and their role as a source of organic carbon within temperate headwater watersheds.

Presented During: Modelling aquatic ecosystems and food webs under global change, 05/17/22 2:00 PM - 2:15 PM ET

PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL DIVERSITY CREATES DISTINCT SECONDARY PRODUCTION DYNAMICS IN MELTWATER

STREAMS Matthew Dunkle, Ryan Bellmore, Jason Fellman, Eran Hood, Christopher Caudill Meltwater streams fed by glaciers, icefields, and snow frequently have flow, temperature, and biogeochemical regimes distinct from non-meltwater streams. This physicochemical heterogeneity may support a diversity of freshwater food webs in landscapes where meltwater and non-meltwater streams co-occur. Here, we examine how the structure of food webs supporting Pacific salmon vary between four streams in coastal southeast Alaska: glacier-fed, snow-fed, rain-fed, and one fed by a combination of rain, snow and glacial-melt. We construct quantitative flow food web models using trophic-basis-of-production approach to illuminate the pathways of energy flow that support juvenile salmon. We found that annual secondary macroinvertebrate production was highest in the rain-fed (35.1 g m-2 yr-1) and snowmelt stream (18.0 g m-2 yr-1), intermediate in the combined-signature stream (14.4 g m-2 yr-1) and lowest in the glacier-fed stream (4.9 g m-2 yr-1). The trophic pathways that support fish production varied significantly between stream types with limited overlap between and a greater number of resource flows supporting Coho and Dolly Varden in glacial- and snowmelt streams and substantial overlap in rainwater and combined-signature sites. Although meltwater streams may be less productive overall, they support fish via distinct and diverse energetic pathways that could contribute to population resilience with the region. This may be especially true for mobile consumers that can track different energy flow pathways across these spatially structured food webs. As glacial and snowmelt contributions to surface waters decline, these distinct meltwater food webs are at risk of extirpation, which could negatively impact salmon populations.

Presented During: Monitoring and Modeling Effects of Aquatic Barriers on River Ecosystems, 05/20/22 5:00 PM ET

CRITICAL WATER NEEDS TO SUSTAIN FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS IN A LARGE FLOODPLAIN RIVER: LOOKING FROM THE FLOODPLAIN TO THE HEADWATERS (VIRTUAL) Ben Stewart-Koster, Kaitlyn O’Mara, Bianca Molinari, Michael Venarsky, Glenn McGregor, Cameron Schulz, Jonathan Marshall, Christopher Ndehedehe, Julie Robins, Susannah Leahy, David Crook, Stuart Bunn Hydrological connectivity varies with rainfall and river flow and connections between headwater, channel, and floodplain habitats are important for the movement of Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 233

nutrients and organisms. The Mitchell River in tropical Australia, is currently relatively free-flowing, however, the region has been identified for water resource development which may impact existing users of water including Traditional Owners, significant ecological assets and commercial and recreational fisheries. This research examined the links between freshwater flows and multiple components of ecosystem function including floodplain inundation, aquatic plant biomass accumulation, fisheries production and fish movement. We found that floodplain connectivity, facilitated by inundation from river flows, ensured up to 58% of algal productivity in floodplain wetlands was connected to the main channel allowing fish access to a critical basal food resource. Connectivity between the estuary and freshwater habitats was also important, shown by faster growth in commercial fish that accessed freshwater habitats than those that stayed in the coastal zone. In freshwater reaches, most fish were found to make at least one large-scale movement in their lifetime with the amount of migration across the catchment dependent on flow-mediated connectivity. Water resource development scenarios showed that development of dams without environmental flow management could reduce accessible floodplain algae by up to 26% and reduce freshwater fish movement by up to 45%, impacting biodiversity and subsequently the existing users of water. The Queensland Government currently regulates small amounts of extraction from the Mitchell River and these findings can be used to guide decisions should further development be proposed.

Presented During: Nutrients and Interactions that Impact Integrity in Surface Waters - Day 1, 05/16/22 4:00 PM - 4:15 PM ET

BIOGEOCHEMICAL DRIVERS OF NITROGEN REMOVAL IN SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO BAY Kenneth Czapla, Ariella Chelsky, Christopher Francis, David Senn, Jeffrey Cornwell, Michael Owens San Francisco Bay has one of the highest known anthropogenic nitrogen (N) loading rates of any estuary in the world, primarily as a result of high wastewater discharge.

While high N loading rates to other coastal systems have caused negative impacts (e.g, eutrophication, fish kills, harmful algal blooms), the San Francisco Bay has historically been resilient to these negative impacts due in part to high suspended sediment concentrations limiting primary productivity. However, with rapidly increasing population surrounding the bay, negative impacts may emerge as N loading increases. Benthic microbial communities may mitigate the effects of this excess N through removal via denitrification; however, nitrous oxide (N2O), a powerful 234 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

greenhouse gas, may also be produced as an intermediate in the denitrification process. We surveyed sites across the south San Francisco Bay to determine the rates of denitrification as well as physical, chemical, and biological drivers of these rates. We show that rates of denitrification were highly variable spatially and temporally across south San Francisco Bay, ranging from 0 – 200 µmol N m-2 hr-1, and may be driven by multiple factors including temperature, nitrate concentrations, sediment characteristics, and microbial denitrification gene abundance. San Francisco Bay benthic sediment was a source of N2O across all sites, suggesting that high N loading to the bay has a negative climate change impact.

Presented During: Nutrients and Interactions that Impact Integrity in Surface Waters - Day 2, 05/17/22 4:00 PM - 4:15 PM ET

CONTRASTING FACTORS OF PHOSPHORUS EMISSION AND TRANSPORT WITHIN THE GEORGIAN BAY DRAINAGE BASIN Alex Neumann, Agnes Richards, Ratnajit Saha, Huaxia Yao, April James, George Arhonditsis We synthesize the results of the integration of tributary water quality data from Georgian Bay drainage basin with the SPARROW (SPAtially Referenced Regression On Watershed attributes) watershed model. Our empirical analysis of assembled multi-agency datasets is suggestive of contrasting regimes for phosphorus (P) emission from non-point sources between southern and central parts of the study area. Specifically, the urban sites in southern Georgian Bay were associated with the maximum areal P export in contrast to central Ontario where the maximum rates were registered at the agricultural sources. In the former watershed, owing to the massive urbanization in the Lake Simcoe watershed, urban runoff contributed nearly half of the delivered P loading from the tributaries into the lake. Consistent with our current understanding of the role of wetlands in the Precambrian Shield, our analysis showed that they could be responsible for nearly 30% of the TP loading from forested areas and 23% of the delivered TP from the central Georgian Bay drainage basin. These findings were corroborated by independent empirical studies and models, such as Lakeshore Capacity Model and binational SPARROW for the Great Lakes. Based on our results, the expansion of agriculture could be a critical factor for exacerbating the eutrophication severity in central and northern Ontario, while population growth and urban sprawl may be the primary concern in southern Georgian Bay. The proposed SPARROW modelling framework with several statistical augmentations could provide an indispensable tool for adaptive watershed management in the

Great Lakes.

Presented During: On a quest for collaborative solutions: multicultural perspectives on aquatic conservation, 05/19/22 1:45 PM - 2:00 PM ET

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF AMAZON WETLANDS THROUGH HYDROLOGIC AND INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACHES IN THE MAMIRAUÁ INSTITUTE, BRAZIL Ayan Fleischmann, Jefferson Ferreira-Ferreira, Caetano Franco, Bianca Darski-Silva, Fabrice Papa, Rodrigo Paiva, Walter Collischonn, Alice Fassoni-Andrade, Leandro Castello, John Melack, Steve Hamilton, Marie-Paule Bonnet The Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development (MISD), located in the heart of the Amazon, has been promoting interdisciplinary studies during the last 30 years, including research and management of water, fish and floodplain forest resources in Amazon wetlands, and especially in the Mamirauá Reserve. The MISD’s Research Group in Geospatial Analysis of Amazonian Environment and Territories investigates the current, past and future states of the wetland environment and the associated socio-ecological systems. Challenges include the large extent and remoteness of the area, funding acquisition, and limited infrastructure, in a socio-political context of dismantling environmental legislation and weakening environmental governance. Local monitoring of hydrological variables such as water levels has been undertaken for many years, and has been complemented recently with satellite data analysis and hydrological modeling. Observations of inundation extent reveal increased inundation over most of the mainstem Amazon River floodplain since the 1980s, linked to increased rainfall in parts of the watershed. Research also investigates the impacts of future climate change, dam building, and participation of local communities in the monitoring and territorial management process. Ongoing interdisciplinary collaborations use hydrological data to understand fishery yields, methane emission, and dynamics of plants, jaguars and human communities. Finally, we stress that science communication is fundamental to engage society in sustainable development. The Conexões Amazônicas initiative (https://conexoesamazonicas.org), led by researchers from the MISD in collaboration with other institutions, has produced 50 publications since 2020, with many related to Amazon aquatic ecosystems.

Presented During: Operationalizing the science: Collaborating to put ecological theory into practice, 05/20/22 3:30 PM - 3:45 PM ET

UNDERSTANDING MAPLE-GUM INVASION IN FRESHWATER FORESTED SWAMPS USING A PLANT FUNCTIONAL TRAIT PERSPECTIVE Kori Carr, Taylor Sloey Plant functional traits (i.e., the morphological, physiological, and/or phenological aspects of an individual) have been used to explain many trends in plant ecology, including species diversity, species presence along resource gradients, and invasion success by non-native species. Using this approach allows us to gain a more in-depth understanding of the underlying causes of ecological phenomena, such as sudden shifts in community dynamics. Following disturbance events, such as fire or extreme weather, The Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia, USA has exhibited a shift toward to an ecotype characterized by two dominant species: Red Maple (Acer rubrum) and Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua). We seek to employ a plant functional trait perspective to explain this shift in community species diversity abundance. A suite of traits were measured to characterize and compare the two invading species (Red maple and Sweetgum) with native non-invading swamp and bottomland hardwood species (e.g., Bald Cypress, Elm, Ash, Tupelo, etc.). Selected traits characterize both early life history stages/recruitment dynamics (germination rate, seed fecundity, seedling survival), as well as mature adult stages (leaf area index, max height, max diameter, specific leaf area, etc.). The goal of this study is to aid in understanding species recolonization dynamics and community shifts in swamp and flooded forest habitats following disturbances.

Through using a plant functional trait approach, rather than taxonomic species-based approach, we can better understand the physiological and ontogenetic causes for shifts in community composition following disturbance events.

Presented During: Phenological Change in Aquatic Ecosystems, 05/18/22 9:15 AM - 9:30 AM ET

VIRTUAL ONLY - EVOLUTION OF EXTREME CLIMATE IN ONTARIO AND IMPLICATIONS FOR LAKE PHENOLOGY. Akunne Okoli, George Arhonditsis The present study aims to characterize the frequency, intensity, and duration of extreme climatic events in two sites in southeastern (Trenton) and northeastern (North Bay) Ontario. Using both observed records and simulated data from eight statistically downscaled Global Climate Models (GCMs) under the IPCC representative concentration pathway (RCP) 4.5 scenario, a set of extreme temperature and precipitation-based indices were computed. A retrospecWetland Science & Practice July 2022 235

tive analysis was conducted over two-time stanzas: historical (1950–1984) and present (1985-2019). We first evaluated the capability of GCMs to reproduce the observed trends and then examined projections in the near (2020-2059) and far future (2060-2099). Our analysis showed that both sites have experienced an increase in extreme temperatures, with stronger warming in North Bay. In contrast, no significant changes to extreme precipitation indices have occurred in both stations. Projections suggest minimal changes in extreme precipitation with more decreases expected in North Bay. However, seasonal variability indicates a more frequent occurrence of precipitation above the 95th percentile in summer and fall. Profound changes in future temperature-based extremes are expected for both sites, with drastic increases in hot /warm nights, and more decreases in the occurrence of cold extremes in North Bay. Following the results obtained from this study, it is hypothesized that the Bay of Quinte and Lake Nipissing (two neighboring water bodies in the studied locations) will likely experience significant phenological shifts of their physical (stratification patterns), chemical (nutrient seasonal cycle), and biological (likelihood of harmful algal blooms) components.

Presented During: Physical Processes in Lakes, 05/19/22 2:00 PM 2:15 PM ET

PHYSICAL DRIVERS OF HYPOXIA IN A LARGE POLYMICTIC LAKE: EXAMPLES FROM WESTERN BASIN OF LAKE ERIE (VIRTUAL) Yulong Kuai, Marguerite Xenopoulos, Aaron Fisk, Mathew Wells Polymictic lakes experience alternate periods of mixing and stratification that are commonly driven by meteorological conditions. It is well known that the presence of seasonal thermal stratification during summer can cause hypoxia to develop in the bottom layers of the lake. In addition, episodes of weak stratification in shallow polymictic lakes can also potentially trigger hypoxia as well. In this study, we used two data sets; a three-months of temperature and dissolved oxygen (DO) data from Maumee channel in western Lake Erie in 2019, and a recently collected temperature, DO and turbulence data using ADCPs and DO sensors from June 30th to October 17th, 2021. In the more recent data set, high frequency data was collected from five shallow sites located in Pigeon Bay in western Lake Erie. For both 2019 and 2021 data we explore the correlation between stratification, mixing and benthic DO. During summer in 2019, there were at least 4 occasions that thermal stratification persisted for more than 24 hours with vertical temperature differences of more than 2°C over the bottom 1 to 2 236 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

meters. As well, DO level dropped to as low as 2.8 mg/L during these stratified periods. In 2021, similar patterns of the correlation between stratification and low DO occasions were found and DO level dropped to as low as 0 mg/L for over 10 days during stratification at all locations in Pigeon Bay. Such observation implies that the polymictic western basin of Lake Erie experiences frequent hypoxic events during the summer.

Presented During: Ponds and shallow lakes: ecosystem processes, 05/19/22 8:45 AM - 9:00 AM ET

USING CONSTRUCTED PRAIRIE PONDS TO STUDY BIOGEOCHEMICAL MECHANISMS AND STRENGTHEN MODELS OF ECOLOGICAL PROCESSES Olivia Johnson, Sheel Bansal, Jacob Meier, Meredith Holgerson, Joseph Rabaey, Soren Brothers Constructed and other human-altered wetlands are increasingly prevalent across the landscape, and understanding how these systems function differently than natural systems is an important aquatic science goal. In addition, constructed ponds can be used to test hypotheses through conditions and manipulations that are generally not possible in natural systems. In the Prairie Pothole Region, we collected temperature, dissolved gas, greenhouse gas flux, net primary productivity, and meteorological data from constructed ponds to investigate mixing, metabolism, and other ecological processes. Each pond is ~600-m2 and relatively deep (~1-m) given their small surface area, allowing for unique capabilities to test global lake models. Continuous measurements of temperature throughout the water column showed there was very little summer mixing, especially compared to nearby natural ponds of similar depth but larger surface area (~3600-m2). Surface water dissolved oxygen concentrations collected to observe lake metabolism patterns were lower in the constructed (~0.25 – 3 mg/L) than in the natural ponds (2 – 10 mg/L), albeit both constructed and natural ponds were anoxic at the sediment-water interface and had higher methane concentrations in deeper water.

Finally, we leveraged the ability to raise and lower water levels, and observed vegetation biomass and greenhouse gas fluxes, simulating changes from wetland restoration and drainage, respectively. These findings help discern the role of covariates such as pond area, water depth, and seasonal hydrology that typically co-vary in natural systems, and can thus be used to constrain large scale modeling efforts and help better understand the impacts of land management.

Presented During: Ponds and shallow lakes: ecosystem processes, 05/19/22 9:30 AM - 9:45 AM ET

COMMUNITY AND PLANKTONIC CARBON METABOLISM OF CENTRAL TEXAS FARM PONDS Robert Doyle, Melissa Mullins, Anupama Kannan Farm ponds are abundant in the Central Texas landscape and a significant portion of rainfall may initially drain to these man-made structures. These small ( < 3 ha), shallow ( < 3 m) aquatic ecosystems are very metabolically active and may be significant contributors to regional carbon biogeochemical cycling. This ongoing study seeks to quantify the carbon metabolism of three ponds through multiple annual cycles. We measure community net ecosystem production (NEP) as well as planktonic photosynthesis and respiration to determine overall pond trophy status of each pond as well as the proportion of production and respiration contributed by the plankton. Three consecutive daily estimates were made for each of six sampling periods between summer 2019 and fall 2021. During this period, we found the ponds were never autotrophic (never had positive NEP) although seasonal patterns did exist with pronounced negative NEP values during the summer. Plankton carbon metabolism contributed less than 50% of community production and respiration.

Presented During: Recent Advances in Wetland Delineation, 05/19/22 1:30 PM - 2:00 PM ET

IMPROVING HYDRIC SOILS IDENTIFICATION AND VALIDATING FIELD INDICATORS OF WETLAND HYDROLOGY Jacob Berkowitz Technical approaches to wetland research continue to evolve with improvements in wetland science. The presentation will communicate the results of three recent initiatives designed to increase the accuracy and efficiency of wetland investigations, including wetland delineations.

First, a recent study demonstrated the effectiveness of paper test strips embedded with alpha-alpha dipyridyl dye.

The test strips provide a cost effective and reliable tool to document anaerobic conditions and confirm that multiple biogeochemical functions (e.g., denitrification, iron reduction) are occurring in wetlands. Second, an update on activities of the National Technical Committee for Hydric Soils will be provided, including the publication of a revised Hydric Soil Technical Standard. Third, the application of water stained leaves as a field indicator of wetland hydrology has been evaluated under a variety of laboratory and field conditions. Results suggest that water stained leaves provide a reliable field indicator of wetland hydrology and that the timelines associated with water-staining align with

the hydroperiods required to verify the presence of hydric soils and wetland hydrology. These technical advances can be applied to improve wetland investigations in variety of contexts including wetland research, restoration, mitigation banking, and challenging delineation scenarios.

Presented During: Recent Advances in Wetland Delineation, 05/19/22 4:00 PM - 4:15 PM ET

WETLAND DELINEATIONS & ASSESSMENTS IN HALF THE TIME Ñ FOUR YEARS OF IMPROVING WORKFLOW EFFICIENCY IN THE GEOSPATIAL DATA ECOSYSTEM Jeremy Schewe, PWS What is our industry evolving towards? Come see practical results from the utilization of geospatial software and field applications that are truly affecting the efficiency of wetland and other environmental projects that consultants, regulators, and mitigation bankers have been working on for the past four years. From the practical experience of a Professional Wetland Scientist and co-founder of a revolutionary environmental technology platform, come learn how to best utilize the new geospatial technology ecosystem for pre-construction environmental permitting projects, ecological restoration, engineering, and infrastructure. As advances in technology continue to make leaps forward, it truly is a wonder what our world will look like within our lifetime and how we will need to evolve with AI and technology to best conserve and preserve our natural resources. Data collection and analysis are the foundation for the creation of knowledge, and knowledge leads to informed decisions around the protection of our natural resources while enabling the development of a resilient built environment. Effective technology gets out of the scientist’s way and allows for greater attention and focus on the creation of this critical knowledge. Learn how tools such as ArcGIS, Field Maps, and Ecobot can help you and your team to be more efficient and effective scientists, while also providing better data for 21st century planning and policy.

Presented During: Recent Advances in Wetland Delineation, 05/19/22 2:30 PM - 2:45 PM ET

U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS AUTOMATED WETLAND DETERMINATION DATA SHEETS (ADS) Nathan Schulz, Jacob Berkowitz The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Wetland Delineation Manual and associated regional supplements require the completion of wetland determination data sheets to document the presence of wetlands and delineate Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 237

wetland boundaries. To assist practitioners with document review and report preparation, improve accuracy, and increase efficiency the USACE developed Microsoft Excel-based Automated Wetland Determination Data Sheets (ADS) for each region of the country. The ADS automatically populates field indicators of wetland hydrology, hydrophytic vegetation, and hydric soil based upon user inputs, streamlining the data collection and analysis process. The presentation will introduce the ADS and describe the functionality of these tools; ongoing efforts to further improve wetland data collection will also be discussed.

Presented During: Recent Advances in Wetland Delineation, 05/19/22 2:00 PM - 2:15 PM ET

INDICATOR OF REDUCTION IN SOILS (IRIS) TECHNOLOGY: A POWERFUL TOOL FOR WETLAND STUDIES AND MANAGEMENT Chelsea Duball Indicator of Reduction in Soils (IRIS) devices are a simple and reliable tool used to measure reducing conditions in soils, which helps to inform wetland research and management. IRIS devices, including tubes and films, have been widely used for two decades and are approved by the US National Technical Committee for Hydric Soils (NTCHS).

Standard IRIS devices are coated in either a synthesized Fe-oxide or Mn-oxide paint. Moderately to highly reducing soil conditions are visually quantified via the removal of Fe- or Mn-oxide paint from an IRIS device. Alternatively, Fe-coated IRIS devices can also be used to assess the presence and magnitude of S-reduction, or very strongly reducing conditions, in soils via the precipitation of black-colored iron monosulfide (FeS). The microbially-mediated color-change reactions on IRIS devices provide useful evidence of the presence, location, and/or intensity of various levels of reducing soil conditions, however, results can vary depending on soil saturation levels and temperature. Recent studies have applied IRIS technology to address issues related to the identification of problematic hydric soils (e.g. salt-affected, arid wetland soils), agricultural management (e.g. rice farming), and biogeochemical cycling in a range of wetland ecosystems (e.g. tidal and freshwater wetlands).

More recently, additional studies have worked towards improving the accuracy of IRIS assessment and results, through the use of open-source IRIS image analyzing software (e.g. the IRIS Imager) and code. This presentation will describe how recent advancements and applications of IRIS technology can be used to inform wetland identification, delineation, management, and mitigation moving forward.

238 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

Presented During: Responding to the Global Climate and Biodiversity Emergencies (VIRTUAL SESSION), 05/16/22 9:45 AM ET

RIGHTS OF WETLANDS: A COLLABORATIVE SOLUTION TO CLIMATE AND BIODIVERSITY CHALLENGES (VIRTUAL) Gillian Davies Driven by human activities, climate destabilization and biodiversity loss pose existential threats to wetlands, ecosystems and society. As recognized in the 2021 IPBES-IPCC Biodiversity & Climate Change Workshop report, neither of these global emergencies can be solved unless they are addressed in an integrated manner. Rights and the living personhood/beingness of Nature have been recognized throughout human history and globally across cultures, particularly by Indigenous and local communities. In response to the global emergencies, a growing global Rights of Nature movement provides a promising paradigm shift, articulating solutions that reframe the human-Nature relationship, shifting it from one of exploitation and depletion to one that embodies a relationship between Nature and humans based on: - reciprocity; - recognition of the inherent and inalienable right of natural systems to exist and to avoid degradation; - recognition of the legal and living personhood of Nature; - recognition of the ethical and legal responsibility humans have for ecosystems and biodiversity; - recognition of the dependence of human health and well-being on healthy ecological function.

The SWS Rights of Wetlands Initiative proposes a Universal Declaration of the Rights of Wetlands as a wetlands-specific response to the global emergencies and the Rights of Nature movement. This presentation will articulate the context for the proposed Declaration including successful case studies, outline what the Declaration entails, discuss how it differs from existing rights of Nature declarations, and discuss how the Declaration can be utilized to address the climate and biodiversity emergencies in collaboration with human communities.

Presented During: Responding to the Global Climate and Biodiversity Emergencies (VIRTUAL SESSION), 05/16/22 9:45 AM ET

ADAPTATION MEASURES AND KNOWLEDGE FOR RESPONDING TO THE GLOBAL CLIMATE AND BIODIVERSITY EMERGENCIES (VIRTUAL) Max Finlayson How can we respond to the global biodiversity and climate

hydropower generation and suites of ecosystem services emerging from different configurations of proposed Amazon dams. Here, we harness tools from the emerging field of computational sustainability to identify portfolios of dam sites that simultaneously achieve energy goals and minimize impacts on river flow, river connectivity, sediment transport, greenhouse gas emissions and threats to fish diversity. Results from our analysis highlight key principles about strategic hydropower planning in the Amazon and other large river basins. First, multi-objective optimization at a basin-wide scale provides a first filter to identify dams that are most likely to cause severe environmental disruptions. Second, minimizing adverse environmental impacts from hydropower development requires consideration of multiple and diverse criteria simultaneously. Third, perceptions of what are potentially high and low impact dam sites depends on the spatial scale of analysis. Considering the transboundary nature of river basins such as the Amazon, cooperation among nations is fundamental to minimize tradeoffs between hydropower and environmental objectives. In the context of the Freshwater Imperative, we discuss the importance of integrated planning at scale and offer a transferable model for the evaluation of hydropower expansion in transboundary basins.

emergencies to ensure we can sustain wetlands into the future? We have some information about the demise of wetland biodiversity, and some about the vulnerability of wetlands to climate change, especially to sea level rises.

We have analogues for the latter – we can envisage the change and comprehend what may be lost. On the ground and away from the bedlam of the national and international we do have a pretty good understanding of the impacts that will likely occur. The joint statement on climate change and aquatic ecosystems issued by combined aquatic science societies paves the way for further engagement across such societies to advance the science and help inform managers.

We can draw on multiple knowledge sources, including that from Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, and address data gaps. The most recent IPCC reports outline adaptation options – steps to help us combat the impacts on our wetlands. To be successful we can modify existing management practices on wetlands, such as making use of e-flows, overcoming thermal pollution, reconstructing riparian zones and associated food webs, or restoring connectivity (whether upstream, laterally or underground).

There are many no-regrets management options, and we can develop adaptation pathways. To be successful we need to articulate ways of doing this, provide examples, and make best use of strategies for reaching new audiences, including climate and biodiversity policy-makers nationally and internationally.

Presented During: Sediments affecting harmful algal blooms: multidisciplinary perspectives, 05/20/22 4:30 PM ET

Presented During: Revisiting the Freshwater Imperative: Accomplishments, Challenges, and Future Visions, 05/17/22 3:45 PM - 4:00 PM ET

LONG-TERM NITRATE TRENDS AND THE POTENTIAL FOR CYANOBACTERIA BLOOM PREVENTION BY SEDIMENT OXIDATION IN HAMILTON HARBOUR (VIRTUAL)

REDUCING ADVERSE IMPACTS OF AMAZON HYDROPOWER EXPANSION ON BIODIVERSITY AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

Lewis Molot, David Depew, Arthur Zastepa, George Arhonditsis, Susan Watson, Mark Verschoor

Alexander Flecker, Qinru Shi, Rafael Almeida, Héctor Angarita, Jonathan Gomes-Selman, LeRoy Poff, Sebastian Heilpern, Steve Hamilton, Steven Thomas, Ayan Fleischmann, Bruce Forsberg, Elizabeth Anderson, Nathan Barros, Andrea Encalada, Roosevelt García-Villacorta Jonathan Higgins, Céline Jezequel, Erin Larson, Mariana Montoya, Thierry Oberdorff, Rodrigo Paiva, Suresh Sethi, Mariana Varese, Amazon Dams Computational Sustainability Working Group, Carla Gomes

In the 1970s, highly eutrophic Hamilton Harbour (Lake Ontario) had high total phosphorus (TP), chlorophyll a, nitrate, ammonia and total nitrogen (TN), and extensive hypolimnetic anoxia that remains today, yet blooms of large-bodied cyanobacteria were absent. Based on experimental observations that high nitrate additions to eutrophic mesocosms and ponds oxidizes sediments and prevents blooms, we analyzed 50+ years of data to evaluated whether nitrate levels were related to the timing and size of blooms in Hamilton Harbour. After improvements to municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) began in 1964, epilimnetic nitrate increased from 1-2 mg N L-1 in the late 1960s to >2.2 mg N L-1 throughout the summer in the mid to late 1970s when cyanobacteria populations were small. Nitrate declined between 1978 and 1987 in response to municipal and industrial N abatement, gradually increasing until 2010 in response to WWTP upgrades, not quite reaching

Hydropower is rapidly expanding across some of the world’s most biodiverse river systems, highlighting an urgent need for strategic basin-scale planning. For example, in the Amazon Basin ~160 large dams have been built and > 350 new dams have been proposed. While environmental assessments routinely consider individual dams, little attention has been paid to evaluating tradeoffs between

Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 239

levels seen in the late 1970s. Cyanobacteria became more common after 2000 despite much lower epilimnetic TN and TP than in the mid to late 1970s, but the timing of large populations was delayed until nitrate dropped below 2.2 mg N L-1 in August and September. Our analysis suggests that improved WWTP oxidation technology may have been responsible, albeit inadvertently, for preventing blooms in the mid to late 1970s and delaying bloom onset until late summer in recent years by maintaining oxidizing levels of nitrate. This analysis suggests that lowering nitrate loading to Hamilton Harbour could exacerbate bloom formation.

Presented During: Sediments affecting harmful algal blooms: multidisciplinary perspectives, 05/20/22 4:30 PM ET

MODELLING SEDIMENT DIAGENESIS IN THE HAMILTON HARBOUR AREA OF CONCERN: HOW CRITICAL IS THE ROLE OF INTERNAL P LOADING? (VIRTUAL) Tao Xu, Alex Neumann, Maria Dittrich, George Arhonditsis Sediments act as either a source or a sink of nutrients depending on factors, such as sediment physical and chemical characteristics, nutrient concentrations in the overlying waters, and bioturbation/bioirrigation. Our study focuses on the Hamilton Harbour in Lake Ontario, to study the response of internal phosphorus loading under the on-going restoration actions, including the imminent upgrade of the major point-source polluter in the area; the Woodward wastewater treatment plant. Recent empirical work showed that internal loading can be responsible for nutrient release that is comparable with the targeted external total phosphorus (TP) loading of 142 kg/day, if all the remedial measures are realized. Our analysis of the porewater profiles with a diagenetic reactive transport model suggests that sediments may indeed play a critical role in the TP budget. Specifically, the model identified distinctly different zones of production and consumption of porewater phosphorus, which can be driven by the interplay of several potential diagenetic processes. These processes can include organic matter mineralization, binding by Fe oxyhydroxides, dissolution of Fe-bound P, vivianite formation, conversion of Fe oxyhydroxides from amorphous to crystalline form. According to our modelling results, internal loading of phosphorus in the hypolimnion during summer stratified period is estimated to account for approximately 30 kg P/day. Overall, our modelling exercise offers insights into the potential drivers of different production/consumption zones of porewater P and can potentially narrow down the uncertainty about the importance of internal loading in the P budget of the harbour.

240 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

Presented During: Spatial and Temporal Scales of Stressor Effects on Ecosystems - Day 1, 05/16/22 1:30 PM - 1:45 PM ET

VIRTUAL ONLY - THE EFFECTS OF SPRUCE BUDWORM DEFOLIATION ON CATCHMENT HYDROLOGY IN HILLY SPRUCE AND FIR-DOMINATED FORESTS IN GASPÉ, QUÉBEC Harvinder Sidhu, Karen Kidd, Erik Emilson, Brian Kielstra, Colin McCarter The native North American moth, spruce budworm (SBW), has been linked to significant reductions in forest density and increased tree mortality of spruce and fir trees across the eastern Canadian boreal forest. Such drastic modifications to the forest structure may impact catchment-scale hydrological processes. Over a three-year period (2019-2021), we measured how the magnitude of defoliation affected streamflow and runoff processes in 12 catchments across the Gaspé Peninsula in Québec, Canada, six of which have been aerially treated with BtK pesticide and the remaining six left untreated; as such, there was a gradient of defoliation intensity. For each catchment, stage-discharge relationships were derived between June and October and used for recession limb analysis and separated into event flow and baseflow. This determined the efficiency of a catchment to convert precipitation into runoff (runoff ratio) as higher runoff ratios can indicate potential flood risks. After which, the relationships between defoliation intensity and the hydrological metrics were determined. In the untreated catchments, there was an increase in annual discharge and decrease in runoff ratios from 2019 to 2020, but these trends were not consistent in the treated catchments. With decreasing defoliation intensity and elevation, a general decline in both discharge and runoff ratios were observed.

Discharge significantly increased with increasing defoliation intensity (R2 = 0.36, p= 0.002). This study strengthens our understanding on the effects of defoliation on freshwater resources, especially when confronted by other, interactive, disturbances such as climate change.

Presented During: Spatial and Temporal Scales of Stressor Effects on Ecosystems - Day 1, 05/16/22 2:15 PM - 2:30 PM ET

LOCAL VERSUS WATERSHED INFLUENCES ON DISSOLVED NUTRIENT CONCENTRATION IN A RIVER NETWORK Gregory Jacobs, Reid Swanson, Marisa Vale Cruz, Daniel Zielinski, Aaron Fisk, Selina Al-Nazzal, Pete McIntyre The downstream-collecting arrangement of stream networks makes it possible for both local-scale and collecting watershed-scale landscape processes to influence dissolved nutrient resource availability across stream reaches. Spa-

tial stream network (SSN) statistical models provide a framework for conducting spatial regression analyses in rives, and provide a predictive tool for interpolating stream conditions between sampling locations. We sought to use the SSN framework to predict spatial variation in dissolved N, P, and their stoichiometric ratio as a function of landscape covariates in a moderately large temperate stream.

Our goals were to (1) test whether local or regional land covers best predicted in-stream nutrient concentrations, (2) estimate spatial heterogeneity in N and P availability in our study system. We measured dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) concentrations during 71 sampling occasions distributed across 43 sites throughout the Boardman/Ottaway River and neighboring streams. We then used SSN models to predict dissolved nutrient concentrations and infer the scale of influence for a variety of land cover covariates. DIN and SRP were most strongly correlated with local catchment variables rather than watershed-scale variables. Network autocorrelation suggests stronger spatial non-independence for DIN than SRP, indicating local influences perpetuate downstream more strongly for nitrogen. Predicted stoichiometric ratios generally exceeded the Redfield ratio, suggesting a tendency for phosphorus limitation of stream ecosystem processes. Where heterogeneity among stream tributaries presents a challenge for watershed management, our work advances methods for informed interpolation of stream ecosystem conditions in river networks.

Presented During: Spatial and Temporal Scales of Stressor Effects on Ecosystems - Day 2, 05/17/22 5:00 PM ET

INTEGRATION OF MONITORING AND PALEOENVIRONMENTAL PROXY DATA TO ASSESS ANTHROPOGENIC IMPACT ON A LAKE ERIE WATERSHED AT DIFFERENT SPATIOTEMPORAL SCALES (VIRTUAL) Sophia Zamaria, Amanda Loder, Alex Neumann, Sarah Finkelstein, George Arhonditsis, Sharon Cowling Lake Erie has experienced an extensive history of eutrophication and harmful algal blooms due to anthropogenic activities in adjacent watersheds since Euro-American settlement. Owing to its extensive agricultural history, sand-dominated soils, and recent restoration efforts, the Big Creek Watershed (BCWS), ON, Canada, provides a valuable opportunity to investigate anthropogenically forced trends in flow regime and phosphorus (P) loading since Euro-American settlement of the region. We use the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) to establish the present-day influence of land use and climate changes on flow regime and P loading of the watershed at a daily resolution. My

preliminary results reinforce existing evidence that a significant fraction of the annual P loads can be generated during a small number of brief but intense flow events. The next step in my study is to force the SWAT model with land use and meteorological data from historical records and diatom-inferred TP concentrations from a sediment core to assess anthropogenic impact on trophic status and trends in long-term variability of flow regime and P concentrations over the past two hundred years at an annual to decadal scale. The novelty of this research is the integration of finegrained monitoring data from recent decades and coarsegrained paleoecological proxy data into the SWAT model, resulting in a rigorous assessment of natural variability and anthropogenic impact on a Lake Erie watershed over different spatiotemporal scales.

Presented During: Spatial and Temporal Scales of Stressor Effects on Ecosystems - Day 2, 05/17/22 2:00 PM - 2:15 PM ET

INFLUENCES OF WATERSHED SCALE STRESSORS AND LOCAL CLIMATE TO WETLAND ECOSYSTEM HEALTH Sindupa De Silva, Jason Hubbart, Mike Strager, Elizabeth Byers, Ramsey Kellner, Christopher Rota, James Anderson Wetland ecosystems play fundamental roles in regulating our freshwater resources. Yet they are not comprehensively protected from degradation and loss, particularly from watershed-scale anthropogenic land-use practices with consequent ecological stressors. West Virginia, USA contains freshwater wetlands across a diverse landscape that drain into two ecologically and economically vital watersheds: the Chesapeake Bay and Gulf of Mexico. The landscape is also utilized for an assortment of land-use practices. We are assessing 200 wetlands over 2 years to evaluate how watershed-scale anthropogenic land-use practices impact wetland ecosystem health. To do this, we are evaluating water quality parameters, vegetation and macroinvertebrate diversity and abundance, and soil characteristics with GIS assessments of watershed land cover/ land-use practices and water inputs. Preliminary results for select water quality parameters indicate that wetlands with greater watershed-scale stressors have higher conductivity (p = 0.01), E. Coli (p = 0.0001) and TDS (p = 0.01) concentrations compared to wetlands with lower watershed-scale stressors.

In addition to evaluating ecosystem health, we will also use these data to determine if anthropogenic land-use practices have an impact on a wetland’s ability to perform select water quality functions. The results of this project will be used to develop wetland water quality standards for West Virginia and help advance more comprehensive wetland regulations.

Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 241

Presented During: Spatial and Temporal Scales of Stressor Effects on Ecosystems - Day 2, 05/17/22

EXAMINATION OF THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON CROP PRODUCTIVITY AND NON-POINT SOURCE POLLUTION IN ONTARIO (VIRTUAL) Ratnajit Saha, Carlos Alberto Arnillas, Alex Neumann, E. Agnes Blukacz-Richards, Maria Dittrich, William A. Gough, George Arhonditsis The potential impacts of climate change on hydrological extremes have received considerable attention in the Great Lakes region. Global warming is predicted to amplify the hydrological cycle in the form of increased cloudiness, latent heat fluxes, intense precipitation events, and flooding, which in turn may have adverse effects on agricultural practices. The present study aims to examine the effects of climate change on crop productivity and non-point source pollution in Ontario. A total of thirteen agro-climatic indices for two planting dates (early and regular) were calculated and selected. Daily basis observed climatic data (total precipitation, maximum, and minimum temperature) recorded in twelve weather stations from 1937 to 2014 and Global Circulation Model MRI-CGCM3 dataset from 1950-2100 were used to calculate critical thresholds for different phenological crop stages of soybean. Higher growing degree days are observed in regular planting in Southern, eastern, and central Ontario and frequency will be increased in the recent and distant future. In the vegetative stage, poor seedling conditions and early flooding frequently occurred in central Ontario during regular planting dates. In the reproductive stages, a higher frequency of occurrence of cool nights is observed in central Ontario. Severity of pod-filling and seed development drought are mostly experienced in southern Ontario, during regular planting dates. Based on the recent weather trends, the study suggests that the likelihood of nutrient export from non-point sources may be higher in some regions in Ontario, as the opportunities to intensify agriculture increase, with profound implications for the integrity of inland waters.

Presented During: Spatial and Temporal Scales of Stressor Effects on Ecosystems - Day 2, 05/17/22 2:30 PM - 2:45 PM ET

DETECTING HUMAN DISTURBANCE IN COASTAL WETLANDS ACROSS TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL SCALES USING BIOTIC INDICATORS Don Uzarski, Matthew Cooper, Valerie Brady In 2000, the Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands Consortium 242 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

began to develop a basin-wide monitoring plan to track ecosystem condition. Implementation began in 2010, and in 2017, the effort was incorporated into USEPA long-term monitoring programs. Approximately 200 sites per year are sampled, collecting chemical/physical and biotic community data across the entire basin, U.S. and Canadian coasts.

Because coastal wetlands are true gradients from terrestrial to aquatic, the systems do not experience stress uniformly across the ecosystem. Portions of each wetland are more susceptible to impacts originating on the adjacent landscape while others are more impacted from impacts originating in other areas and transmitted to the wetland via pelagic water.

Multiple indicators often provide conflicting results if mistakenly used as an individual measure of overall ecosystem condition. The spatial and temporal scales of each indicator must be taken into consideration. We used multivariate ordination techniques, path analysis, and Pearson correlation to relate indicators to stressor gradients and adjacent land use/cover as a surrogate for stress. Vegetation-based indicators tended to represent upper portions of coastal wetlands and invertebrate and fish-based indicators best represented water quality in the lower portions closer to open water. Therefore, it’s possible that a given wetland can be deemed degraded at one spatial and temporal scale while having high quality attributes or reference conditions at another scale. Assessing wetlands across multiple scales using different biotic groups allows managers to better understand how wetlands are responding to stress and determine actions to mitigate impacts.

Presented During: Spatial and Temporal Scales of Stressor Effects on Ecosystems - Day 2, 05/17/22 4:15 PM - 4:30 PM ET

A SPATIAL VIEW OF INTERACTIONS AMONG ENVIRONMENTAL STRESSORS IN THE LAURENTIAN GREAT LAKES Sigrid Smith, David Allan The co-occurrence of environmental stressors is ubiquitous in aquatic ecosystems, but cumulative effects are difficult to predict. This is particularly challenging in the Laurentian Great Lakes, where 8-31 stressors can co-occur in a single location. When individual stressors occur together, they can amplify (synergies) or lessen (antagonisms) each other’s impacts, or they can have fully independent effects (additive). A systematic literature review and structured expert judgment were combined to identify important stressor interactions, and the potential spatial extents of some identified interactions were explored using a spatial model of cumulative impacts. In the literature search for pairs of stressors and interaction-related keywords, antagonisms and synergies were common. Substantial evidence existed

for interactions of invasive dreissenid mussels with nutrient loading and between pairs of invasive species, but mixtures of synergies and antagonisms were reported for both interactions. Expert elicitation highlighted the potential for synergies from less-studied pairs of stressors, such as nutrient loading with wetland loss and climate change, and climate change with hypoxia. Since several of these implicated stressors have relatively higher occurrence in more coastal locations, the spatial signatures of these interactions may be strongest in nearshore areas. However, the mixture of evidence for synergies vs. antagonisms, data limitations, and the simultaneous occurrence of multiple potential interactions in a single ecosystem pose challenges for incorporating interactions quantitatively into management and restoration planning.

Presented During: Springs: Unique aquatic habitats in steady decline, 05/17/22 1:30 PM - 2:00 PM ET

PREVENTING SILENT SPRINGS: WHY SPRING ECOSYSTEMS SHOULD BE PROTECTED ACROSS THE GLOBE Marco Cantonati, Roderick J. Fensham, Douglas Glazier, Maria Filippini, Stefano Segadelli, Alessandro Gargini, Nico Goldscheider, Robert Knight, Timo Muotka, Daniel Spitale, Abraham Springer, Klement Tockner, John D. Wehr, Lawrence Stevens This contribution provides a thorough review of the scientific literature on springs as ecosystems, with a focus on papers published after 2014. Besides being published in an international journal, this review will be the basis for establishing a highly relational database, including a living bibliography in Springs Online (hosted by the Springs Stewardship Institute) that will provide continuously updated, freely available information, thus serving as a living compendium of literature on spring ecosystems. For each of 30 selected main spring-environment features and topics, 3-9 key references will be identified. Properties, ecosystem services, impacts, and conservation strategies will be discussed with reference to six major spring types: Flowing springs (rheocrenic springs), the most common spring type worldwide; seepages and wetland springs (helocrenic sources); pool springs (limnocrenic sources); thermal and mineral springs; desert springs; and Limestone Precipitating springs (LPS). We will use our literature survey to propose and validate a synthetic model of global spring characteristics across a wet-arid climate gradient that provides an enhanced understanding of potential climate-change impacts and ecosystem-rehabilitation options, which is much needed because springs, and the associated aquifers and wetlands, are highly threatened, rapidly disappearing

ecosystems that require urgent conservation and restoration attention.

Presented During: Springs: Unique aquatic habitats in steady decline, 05/17/22 2:30 PM - 2:45 PM ET

INTEGRATED PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSE BY FOUR RED ALGAE SPECIES ACROSS A GRADIENT OF TIDALLYDRIVEN SUBMARINE GROUNDWATER DISCHARGE SPRING CONDITIONS Veronica Gibson, Celia Smith While polluted submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) springs have been linked to algal bloom conditions on nearshore reefs, macroalgal physiological response to SGD spring conditions is not well understood. In this study, field characterization across a gradient of polluted SGD spring influence measures physiological responses in photosynthesis, tissue water potential regulation, and nitrogen assimilation by four macroalgal species to SGD conditions at Wailupe Beach. Once a site of spring-fed Indigenous Hawaiian aquaculture systems, land use changes have drastically altered SGD quality and quantity at Wailupe today.

A cryptic yet common feature on basaltic coastlines, SGD springs create zones of estuarine conditions on nearshore reefs by delivering tidally-driven diurnal fluxes of fresh, nutrient rich basal groundwater to the nearshore ecosystem.

SGD flux quality and volume is further influenced by wind, wave action, hydrologic changes, and anthropogenic nutrient pollution. Natural gradients of SGD influence on nearshore reefs may have provided strong selective pressures on macroalgal species to tolerate and thrive under estuarine conditions. To examine the influence of polluted SGD on nearshore macroalgal physiology and ecology a multi-factor analysis is undertaken. Comparisons are made across two species pairs, closely related bloom-forming invasive Gracilaria salicornia and cryptogenic introduced Hydropuntia perplexa, and bloom-forming invasive Acanthophora spicifera and closely related native Laurencia dendroidea.

Measurably different physiological responses are exhibited by each species across this environmental gradient.

We discuss implications for the role of algal physiological response to SGD and groundwater pollution on community reef dynamics, competition, and phase shifts from coral to algae dominated systems.

Presented During: Springs: Unique aquatic habitats in steady decline, 05/17/22 4:30 PM ET

REVISITING THE TAXONOMIC ASSIGNMENT OF GOMPHOSPHENIA (SUBGEN. COSTERICARDIA) OAHUENSIS Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 243

(HUST.) LANGE-BERTALOT (VIRTUAL) Abdullah Saber, Saúl Blanco, Alex Borrini, Ionel Ciugulea, Horst Lange-Bertalot, Marco Cantonati During our recent studies on Egyptian diatoms, the diatom species Gomphosphenia (subgen. Costericardia) oahuensis (Hustedt) Lange-Bertalot was identified from the thermal limno-rheocrenic mineral spring “Ain Pirizi” in the Siwa Oasis, the Western Desert of Egypt, based on light (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations.

This record of G. oahuensis is the first for the Egyptian diatom flora. This species shares many of the diagnostic features of the genus Gomphosphenia sensu stricto, i.e. absence of apical pore fields, absence of external areolar occlusions, straight and filiform raphe, striae composed of single areolae, proximal raphe ends dilated and distal raphe ends terminating on the valve face externally, proximal raphe ends simple, unilaterally deflected and pore-like internally. However, G. oahuensis still differs from Gomphosphenia s.s. by the valves which are not cuneate and heteropolar but rather isopolar and with an “Achnanthidium-like” outline. Moreover, the valve outline can sometimes be slightly cymbelloid. G. oahuensis also bears some resemblance with the genus Humidophila, particularly in raphe shape and stria structure. Based on these observations, we propose to rise the subgenus Costericardia to the genus level, with the new combination Costericardia oahuensis comb. nov. Molecular phylogenetic analyses are being conducted to support our conclusions.

Presented During: Status and Future Outlook for the Management of Invasive Aquatic Plants and Harmful Algae, 05/16/22 2:30 PM - 2:45 PM ET

EVALUATING THE RESPONSE OF INVASIVE FLOWERING RUSH (BUTOMUS UMBELLATUS) CYTOTYPES TO CHEMICAL CONTROL MEASURES Jacob Hockensmith, Gray Turnage, Cory Shoemake Establishment and spread of invasive species has affected ecosystems across the globe. These intruders compete with native species for resources, which often leads to reduced biodiversity and other environmental issues. Flowering Rush (Butomus umbellatus) is one species that has invaded the northern United States and Canada. Flowing Rush is a perennial, aquatic species that can be found growing along shorelines of lakes and other waterbodies. In North America, two distinct cytotype populations occur: diploid and triploid. These cytotypes differ in key anatomical and physiological properties. Despite these differences, current 244 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

best management practices of chemical control are based solely off research conducted on triploid populations, which account for only 29% of populations across North America. In this study, we assessed the effect of two commonly used chemical control measures for aquatic plants, Diquat and Endothall, on diploid and triploid cytotypes.

After establishment and subsequent herbicide application, plants were followed to eight weeks post-treatment. Plants were then harvested to assess the efficacy of treatments on above- and belowground biomass accumulation, and belowground asexual rhizomatous bud production. We observed that when treated with herbicides, bud production in diploid plants increased, while bud production in triploid plants was unaffected. In diploid Flowering Rush, higher concentrations of Diquat and Endothall increased bud production compared to control and low concentration treatments. Both Diquat and Endothall reduced the overall above- and belowground biomass. Our results suggest that diploid and triploid populations display different reactions to chemical controls and that further research is needed to elucidate these differences.

Presented During: The Clean Water Act at 50, 05/19/22 9:45 AM 10:00 AM ET

SHIFTING PARADIGMS NEED INNOVATIVE CWA REGULATORY INITIATIVES - RETHINKING WETLAND TYPE CONVERSION Jennifer Siu, Eric Stein, Jeffrey Brown Compensating for coastal wetland loss in the face of climate change will require improving the flexibility of existing CWA regulatory approaches to accommodate future conditions. Current guidelines that encourage compensation through replacement of similar wetland types may not be appropriate under rapid changing coastal conditions and considering complex restoration goals. Moreover, the increased pace and scale of threats to ecological resiliency require agencies to conduct analysis under high levels of technical uncertainty. How can we effectively adapt CWA regulatory programs for increased and better wetland outcomes under these conditions? We will discuss an example tool aimed at removing common roadblocks for analysis of wetland-to-wetland type conversion during the CWA permitting process. The framework is based on assessment of three foundational aspects: landscape feasibility/suitability, site specific assessment of function and condition, and regional context. Documentation of risk, uncertainty, functional prioritization, and potential resource trade-offs are explicitly considered in the framework to assess the overall net environmental benefit of a proposed action. The framework has been applied to a multi-beneficial tidal restoration

project in California through an interagency collaborative analysis process.

Presented During: The Clean Water Act at 50, 05/19/22 2:15 PM - 2:30 PM ET

GROUNDWATER FLOWS SUPPORT THE INTEGRITY OF RIPARIAN WETLANDS AND SALMON-BEARING STREAMS, ALASKA Mark Rains, Tyelyn Brigino, Mary Gerlach, Edgar Guerrón-Orejuela, William Kleindl, Kai Rains In County of Maui v. Hawai’i Wildlife Fund (2020), the Supreme Court closed a massive loophole, affirming for the first time that pollutants that travel through groundwater and then emerge into surface waters are in fact covered by the Clean Water Act. This provides an opportunity to rethink the role of groundwater in supporting the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation’s waters.

We have long studied this, focusing particularly the role groundwater plays in supporting the integrity of riparian wetlands and salmon-bearing streams in Alaska. Groundwater provides 40-60% of summer streamflow and modulates year-round stream temperatures, providing cold-water refugia in summer and warm-water refugia in winter. Much of this groundwater passes beneath nitrogen-fixing alder patches, emerging with increased nitrogen concentrations.

Nitrogen-enriched groundwater is thereafter delivered to riparian wetlands and streams. Above-ground biomass is higher in riparian wetlands that receive this nitrogen-rich groundwater than in riparian wetlands that do not receive this nitrogen-rich groundwater. Biomass from riparian wetlands is then deposited in streams, where isotopic evidence indicates it serves as the primary food source for stream invertebrates that feed juvenile salmonids. Nitrogen concentrations in streams are positively correlated with percent cover alder in the watershed. This is then reflected in stream processes, with litter decomposition rates positively correlated with nitrogen concentrations and in-stream nitrogen-fixation rates negatively correlated with nitrogen concentrations. Results indicate that the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of these waters are integrally tied to groundwater, and cannot be restored or maintained without it.

Presented During: The Clean Water Act at 50, 05/19/22 1:45 PM - 2:00 PM ET

VERNAL POOLS, SWALES, AND HEADWATER STREAMS ARE INTEGRATED TRIBUTARIES TO NAVIGABLE WATERS

Leanne Stepchinski, Mark Rains, Lyndon Lee, Richard Lis, Wade Nutter, Kai Rains, Scottt Stewart Hydrologic flowpaths connect landscapes in space and time, at local to landscape scales. Headwater wetlands are connected by these dynamic flowpaths to downstream waters along a continuum of watershed wetness. When and where connected, headwater wetlands are integrated into the flowpath network and can serve as significant sources of streamflow for downgradient waters. We demonstrate this with five years of precipitation and stage data in vernal pools, swales, and intermittent streams, tributary to the Sacramento River in the Central Valley, California. Analysis of USGS stream gauge data shows that the annual number of days of flow in regional intermittent streams is positively correlated to watershed area (R2 = 0.97). Extrapolation suggests that the smallest watersheds, including vernal pools, produce ~85 days of flow/year. Our data concur, indicating that the annual number of days of flow from vernal pools to downgradient waters is a linear function of total annual rainfall, flowing ~85 days/year when annual rainfall is 100% of normal. During storms, peak flows are evident first in vernal pools and then propagate sequentially downstream through swales and intermittent streams to the Sacramento River at celerities consistent with expected flood-wave velocities. Geospatial analyses show that these vernal pool and swale features cover > 4% of the study area. Our results suggest these systems can be significant sources of streamflow, and therefore play an important role in maintaining the integrity of downstream waters, which has important implications for the definition of waters of the US subject to regulation under the Clean Water Act. Presented During: The Future of Aquatic Ecological Restoration in a Changing Environment, 05/19/22 2:00 PM - 2:15 PM ET

IMPLICATIONS FOR CO-RESTORATION: ASSESSING HEALTH OF HALODULE WRIGHTII GROWN IN CONJUNCTION WITH MERCENARIA MERCENARIA CLAMS Vivienne Main, Ashley Smyth, Todd Osborne, Loraé Simpson In coastal and estuarine systems, seagrasses and clams provide highly valuable ecosystem services including improved water quality, carbon sequestration and sediment stabilization. Unfortunately, these important populations, which co-occur, are declining globally due to a range of anthropogenic impacts. Restoration practitioners have made efforts to mitigate loss and increase populations in areas of dramatic decline by out-planting seagrass and clams independently of one another. However, it has been Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 245

demonstrated that restoration projects which target multiple species allow for greater success, stability and recovery of threatened ecosystems. Positive interactions between infaunal bivalves and plants have been previously observed in a restoration context and may be especially important in areas under high environmental stress. We established a fully crossed mesocosm study which allowed us to observe potential species interactions between Halodule wrightii and Mercenaria mercenaria grown under varying light levels. Seagrasses have a high light requirement and clams may help seagrass overcome this light requirement by increasing water column clarity via filter feeding and enhancing sediment nutrient levels. We tested the hypothesis that H. wrightii would show greater productivity when grown in conjunction with M. mercenaria under high, medium and low light treatments. Our findings show a distinct relationship between seagrass health and light stress and allow us to consider the future application of co-restoration of seagrass and clam species. As we see further declines in water quality and continued loss of foundational species, utilizing positive species relationships will provide a targeted approach to co-restoration projects.

Presented During: The Future of Aquatic Ecological Restoration in a Changing Environment, 05/19/22 4:00 PM - 4:15 PM ET

FISH ASSEMBLAGE MODELS FOR ALTERNATIVE FUTURES Joseph Ebersole, Brittany Beebe, Allen Brookes, Brenda Rashleigh The ability to forecast future distributions of freshwater fish species is a pressing management need, but is complicated by climate change, invasive aquatic species, and on-going human demands for water and other natural resources.

Paired climate-hydrological models suggest a warmer and more hydrologically variable environment for many streams and rivers. Shifts in distributions of native species are already detectable. At the same time, efforts are underway in many watersheds to slow or mitigate adverse changes to aquatic ecosystems, even as human pressures on water and land resources increase. We discusa spatially-structured fish assemblage modeling framework that we are using to explore linkages between environmental change and fish population responses and to generate hypotheses that can be tested via additional research and monitoring of restoration efforts. In our case study river network in Oregon, model results under future warming scenarios indicate high probability of extinction for a cold-water salmonid, with substantial expansion by some, but not all, cool-water fish species. Larger, lower-gradient stream reaches may experience substantial shifts in fish species assemblages with 246 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

strong species interaction effects on assemblage structure.

Smaller headwater streams are more strongly influenced by colonization/extinction events associated with physical habitat dynamics. Opportunities for managing and influencing future trajectories through habitat restoration, water quality improvements, or mitigation of disturbances such as wildfire also differ across the watershed. These results and highlight the importance of considering the joint effects of physical, ecological, and social (human) dynamics on future fish populations.

Presented During: The Future of Aquatic Ecological Restoration in a Changing Environment, 05/19/22 2:45 PM - 3:00 PM ET

EFFECTS OF SOWING DENSITY, SEED MIX COMPOSITION, AND SEEDLING SURVIVAL ON WETLAND PLANT COMMUNITY REASSEMBLY Rae Robinson, Karin Kettenring One of the greatest threats to North American wetlands including those along Great Salt Lake (Utah, USA) is the invasive grass Phragmites australis. Phragmites replaces native plant communities degrading wetland habitat for many wildlife species. Following Phragmites control, seed-based revegetation is a promising strategy for the restoration of diverse, productive native plant communities. However, high mortality at the seed and seedling stages and little empirically based guidance on optimal sowing densities and seed mix compositions makes seed-based revegetation challenging. In greenhouse and field experiments in Great Salt Lake wetlands we investigated the effects of sowing density, seed mix composition, and seedling survival on plant community reassembly. We found that compared to passive recovery and a more commonly applied seeding rate of 1,938 pure live seed (PLS) m-2, higher sowing densities of 5,813 and 9,690 PLS m-2 were associated with higher native plant cover. However, the effect of sowing density on invasive plant cover was variable. Seed mix composition affected native plant cover and plant community composition in the field. The performance of Distichlis spicata and Bidens cernua was consistently higher than the other native species investigated. We observed low and inconsistent germination, seedling emergence, and survival of many of the native species we investigated. These species may require other interventions to improve their regeneration from seed. With the increasing threat of wetland plant invaders, and the urgent need to maintain quality wetland habitat, this research adds to the growing knowledge of best practices for wetland revegetation.

Presented During: The Future of Aquatic Ecological Restoration in a

Changing Environment, 05/19/22 4:30 PM - 4:45 PM ET

Grant Sharp, Sarah Yarnell, Jamie Feldman

RESTORATION OF BRADDOCK BAY OF LAKE ONTARIO: VEGETATION RESPONSE UNDER EXTREME WATER LEVEL FLUCTUATIONS

Determining environmental flows in highly altered systems may be a challenge when flows support novel ecosystems and reference-based environmental flow targets may not be relevant nor achievable. Here, we develop an approach for determining ecological flow needs in highly modified systems to support existing ecological uses utilizing the California Environmental Flows Framework (CEFF).

CEFF was established to provide guidance on developing environmental flow recommendations across California’s diverse physical landscape and broad array of management contexts. This study illustrates the application of CEFF in informing ecologically-based flow management in a highly altered region of South Orange County, California. The steps of CEFF were implemented including a stakeholder process to establish goals and provide input throughout the project; identifying the natural ranges of functional flow metrics, or distinct components of the natural flow regime that support ecosystem functions; refining ecological flow needs to account for altered channel morphology and the life history needs of species of management concern; and assessing flow alteration to inform management strategies.

Key considerations and lessons learned are discussed in the context of developing ecological flow needs in highly altered systems including when non-flow related management actions (i.e., channel rehabilitation) are necessary to achieve ecological goals.

Rachel Schultz, Alexander Silva, Eli Polzer, Rene Belleville, Douglas Wilcox, Josh Unghire, Heidi Kennedy, Courtney Scoles Braddock Bay, a Lake Ontario coastal wetland degraded by cattail invasion and erosion due to the loss of its barrier beach, was targeted for restoration by the U.S. EPA through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Restoration goals included increasing floristic quality, and ecological criteria were developed to evaluate objectives and trigger adaptive management. Objectives included reducing cattail cover by excavating open water areas and channels, creating and planting spoil mounds to increase meadow marsh species, treating cattail at higher elevations to promote succession of meadow marsh species, and reconstructing a barrier beach to restore the aquatic vegetation community.

We collected vegetation data pre-restoration and six years post-restoration, including record high water years of 2017 and 2019. Post-restoration, cattail cover decreased in treatment areas and lower elevation constructed habitats, but gradually increased in higher elevation mounds. Opening of the cattail canopy resulted in increased floating and submersed species, and mounds hosted meadow marsh species.

Marsh floristic quality increased following restoration, especially in low water years; and aquatic vegetation dramatically increased in volume and diversity after the barrier beach was constructed. While invasive purple loosestrife decreased following biocontrol efforts, European frogbit has been increasing, especially in high water years. This project provided lessons applicable to planning shoreline restoration efforts to address the potential of extreme water level fluctuations resulting from climate change. These included reevaluating ecological criteria that were strongly influenced by water level, excavating wider channels to avoid cattail regrowth and blockages, and adaptive management to control emerging invasive species.

Presented During: Towards environmental flow implementation for a sustainable water future, 05/20/22 2:15 PM - 2:30 PM ET

DEVELOPING ECOLOGICAL FLOW NEEDS IN AN ALTERED REGION: APPLICATION OF CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL FLOWS FRAMEWORK IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, USA Kris Taniguchi-Quan, Katie Irving, Eric Stein, Aaron Poresky, Richard Wildman, Amanda Aprahamian, Cindy Rivers,

Presented During: Towards environmental flow implementation for a sustainable water future, 05/20/22 4:30 PM - 4:45 PM ET

VIRTUAL ONLY - MEXICAN ENVIRONMENTAL WATER RESERVES: PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT, IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES & OUTLOOK Sergio Salinas-Rodríguez, Everardo Barba Macías, Dulce Infante Mata, Iris Neri Flores, Claudia Monzon-Alvarado Since the early 2000s, water protection is recognized by the Mexican Water Law through three different types of reserves, domestic use, state hydropower generation for the public interest, and ecological protection. Environmental water reserves are established based on the implementation of a four-level hierarchical approach for coanducting environmental flow (eflow) studies, also known as Mexican Norm or standard. To date, 295 environmental water reserves have been enacted throughout the country for nearly 55% of the national mean annual runoff which drains in +484,000 km2, +44,000 km of free-flowing rivers (33% of Mexican river network), 64 wetlands of international importance, 82 natural protected areas, represent water needs Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 247

for up to 45 million people, and ~90 freshwater-dependent species (+40 protected). Eflow studies provide flow recommendations for at least four yearly hydrological conditions of ordinary or low flows (wet, average, dry, and very dry) with the associated flood regime component, yet there is a gap between administrative and on-site implementation.

The reserves were established at a fixed-annual volume regardless of flows variability, climate change effects, and a complementary set of regulations (i.e. management plans) to secure a dynamic eflows components timing. Through this research, we will present the performance assessment of the eflows Mexican Norm, the national strategy for reserving environmental water (theoretical volumes vs. reserves established), the reference values for both the water reserves’ (four management classes) and hydrological indices (coefficient of variation, baseflow index, and overall variability), and the implications and limitations of these findings in two ways, for scaling up.

Presented During: Towards environmental flow implementation for a sustainable water future, 05/20/22 4:45 PM - 5:00 PM ET

VIRTUAL ONLY - USUMACINTA RIVER E-FLOWS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO: THE CHALLENGE OF GOVERNING THE WATER & SEDIMENTS CONNECTIVITY Claudia Monzon-Alvarado, Everardo Barba Macías, Dulce Infante Mata, Iris Neri Flores, Sergio Salinas-Rodríguez Environmental flows (e-flows) encompass both water and sediment flow. Although this is widely accepted in our community, the implementation of this integrated concept tends to be in its infancy. This research derives from an effort to govern both water and sediment connectivity, which emerges from two ongoing initiatives in the Usumacinta River Basin in Mexico: the Environmental Water Reserves and the Sediment Observatory. We delve into the Catazajá lagoon system, a Ramsar site, located in the lower Usumacinta, which is experiencing serious socio-environmental challenges due to the alteration of e-flows. After the construction of six relatively small levees in the early 1990’s, the main water body went from having a seasonal flooding regime to a permanent one. This human intervention triggered a modification in the flow of ecosystem services and disservices associated with fisheries, scenic beauty, and modified ecosystem functions related to flooding, sedimentation, and the wetland shape. In this research, we reviewed the hydrological models of the region that were the basis for the definition of water reserves, incorporating technical, governmental and local knowledge to define a water and sediment monitoring system as well as the alternative paths towards sustainable environmental flows. Our initial find248 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

ings suggest that although the Water Reserves protects 90% of the flow of the Usumacinta River and ensures hydrological connectivity, sedimentary flows in Catazajá are altered and related functions are not guaranteed. Co-producing and implementing the monitoring and evaluating systems defined through collaborative efforts will contribute to adaptive and resilient governance of e-flows.

Presented During: Towards environmental flow implementation for a sustainable water future, 05/20/22 3:30 PM - 3:45 PM ET

EXPERIMENTAL BUG FLOWS INCREASED ALGAE PRODUCTION AND INSECT DIVERSITY IN THE COLORADO RIVER, GRAND CANYON Theodore Kennedy, Jeffrey Muehlbauer, Bridget Deemer, charles yackulic, Morgan Ford, Cheyenne Szydlo, Anya Metcalfe, David Lytle Aquatic insects are the cornerstone of river food webs and fuel growth of fish, bats, and other wildlife. Yet aquatic insect assemblages in the Colorado River downstream of Glen Canyon Dam are neither diverse nor productive, and therefore unhealthy, leading to food limitation for native fish and simplified food webs that are inherently unstable. Prior research by our group showed that hourly changes in flow associated with hydropower production was a significant constraint on aquatic insect assemblages.

To mitigate adverse effects of hydropower production on ecosystem processes, dam managers tested experimental Bug Flows in 2018-2020. These entailed steady-low flows every weekend from May-August with routine fluctuating releases for hydropower production on weekdays. Here we describe response of lower trophic levels to the experiment.

Bug Flows increased gross primary production on weekends by 38%, resulting in an additional 100 metric tons of algae-carbon to sustain food webs in the 400-km long Grand Canyon segment. More adult midges emerged from the Colorado River during steady-low weekend Bug Flows compared to weekday fluctuating releases, suggesting that steady-low flows improve conditions for adult insects.

Notably, the abundance of adult caddisflies captured in community science light trap monitoring increased by 400% riverwide in two of three Bug Flow years compared to the pre-Bug Flow baseline from 2012-2017. Bug Flows likely benefitted native fishes in Grand Canyon through increases in production and diversity of lower trophic levels, although continued experimentation, research, and monitoring would be needed to definitively establish this link.

Presented During: Towards environmental flow implementation for a sustainable water future, 05/20/22 2:00 PM - 2:15 PM ET

PROGRESS AND CHALLENGES IN IMPLEMENTING THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL FLOWS FRAMEWORK Theodore Grantham, Sarah Yarnell, Kris Taniguchi-Quan, Robert Lusardi, Julie Zimmerman, Bronwen Stanford, Alyssa Obester, Samuel Sandoval-Solis, Belize Lane, Eric Stein To increase the scale and effectiveness of environmental flow protections in California, USA resource managers and scientists in the state recently developed the California Environmental Flows Framework (CEFF). CEFF is a holistic approach designed to guide the assessment and implementation of environmental flows across a diversity of river types, management contexts, and regulatory programs. In this presentation, we will describe the collaborative process for developing CEFF and highlight the technical tools that have been built to support CEFF implementation. The collaborative, science-based approach has been successful in establishing broad support for CEFF by resource agencies, NGOs, and the water user community. Initial applications also suggest that CEFF and associated tools are accelerating environmental flow protections in the state. However, as CEFF is incorporated in regulatory processes and decision-making, we anticipate that water rights holders will be resistant to potential water allocation reductions and that on-going engagement, sustained funding, and new technical tools will be needed to facilitate large-scale implementation.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 1) - Monday Evening, 05/16/22

VIRTUAL ONLY - INVESTIGATING METHANOGEN COMMUNITY COMPOSITION AND ACTIVITY IN A RESTORED FRESHWATER WETLAND USING 13C-DNA STABLE ISOTOPE PROBING Nora Hamovit, Stephanie Yarwood, Taniya Roy Chowdhury Wetlands are the largest natural source of atmospheric methane (CH4), a potent greenhouse gas produced through microbial methanogenesis in water-saturated, suboxic, soils. Methanogen community composition and activity is shaped by soil conditions, but community response to long term shifts in these conditions is widely debated. Specifically, does past soil disturbance, and subsequent shifts in soil carbon, nutrient availability, and microbial community composition, alter the co-occurrence and competition of microbial activities that directly impact methanogens? Loss of competition, especially under suboxic redox conditions, could result in more CH4 production and higher wetland emissions. To address this question, we collected intact soil cores from a previously converted restored wetland and a

nearby natural wetland site. Intact cores were then incubated under either a suboxic or oxic redox condition with the addition of 13C-carbon labelled acetate, a substrate competed for by both methanogens as well as iron, nitrate, and sulfate reducers. At the end of incubations, DNA was extracted and analyzed using 13C-DNA stable isotope probing. This allowed identification of community members actively metabolizing acetate through sequencing of the universal 16s rRNA marker gene. Active restored site suboxic and oxic communities were dominated by acetoclastic methanogens in the genus Methanosarcina, suggesting methanogens were highly competitive in these incubations. Natural suboxic cores had a high relative abundance of sulfate reducers, as well as acetoclastic Methanosarcina and Methanothrix. Natural oxic cores had a high relative abundance of active iron and sulfate reducing bacteria, but no active methanogens, suggesting methanogens were outcompeted, especially under oxic conditions.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 1) - Monday Evening, 05/16/22

A COMPARISON OF MICROBIAL USE OF CARBON COMPOUNDS IN FRESHWATER AND COASTAL ECOSYSTEM OF THE ARCTIC TUNDRA. Jovannie Gomez, Alina Spera, Vanessa Lougheed Warming climate in the Arctic tundra is resulting in rapid thawing of permafrost and the discharge of both modern and ancient carbon (C) into coastal and freshwater aquatic ecosystems (e.g., lagoons, rivers, ponds). Released C can often be consumed by native microbial communities, although its uncertain what fraction of labile carbon can be metabolized, or what factors might limit microbial use of carbon. Our objective was to determine what fraction of C is labile and can be metabolized by native microbial communities, whether microbial metabolism is nutrient limited and how these vary across aquatic ecosystems. Water samples were collected from seven freshwater or brackish sites near Utiqiagvik, AK in July and August of 2021, filtered (0.7_m), assigned as controls or nutrient enriched (N+P), incubated at room temperatures in the dark, and measured on days 0, 40, and 70. DOC (dissolved organic carbon) was measured on a Shimadzu TOC-L, while carbon lability was estimated as SUVA254. Preliminary results showed that most samples experienced a decrease in DOC after incubation. The greatest percent decrease in DOC was observed in a nutrient and carbon-rich thermokarst pond. This same pond, and the sample from a large river saw substantially more degradation in carbon after 70 days versus 40. Two sites, a pond and small river, saw little to no effect of incuWetland Science & Practice July 2022 249

bation. These results suggest that permafrost thaw, notably that found in areas of accelerated thaw (i.e., thermokarst), may provide substantial substrates for microbial use of carbon and transformation into the greenhouse gas CO2.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 1) - Monday Evening, 05/16/22

NOVEL PREDATORS AND THEIR USE OF CRUCIAL SHOREBIRD NESTING HABITAT The coyote (Canis latrans) and the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) have come to dominate parts of the eastern North American coast, of which they are not historical inhabitants, and have become major predators of shorebirds in some of these areas. How these predators partition niche space within these coastal areas, and amongst the broader predator guild present in these areas, is not well known. Seasonal changes in prey abundances, as well as fluctuations in availability of anthropogenic food subsidies, may affect patterns of habitat use. Differences in the habitat structure may influence species-specific differences in habitat selection.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 1) - Monday Evening, 05/16/22

ECOSYSTEM SERVICES IN THE POST-COLONIAL PARADIGM OF DEVELOPMENT IN THE EAST KOLKATA WETLANDS, INDIA Abhinandan Bera, Andy Cole Rapid urbanization in developing nations has led to unprecedented degradation of social and ecological capital.

Developing nations – many of which are former colonies – show a typical dualism in the relationship between humans and water resources owing to the colonial philosophy of taming nature for human benefits. This colonial dualism – having delegitimized traditional human-water relationships – has further widened the gap between urban development and water stewardship, thus necessitating an integrated approach towards addressing social and ecological systems together and not as separate components of a landscape.

This paper challenges development as an urban agenda and advocates the adoption of an integrative social-ecological lens to scrutinize governance of social and ecological capital in the context of ecosystem services by taking the example of the East Kolkata Wetlands (EKW), a Ramsar site in India. For assessment of the evolution of development as the urban agenda, I rely on theories of global change for understanding their impact on associated social issues, especially concerning the urban poor. Through an examination of the EKW as a social-ecological system (SES), we 250 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

find that assessment of systemic interactions as robustness trade-offs helps us account for the drivers of spatial change in diagnosing vulnerabilities to the provision of ecosystem services. This study presents a new perspective for addressing urban issues of the future by learning from the colonial dualities evident in developing nations and employing the SES framework to examine barriers to the robustness of ecosystem services for future urban development.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 1) - Monday Evening, 05/16/22

GROUNDWATER RISK AND RESILIENCE IN SOCIALHYDROLOGICAL SYSTEMS Edgar Guerrón-Orejuela, Kai Rains, Mark Rains, Shawn Landry, William Kleindl, Sarah Church Groundwater is an essential, yet limited resource. It is used for many consumptive uses, especially in rural settings where centralized water resources are limited. However, it is also used by groundwater-dependent ecosystems, including wetlands, streams, and estuaries. In the Kenai Peninsula Lowlands, Alaska, groundwater discharge from seeps and springs to riparian wetlands and streams play fundamental roles in supporting streamflow, e.g., through modulating stream temperatures and delivering nitrogen and carbon subsidies to streams. These processes are critical for the maintenance of stream habitats utilized by overwintering juvenile salmonids. As regional population grows, consumptive use of groundwater is expected to increase, stressing this limited shared resource. Lacking a shared understanding and tools to facilitate communication and enhance resource management, continued groundwater depletion could lead towards economic, ecological, and cultural collapse. Therefore, the stability and resilience of communities, like the Kenai Peninsula Lowlands, depend on well-informed, science-based, collaborative decision-making. In this study, we partnered with local and regional stakeholders to learn together about groundwater in the area. Using Analytical Hierarchy Process and GIS, we identified areas where groundwater is most vulnerable to anthropogenic impacts, especially consumptive uses.

Results include visualizations identifying areas with higher degrees of groundwater vulnerability to anthropogenic impacts. These products are driving a community-wide conversation about the limited but shared groundwater resources. These products are further being used to inform local decision-making and to showcase the use of groundwater vulnerability modeling and collaborative decision-making to other communities facing competition for groundwater so they, too, may consider this approach.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 1) - Monday Evening, 05/16/22

SYNCHRONY AND DRIVERS OF AQUATIC CO2 FLUX IN THE ALASKAN ARCTIC TUNDRA Lizette Gonzalez, Alina Spera, Vanessa Lougheed The Arctic tundra is one of the ecosystems with the fastest warming on earth due to climate change. As a result, higher temperatures in the region increase the availability of organic carbon through permafrost thawing. Furthermore, previous studies identified that small waterbodies in the Arctic tundra could act as substantial sources of CO2 to the atmosphere. This study examined how synchronous different habitat types are in their flux and their immediate and lagged response to water temperature and precipitation. We monitored on a diel basis two lakes, four rivers, one tundra pond, and one thermokarst pond located near Utqia_vik, AK, during late summer of 2013-2019. We recorded substantial difference in pCO2 in these ecosystems, ranging from the lowest concentrations in lakes (368 +/- 220 µatm) to rivers (1139 +/- 147 µatm) and tundra ponds (1596 +/911µatm), and the highest concentrations in thermokarst ponds (8111 +/- 213 µatm). Synchrony in ponds and rivers appeared to be related to precipitation, and ponds showed the most synchronous patterns of CO2 flux. When analyzing water temperature as a driver, ponds and lakes tended to have higher CO2 flux with higher temperatures, while rivers showed a negative effect. In conclusion, knowing the behavior of the CO2 flux from Arctic tundra waterbodies will allow us to estimate the amount of CO2 that is not currently part of the regional carbon budget, as well as to know the dynamics of terrestrial carbon pools.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 1) - Monday Evening, 05/16/22

CHANGES IN MACROBENTHIC DIVERSITY IN RESPONSE TO SAND DREDGING Vanessa Baker, Emelie Foster, James Nelson To combat coastal erosion, strategies such as sand dredging are used to repair shorelines and alleviate coastal stressors.

The impacts sand mining has on the biological communities of ocean systems are largely unknown but could include changes in nekton behavior, production availability, habitat quality, and community composition. To further understand the impacts on macrobenthos, we use a modified Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) methodology to assess how macrobenthic diversity changes in response to immediate sand dredging and recovery over time. We hy-

pothesized that as sand is removed and alluvial sediments fill the pits, diversity would decrease. We collected box core samples from recently dredged, previously dredged, and undredged regions of a sand shoal located off the coast of Louisiana. After the samples were sieved, we identified specimens down the family level and performed a Shannon Diversity Index analysis from each location. There were no significant differences detected in diversity with dredge status or recovery, but species composition varied.

Our findings suggest that while diversity is not impacted by dredging, community composition is influenced. This highlights the importance of further exploring the impacts sand evacuation poses to macrobenthos, and how this may influence marine ecosystems.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 1) - Monday Evening, 05/16/22

EFFECTS OF THIN LAYER PLACEMENT RESTORATION ON PLANT GROWTH IN LONG ISLAND SOUND SALT MARSHES Nicolette Nelson, Madeleine Meadows-McDonnell, Madeline Kollegger, Frank Gigliotti, Min Huang, Chris Elphick, Ashley Helton, Beth A Lawrence Managers are addressing salt marsh loss to sea level rise and coastal development (“salt marsh squeeze”) with thin layer placement (TLP), where sediment is applied to marsh surfaces to increase elevation and reduce inundation frequency. TLP can promote plant productivity and marsh persistence, but the effects of tidal range and sediment grain size on plant growth remain unknown. To address this issue, we implemented an in-situ blocked experiment in April 2021 at three Connecticut, USA, salt marsh complexes across a tidal range gradient (~0.85 m - 2.2 m). At each site, five replicate blocks of five sediment treatments were placed within 2.25 m2 plots in low- and high-elevation marsh zones. Sediment treatments included an unmanipulated control and ~7.5 cm additions of silt-loam, silty-sand, sand, and cobble mixtures that represented dredged materials from the region. After four months, high marsh plots were dominated by Spartina patens and Distichlis spicata, and low marsh plots by S. alterniflora, mirroring pre-treatment community composition. D. spicata occurrences increased with greater tidal range, while S. patens and S. alterniflora occurrences declined. Total plant cover did not differ across the tidal range gradient. While total cover was greatest in unamended controls, cover and biomass generally decreased with greater sediment texture size, especially in high marsh plots. Our preliminary findings show that fine-grained sediments may be effective for TLP regardless of tidal range, but we will continue to monitor this experWetland Science & Practice July 2022 251

iment to investigate how multiple growing seasons alter revegetation patterns.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 1) - Monday Evening, 05/16/22

THE ROLE OF GROUNDWATER DELIVERY IN STREAM BANK NITROUS OXIDE EMISSIONS Fiona Liu, Alaina Bisson, Eric Moore, Martin Briggs, Ashley Helton Groundwater discharge can contribute significant concentrations of nitrogen (N) and nitrous oxide gas (N2O) to streams and rivers, potentially playing an important role in stream network N2O emissions. However, the range of possible N2O emitted and the factors influencing the magnitude of emissions from a stream bank are not yet characterized. To quantify the spatial heterogeneity of groundwater N2O delivery to stream and river corridors, we measured streambank soil-to-atmosphere N2O fluxes along three stream reaches (2nd, 3rd, and 5th orders) from banks with and without actively discharging preferential groundwater.

The streambanks investigated were located in the Farmington River watershed in Connecticut, USA. At each stream reach, we measured five replicated gas flux rates along two streambanks with actively discharging groundwater and an adjacent streambank without active groundwater discharge.

Emissions of N2O ranged from -0.1107 to 0.7545 mg/m2/ min (mean = 0.0470 +/- 0.0185 mg/m2/min) and were higher from streambanks with active groundwater discharge for all three stream reaches. Furthermore, streambanks without active groundwater discharge had net N2O consumption for nearly all measurements (negative fluxes for 20 of 21 measurements). N2O emissions were significantly higher (p < 0.05) from the active banks that also have elevated total dissolved nitrogen (2.393 +/- 0.094 mg N/L) relative to the other active banks (0.538 +/- 0.098 mg N/L). Overall, consistently higher N2O emissions from streambanks with actively discharging groundwater suggest the magnitude and spatial patterning of groundwater discharge locations are likely important for understanding stream network N2O emission dynamics.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 1) - Monday Evening, 05/16/22

EFFECTS OF THIN-LAYER PLACEMENT SEDIMENT DEPTH ON DENITRIFICATION POTENTIAL IN A COASTAL CONNECTICUT SALT MARSH Drew Tienken, Beth A Lawrence 252 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

Salt marshes provide valuable ecosystem services by sequestering carbon and improving water quality through nitrate removal, yet they are threatened by increasing submergence associated with accelerated sea level rise. To mitigate submerging marshes, thin-layer placement (TLP) is a strategy that applies dredged sediment onto marsh surfaces to increase marsh elevation, but it is unknown how adding different sediment depths alter plant and biogeochemical responses, such as denitrification. We used a blocked experiment in a coastal Connecticut salt marsh to test four sediment depths: no sediment addition, 5-7 cm (low), 9-11 cm (medium), and 13-15 cm (high); each treatment was replicated in six, 1x1-m, framed plots. We took randomly located soil cores in each plot to estimate denitrification potential, nitrate and ammonium concentrations, electrical conductivity, pH, total carbon and nitrogen content, and microbial community composition. Preliminary analysis indicates higher denitrification potential with low sediment addition than other treatments. This suggests adding 5-7cm of sediment may mitigate submergence associated with accelerated sea level rise while stimulating denitrification by creating proper environmental conditions. We will investigate how plant biomass (above and below ground), sediment chemistry, and microbial community composition relate to denitrification potential to provide management recommendations to promote nitrogen removal in TLP-managed marshes.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 1) - Monday Evening, 05/16/22

TESTING THE APPLICABILITY OF A HYDROGEOMORPHIC ASSESSMENT ON MARSH FUNCTION IN A GEORGIA (USA) SALT MARSH: A CASE STUDY Lori Sutter, Katie Lamp’l, Susan Wilde The USACE Savannah District requires the use of the HGM Regional Guidebook developed for the Mississippi and Alabama Gulf Coast to assess Georgia salt marshes.

Because the method was developed in a micro-tidal system, we tested its applicability to the meso-tidal systems found in Georgia. We evaluated whether we could discern potential ecological lift in an area of the marsh with highly altered hydrology (“disturbed” site) to one with more natural tidal regimes (“reference” site). Here, we focus on the biogeochemical function, specifically--is the marsh a source or sink for sediment and nutrients during seasonal sampling? Using an ADCP, four transects across small creeks were made every 15-minutes over a tidal cycle to capture discharge during flood and ebbtides. Water samples collected every 30 minutes provided suspended sediments,

total carbon and nitrogen, nitrate+nitrite (NOx), phosphate, and ammonium. Preliminary results suggest the reference marsh alternates between a sediment source or sink, whereas the disturbed marsh was a sink in three seasons.

Dissolved phosphate leaving the channel exceeded that coming in within the reference marsh but could be a source in the disturbed marsh. The reference marsh consistently exported dissolved ammonium, but the disturbed site was generally neutral. Dissolved NOx-N varied seasonally at both reference and disturbed marshes, with the disturbed site appearing to serve more of a sink relative to the reference in Spring and summer. The results of this research will be compared to rapid assessment results following the Regional HGM Guidebook to evaluate its implementation in Georgia with insight Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 1) - Monday Evening, 05/16/22

MANAGING COASTAL MARSHES IN THE FACE OF SEA LEVEL RISE: THIN LAYER PLACEMENT AND SOIL PORE WATER CHEMISTRY Madeline Kollegger, Nicolette Nelson, Madeleine Meadows-McDonnell, Frank Gigliotti, Min Huang, Chris Elphick, Beth A Lawrence, Ashley Helton Coastal salt marshes worldwide are facing widespread loss as sea levels rise and landward marsh migration is constrained by human development. Thin layer placement (TLP) is a management strategy where sediment is added to the marsh surface to increase elevation and prevent wetland loss, but can hinder plant growth if acid sulfate soils develop. To evaluate the feasibility of TLP for salt marshes bordering Long Island Sound in New England, USA we tested several soil amendments to either prevent the development of acid sulfate soils, or neutralize the resulting acidity. Our ex situ experiment used 42 soil cores gathered from Great Meadows Marsh in Stratford, Connecticut. We tested four treatments (iron oxide coated mulch, crushed shells, pelletized lime, and recycled concrete), and two control treatments (one of added sediment, another with no added sediment), with seven-fold replication; all replicates were subjected to simulated tidal fluctuations daily for 16 weeks. Each week, pore water was sampled to quantify changes in pH, sulfide, and ferrous iron. Preliminary data show that crushed shells were most effective at increasing soil pH while recycled concrete provided an immediate increase to pH which declined as the experiment progressed.

Lime had significantly higher amounts of sulfide and ferrous iron when compared with other treatments while recycled concrete and crushed shells had the least sulfide

and ferrous iron respectively. This experiment can inform management-scale decisions, as managers seek to offset sulfidic soils through the addition of amendments, especially as the amendments we tested are inexpensive and widely available.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 1) - Monday Evening, 05/16/22

BIOMASS PARTITIONING OF PHRAGMITES AUSTRALIS & TYPHA DOMINGENSIS IN RESPONSE TO DEPTH AND FERTILITY Olajuwon Jimoh, Robert Doyle In wetlands, the distribution and growth of invasive species are often affected by disturbances such as water depth fluctuations and nutrient loading fluxes. These changes could facilitate the growth of invasive species, replacing the native vegetation. We examined the effect of soil nutrient enrichment and flooding depth on the biomass allocation of Phragmites australis and Typha domingensis in mesocosms at the Lake Waco Wetlands. The two species were grown at three depths and two sediment nutrient treatments.

The sediment nutrient treatment consisted of control with no nutrient addition and a high nutrient loading of 120 g N m-2 using slow-release Osmocote®. The three water levels were 43.9 cm, 23.6 cm, and 3.3 cm. representing the low, mid, and shallow depth. In unfertilized sediments, the total biomass of T. domingensis in the mid-depth was more significant than the shallow depth but similar to the low depth. The total biomass of T. domingensis was similar across all depths in the control treatment. Aboveground to belowground biomass ratio for fertilized and unfertilized T. domingensis increased with an increase in flooding depth. Phragmites australis total biomass was significantly reduced with a corresponding increase in flooding depth.

However, the ABG: BGB ratio showed an increasing trend with depth, though not significantly. Our study showed that the biomass partitioning of T. domingensis and P. australis was affected by both flooding depth and nutrient enrichment. Furthermore, T. domingensis exhibited characteristics of plants adapted to flooding, while P. australis biomass generally decreased with deeper flooding.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 1) - Monday Evening, 05/16/22

WATER WILLOW (JUSTICIA AMERICANA): DRIVER OR PASSENGER OF ITS OZARK STREAM ECOSYSTEM? Alexis Reifsteck, Michelle Bowe, La Toya Kissoon-Charles, Deb Finn Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 253

Ozark streams have unique karst geology and diverse ecosystems, many of which include the native macrophyte Justicia americana (water willow). Water willow has been shown to modify local habitat in other ecoregions by increasing streambed stability thanks to its rhizomatous growth that alters sediment size and embeddedness.

However, water willow occupancy may be affected by broader-scale environmental influences, such as nutrient availability. In spring 2022, we will survey water willow in six Ozark streams along an agricultural gradient to measure its response to major nutrients and local effects on streambed sediment. We have established sample reaches in each stream that are comparable in size (2nd-order), dominant substrate (coarse gravel), and flow regime (groundwater flashy). At each study reach, we will measure the density of water willow shoots and biomass distribution in roots, shoots, and rhizomes. We will also collect water samples to measure phosphate and nitrate concentrations, and we will measure sediment size distribution and embeddedness, depth, mean water velocity, and canopy cover both within water willow patches and in paired locations without water willow. Results of this study will provide baseline data to better understand water willow’s potential role as an ecosystem engineer in Ozark streams and generate hypotheses about nutrient conditions that might be necessary for water willow to thrive.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 1) - Monday Evening, 05/16/22

DIEL GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS DEMONSTRATE A STRONG RESPONSE TO VEGETATION PATCH TYPES IN A FRESHWATER WETLAND Aileen Taylor, Graham Stewart, Sean Sharp, Margaret Palmer Wetland methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are highly variable over spatial and temporal scales due to variations in the functional controls of both CH4/ CO2 production and transport. Diurnal variability is an aspect of temporal variability that is poorly studied for wetland systems. Existing studies report conflicting patterns of CH4/CO2 emissions that are dependent on a range of characteristics, including vegetation cover; so we cannot make broad generalizations about diel flux variability nor how this might vary among vegetation patches. We investigated diurnal patterns of CH4 and CO2 emissions in a freshwater depressional wetland (Maryland, USA) across three functionally unique patches: two with vegetation (emergent vegetation and submerged aquatic vegetation), and one without (open water). We sampled for 6 24-hour periods 254 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

across 3 summer campaigns using non-steady state chambers. We measured water temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen concentrations to elucidate potential drivers of diel variability. Preliminary results suggest that there is diurnal variability in CH4 fluxes across patch types, with some seasonal-within patch variability. The submerged aquatic vegetation patch demonstrated a consistent CH4 flux peak at midday across all campaigns, compared to the emergent vegetation patch, which had steady flux of CH4 through each diel period with some increase in flux magnitude during the late-day. Open water fluxes were low excluding the second campaign and consistently variable. CO2 fluxes displayed diel variability across all patch types with some patterns consistent throughout the season. Our results suggest a need for additional studies of CH4/CO2 diurnal variability across different wetland types.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 1) - Monday Evening, 05/16/22

LINKING PATTERNS OF WETLAND SOIL CARBON AND NONNATIVE PLANT RICHNESS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES Alexis Jackson, Kelly Reiss, David Kaplan Wetlands are an important carbon storage reservoir, which makes them critically important for regulating global climate and biogeochemical cycles. While decades of research have investigated the drivers of wetland carbon storage and loss, fewer studies have quantified how plants — an specifically non-native plants — affect wetland soil carbon dynamics. To do so, we analyzed data from the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Wetland Condition Assessment (NWCA), a nationwide survey that aims to quantify wetland condition, segmented into four main ecoregions. We used wetland vegetation and soil data from the US Coastal Plains Ecoregion collected in 2011 (n=513) and 2016 (n=347); of these wetlands, n=73 were sampled in both years. Using this data, we asked the following questions: 1) what are the primary drivers of wetland soil organic carbon storage across the US coastal plain? 2) is dominance by non-native plants associated with soil carbon storage? and 3) how did soil organic carbon and the relative abundance of non-native plant communities change between 2011 and 2016 — and were these changes consistently correlated? Data analysis is ongoing, however preliminary results suggest wide variation in wetland carbon storage driven by wetland type, latitude, and climate (drier in 2011 and wetter in 2016), with increases in wetland carbon storage and invasive plant dominance between 2011 and 2016. Overall, we hope this will help improve our understanding of the linkages between carbon storage and

vegetation in wetlands across a wide geographic and disturbance gradient, and give insight on how we can better manage these important ecosystems.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 1) - Monday Evening, 05/16/22

MODELING SPECIES RICHNESS IN COASTAL WETLANDS Ñ HOW FAR CAN CITIZEN SCIENCE DATA TAKE US? Hallie Marshall, Helen Tripp, Sigrid Smith Wetland biodiversity of the Delaware Bay and its bordering coastlines holds both local and global significance.

Understanding spatial variability in diversity is useful for evaluating ecosystem service support and for informing environmental decision-making. Currently, there is not a biodiversity distribution model with comprehensive representation of Delaware coastal wetland species. We modeled and mapped species richness along the Delaware coastline using a subset of species representing wetland communities. We investigated the capabilities of current, openly-available citizen science sources by comparing dynamic occupancy models built with citizen science data to other biodiversity models. The occupancy models revealed fine-scale spatial variation in the distributions of representative species. Resulting statistical analyses and hotspot maps demonstrate that citizen science data can enhance our understanding of coastal biodiversity distribution under certain conditions. However, there are still practical limitations to utilizing citizen science data alone as an alternative to other methods of evaluating biodiversity.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 2) Wednesday Evening, 05/18/22

REESTABLISHING LAKESHORE WETLAND VEGETATION FOLLOWING PHRAGMITES MANAGEMENT IN THE HIGHLY DEGRADED UTAH LAKE SYSTEM Jes Braun, Karin Kettenring Management of the widespread invasive grass Phragmites australis is well-studied, but most research is focused on ways to suppress existing stands. Fewer studies have investigated native plant restoration post-invader removal.

In addition, many lake systems in the Intermountain West, USA, are experiencing unnatural fluctuations in water levels due largely to upstream diversions and climate change.

These fluctuations are further exacerbating the recovery of native plants in restoration projects. Here we evaluate strategies to revegetate one such system, Utah Lake. We assessed techniques to increase native vegetation establish-

ment despite water level fluctuations in a field experiment evaluating seedling plug planting arrangement, seeding density of a 19 species mix, and planting elevation. We found that dispersed plug plantings had higher total plant cover at the end of season than clumped plug plantings for both study species, Bolboschoenus maritimus and Distichlis spicata. A higher seeding density of 5 times the recommended rate was more successful at suppressing invasive plants than the standard rate. The two elevations closest to the shoreline had the highest total cover regardless of plug planting arrangement or seeding density, likely due to the record breaking drought in the area which created a sharp decrease in lake level elevation. All plots will be monitored through a second growing season (2022) to elucidate multiyear effects of these techniques. These results can help inform revegetation projects on Utah Lake and be extended to similar lake or reservoir systems in the Intermountain West.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 2) Wednesday Evening, 05/18/22

AQUATIC MACROINVERTEBRATES AS INDICATORS OF RESTORATION SUCCESS IN PRAIRIE POTHOLE REGION WETLANDS Whitney Sauskojus, Jon Sweetman, Marinus Otte The Prairie Pothole Region of North America has had significant loss of wetlands due to agricultural conversion and land use change. Prairie wetlands are recognized as important sources of critical waterfowl and wildlife habitat as well as ecosystem services. Restoration of wetlands is an important management strategy, but there is limited research examining the success of wetland restoration.

Invertebrate abundance and diversity are used widely as assessment tools in monitoring the function and productivity of lakes and rivers, however, understanding of the recovery of wetland aquatic macroinvertebrate communities following restoration is still poorly unknown. To evaluate this, we collected samples of macroinvertebrates from 20 wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota; 5 undisturbed wetlands and 15 wetlands that were restored at different times in the past, ranging from 1987 to 2016.

Our expectation is that macroinvertebrate abundance and diversity will be lower in restored wetlands versus natural, undisturbed sites but will increase in restored wetlands over time. We also expect there to be a faster recovery of taxa with high-dispersal abilities but taxa with limited dispersal make take longer to recover.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 2) Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 255

Wednesday Evening, 05/18/22

USING COMMUNITY SIZE SPECTRA TO UNDERSTAND FOOD WEB REASSEMBLY AFTER DROUGHT Rose Mohammadi, Travis Apgar, Michael Bogan, Brian Gill, Albert Ruhi Climate change is predicted to amplify hydrologic extremes and increase the severity and duration of droughts in many regions globally. However, questions remain surrounding food web reassembly after drought because invertebrate prey and fish predators may respond to and recover from drought in different ways. This study seeks to understand (1) whether invertebrate community recovery trajectories after seasonal drying differ across a stream network and (2) whether the timing of predator arrival influences the recovery trajectory of prey (priority effects). To answer these questions, we studied Chalone Creek, an intermittent river network in Pinnacles National Park, CA where ~90% of the stream length dries for part of the year. In this model ecosystem, drought causes local extirpations of the predator fish (three-spined stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus) which then recolonize more slowly than their invertebrate prey. We then related these seasonal abundance of 202 invertebrate taxa sampled from 2015-2019 across 16 sites to species body size and computed community size spectra (CSS) slopes. We find that perennial sites have a steeper CSS curve in the summer compared to the winter, indicating that large, predatory taxa may have increased metabolic demands during the drying phase. We find that intermittent sites have slightly flatter CSS curves in the summer, indicating that predatory taxa may not survive the thermal stress during summer months, thereby releasing their prey from top-down control. These results highlight the importance of understanding biotic interactions over time and how abiotic factors like drought may determine the strength of top-down control across different seasons.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 2) Wednesday Evening, 05/18/22

SPATIAL ASYNCHRONY IN THE WESTERN BASIN OF LAKE ERIE DERIVED FROM HIGH FREQUENCY BUOY DATA Claire Stevens, Paul Frost, Yulong Kuai, Nolan Pearce, Rylie Robinson, Mathew Wells, Arthur Zastepa, Aaron Fisk, Marguerite Xenopoulos The western basin of Lake Erie experiences recurring dense and spatially expansive harmful algal blooms (HABs), which can sometimes be so severe that intakes for municipal drinking water systems must be temporarily shut 256 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

down. Funded by an Alliance grant from Canada’s Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, our goal is to develop an early-warning system for HABs in Lake Erie using real-time high frequency sensor data collected from a network of monitoring buoys. Our first objective is to identify any spatial variation in the underlying processes that govern HAB formation and movement to refine the placement of monitoring buoys for this early-warning system.

The western basin of Lake Erie receives water from both the Detroit and Maumee Rivers, creating a complex system of two hydrochemically distinct inflows with variable circulation patterns. In 2021, a network of seven monitoring buoys were deployed in the western basin to capture these distinct water circulation patterns, major tributary inputs, and nearshore/offshore environments. We used mean Pearson correlation to tabulate spatial synchrony of surface and bottom water chlorophyll, phycocyanin, temperature, and dissolved oxygen, as well as thermal stratification and water circulation indices, collected from the seven buoys.

Our preliminary analysis suggests that spatial asynchrony is prevalent. Asynchrony was present in epilimnion and hypolimnion dissolved oxygen. In contrast, we found that water temperature was synchronous. This widespread asynchrony implies that that an effective early-warning system will require data collected from many locations. Additionally, asynchrony indicates that HAB formation in Lake Erie is largely driven by internal factors and dynamics.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 2) Wednesday Evening, 05/18/22

CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON COASTAL CENTER Marcela Strane, Stacey Louie, Steven Pennings, Arturo Leon The University of Houston Coastal Center is an interdisciplinary education and research center that has been established since the 1960s by the Texas Legislature. One of the major projects that are currently in progress is the development of 14 individual constructed wetlands for field studies, which services a greater need for wetland research in Texas. The wetlands are designed as subsurface flow constructed wetlands with a diameter of 13 feet and a depth of 5 feet. The base media layers include large gravel, pea gravel, sand, and a geomembrane that allows drainage and subsurface flow. Soil is placed above the geomembrane and will be planted with native species of plants and submerged in water. The piping was constructed and connected with the capability to be programmed to change the inlet flow, monitor water levels, and engineered to flush the overflow

of water with remotely operated drains. Water quality and treatment can also be evaluated using field data loggers such as a SmartRock, developed by the OPEnS Lab, to monitor and record pH, conductivity, turbidity, and salinity.

Future projects using the constructed wetlands are expected to result in research in interdisciplinary projects, such as understanding how wetland systems can be used for flood control in extreme events along the coast, which can lead to further collaboration and community outreach.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 2) Wednesday Evening, 05/18/22

HOW MANY WETLANDS DOES IT TAKE TO CLEAN A LAKE? DEFINING A REQUISITE AREA OF TREATMENT WETLANDS VIA PREDICTIVE MODELS. Kyle Boutin, Mosammat Mustari Khanaum, Tiansong Qi, Xuefeng Chu, Marinus Otte Wetlands are known to effectively sequester nutrients and sediments, and are constructed specifically for that purpose.

It should be possible to construct wetlands in impaired watersheds to reduce nutrient and sediment loads, but the question of how many wetlands are needed to reduce loads within a watershed to below acceptable levels has yet to be answered. Our study aims to address this question using the modeling software PTMApp and ArcSWAT to simulate future nutrient and sediment loads under a variety of different wetland-construction scenarios within a nutrient and sediment impaired watershed in North Dakota. Ecological and economic implications of each scenario, including potential for wildlife habitat and biomass production, will be considered.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 2) Wednesday Evening, 05/18/22

USING REMOTE SENSING AND MACHINE LEARNING TO LOCATE GROUNDWATER DISCHARGE TO SALMON-BEARING STREAMS Kai Rains, Mary Gerlach, Edgar Guerrón-Orejuela, William Kleindl, Joni Downs, Shawn Landry, Mark Rains We hypothesized topographic features alone could be used to locate groundwater discharge, but only where diagnostic topographic signatures could first be identified through the use of limited field observations and geologic data. We built a geodatabase from geologic and topographic data, with the geologic data only covering ~40% of the study area and topographic data derived from airborne LiDAR covering the entire study area. We identified two types of ground-

water discharge: shallow hillslope groundwater discharge, commonly manifested as diffuse seeps, and aquifer-outcrop groundwater discharge, commonly manifested as springs.

We developed multistep manual procedures that allowed us to accurately predict the locations of both types of groundwater discharge in 93% of cases, though only where geologic data were available. However, field verification suggested that both types of groundwater discharge could be identified by specific combinations of topographic variables alone. We then applied maximum entropy modeling, a machine learning technique, to predict the prevalence of both types of groundwater discharge using six topographic variables: profile curvature range, with a permutation importance of 43.2%, followed by distance to flowlines, elevation, topographic roughness index, flow-weighted slope, and planform curvature, with permutation importance of 20.8%, 18.5%, 15.2%, 1.8%, and 0.5%, respectively. The AUC values for the model were 0.95 for training data and 0.91 for testing data, indicating outstanding model performance.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 2) Wednesday Evening, 05/18/22

AGRICULTURAL INFLUENCE ON BIOGEOCHEMICAL STORAGE IN GEOGRAPHICALLY ISOLATED WETLANDS IN THE SOUTHWESTERN GA, USA Chloe Eggert, Matthew Waters, Stephen Golladay, Frances O’Donnell, Steven Brantley, Coleman Barrie The Dougherty plain of southwestern Georgia has karst geology containing many geographically isolated wetlands (GIWs). The region also supports intensive irrigated agriculture. Whereas wetlands that are within or adjacent to crop fields can receive significant runoff of sediment and reactive nutrients (N, P, and organic C), their spatial and temporal storage is poorly understood. Here, we investigated the biogeochemical fate of agricultural runoff on GIWs by applying paleolimnological techniques to sediment surface samples and cores. Our objective was to determine nutrient deposition and storage in GIWs located in agricultural and reference forested areas. We found greater organic matter present in the top sediment layer (0-2cm) of reference (36% OM) compared to agriculture wetlands (11% OM). Agricultural wetlands exhibited organic matter deposition deeper into core stratigraphy suggesting increased storage through time. N in the agricultural wetlands was low but constant through time (0.2±0.08%) whereas P-levels were elevated (0.9±0.2 mg g-1) compared to the reference (0.2±0.2 mg g-1). Ag wetlands show a substantial acceleration of sediment and P loading post-1970 with Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 257

agriculture intensification. Spatial distribution of sediment deposited differed with reference wetlands displaying heterogeneous organic matter accumulation. In intensively farmed areas, remaining GIW’s retained elements of wetland function by processing and storage of nutrients prior to groundwater recharge. This study is designed to provide recommendations on best practices for managing runoff and maintaining wetland function at a field and landscape scales Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 2) Wednesday Evening, 05/18/22

THE LONG-TERM DEVELOPMENT OF WETLAND PLANT COMMUNITIES IN A CREATED DESERT WETLAND (EL PASO, XT).

Enrique Garcia, Vanessa Lougheed Constructed wetlands (CW) have been created worldwide to help reduce toxicants and pollutants and restore the natural environment. In CW, the vegetation can sometimes be re-established without planting once hydrology is restored in these ecosystems. Hydrological changes such as water frequency and extended drying may alter the structure and composition of aquatic communities. To understand how the vegetation composition has changed with variable water availability over time, we document the long-term development of wetland plant communities in the two cells in Rio Bosque Wetlands Park (RBWP) at El Paso, TX. We explored the bathymetry, the plant composition, and the restoration of wetland vegetation a multiple time points between 2005 to 2017. Vegetation was allowed to establish naturally over time in response to winter water deliveries (2005-2014) and summer water deliveries (2016-7).

Relative frequency and cover of wetland plants increased following the provision of summer water, with water depth a primary predictor of wetland plant community development. An NMDS ordination showed a transition of the vegetation community from the limited water years to the more regular water availability. Regular data collection over time from the RBWP has helped to understand how the ecosystem, community, and population dynamics have changed before and after the more regular water availability. It is vital to understand this ecosystem’s vulnerability to have effective management conservation.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 2) Wednesday Evening, 05/18/22

QUANTIFICATION OF MICROPLASTIC PARTICLES IN FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS USING NILE RED 258 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

James Welty, John Berges Microplastics (particles between 5 mm and 1.6 _m) are of growing concern in aquatic ecosystems, found suspended in the water column, in sediments and in the tissues and digestive tracts of vertebrate and invertebrate species. There is good evidence that they bioaccumulate and biomagnify in food webs. While there are several methods for analysis, most of these require expensive equipment and their effectiveness on mixed environmental samples is uncertain.

Our goal is to develop a simple, broadly applicable and economical means for quantifying microplastics in in water, sediment, and biological samples. We modified existing protocols using the fluorescent lipid stain, Nile Red. Samples were isolated by density using a concentrated ZnCl2 solution and digested to remove organic matter in 30% H2O2 at 60 °C for 24 h. Material recovered was dyed with Nile Red solution (1 _g mL-1 dissolved in DSMO), imaged with epifluorescence microscopy and analyzed using freely available software (ImageJ). The technique was validated with standard polystyrene microspheres (14.3 _m), and standards created from consumer plastic waste including polyethylenes, polyvinyl chloride and polypropylene.

While the process was effective with all plastics assayed, there was variation among types; Nile Red stained polyethylenes most strongly and there is evidence that it does not stain other plastics such as butadiene. Peroxide digestion effectively removed organic material without loss of plastics. Once validated side-by-side against standard FITR and Raman spectroscopy, we hope to use this method in routine sampling of Lake Michigan coastal environments.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 2) Wednesday Evening, 05/18/22

EFFECTS OF LAYERED LEGACIES OF DISTURBANCES ON MARSH TRANSGRESSION IN THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO Camille Steenrod, Loretta Battaglia Sea levels are rising due to climate change. The persistence of marshes will ultimately be determined by the ability of marshes to keep pace with sea level rise. However, frequent disturbances, such as prescribed fire and hurricanes, are acting in combination with sea level rise to impact these vulnerable coastal ecosystems. This study addresses the effects of the layered legacies of disturbances (including four prescribed burns and 31 hurricanes/tropical storms from 2004 to 2021) on community composition in a marsh along the northern Gulf of Mexico over a 70 cm elevation gradient (-10 cm to 50 cm). It was hypothesized that community

composition would change over time from 2004 to 2021, and that there would be compositional differences along the elevation gradient in 2021. Both hypotheses were supported: almost all combinations of plots across all elevation zones were significantly different from one another, and all elevation zones were significantly different from one another in 2021. These composition changes demonstrate that vegetation communities along the Gulf Coast are primarily driven by the tidal regime and storm surges, and that the community is responding to the disturbances impacting this area. Fires are likely to have reduced woody species and discouraged regeneration, while hurricanes are likely to have uprooted trees and stressed vegetation through storm surge inundation and extreme precipitation and flooding.

These compositional changes, along with preliminary remote sensing data, suggest that species in lower elevations are migrating upslope as sea level rises.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 2) Wednesday Evening, 05/18/22

VARIED HYDROLOGICAL RESPONSE TO VARIATION IN CLIMATE AMONG WETLAND WATER BUDGET COMPONENTS IN A MINNESOTA PRAIRIE-POTHOLE WETLAND COMPLEX. Elyssa McCulloch, Owen McKenna, Elisabeth Webb Wetlands are one of the most biologically valuable ecosystems on the planet; however, over 50% of wetlands in the world have been lost due to anthropogenic land-use intensification and climate change. Wetlands exist along a continuum of hydrogeomorphic conditions that result in a highly variable range of hydroperiods. Interannual variation in wetland hydroperiod can make it challenging to understand the mechanistic changes in hydroperiod for each wetland, particularly when considering the combined effects of climate and land-use change. While there has been substantial advancement in conceptual understanding of wetland behavior the past few decades, there is still much to learn about the mechanisms controlling wetland hydrology that could improve predictive capability. The Prairie Pothole Region of North America is of great ecological importance and has been a focal area for modeling wetland hydroperiods. We isolated the water budget components of wetlands using a mechanistic model for simulating prairie-pothole wetland surface water and data from a long-term study site in Minnesota, USA. By exploring the response of each variable to historical meteorological events, we quantified the relative response of each component of the water budget through wet and dry periods. This advancement in the mechanistic understanding of wetland hydrology for future modeling efforts can provide insight for wetland manage-

ment in the context of climate and land-use change.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 2) Wednesday Evening, 05/18/22

INCREASING CAPACITY FOR AQUATIC PLANT RESTORATION IN THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST Kate Sinnott, Karin Kettenring Anthropogenic activities are causing a global decline in aquatic plant density and diversity. Ecological restoration of aquatic plant communities may reestablish ecosystem functioning associated with aquatic plant populations, but research on best practices remains sparse and inconclusive.

Currently practiced planting methods show variability in establishment and are often not scalable due to financial and practical limitations. To address these challenges, we sought to evaluate the best planting methods for aquatic plant restoration with a focus on scalable planting methods and planting design. In summer 2021, we initiated a field experiment at the Provo River Delta Restoration Project in Provo, Utah. Four blocks of eighteen single-species plots were installed to evaluate establishment (measured as percent cover and plug survival) of three species (Potamogeton nodosus, Ruppia cirrhosa, and Stuckenia pectinata) across three planting methods (burlap wrapped plugs, coir pellets, and hand-planting) and two planting designs (clumped and dispersed). Initial results after three months show that species identity affects establishment more than planting method or design. Scalable planting methods show similar survival compared to hand-planting, indicating that they may be an efficient alternative. Monitoring will continue in summer 2022. The results of this study will aid aquatic plant restoration by identifying successful and scalable aquatic plant revegetation techniques.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 2) Wednesday Evening, 05/18/22

WATER AND NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT FOR SMALL FARMS IMPACTING THE CHESAPEAKE BAY WATERSHED Dana Sanchez Access to clean water, jobs for thousands of people in the fishing and seafood industry, habitats for migratory and resident wildlife species, ecosystems filled with many types of plants, including keystone underwater grasses are endangered due to the heavy agricultural pollution of the Chesapeake Bay. Small Pennsylvania farmers in the Chesapeake Bay watershed have a large hand in this due to the high concentration of animal production systems producing a net Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 259

influx of nutrients from livestock farms which run into the local waterways and streams that end up in Bay. Although the Clean Water Act was passed to restore and maintain the integrity of USA waters, the Act falls flat when attempting to control agricultural pollution. Therefore, farmers are required to submit and implement erosion and sedimentation control, manure management and those with highly concentrated animal operations must have a nutrient management plan under Nutrient Management Law, Act 38.

However, progress has been slow and spotty as very few farmers develop and actually implement these plans, due to a lack of funding, education, and the ability to enforce implementation. In this report, I highlight the importance of collaborative partnerships, public-private efforts, financial incentives, and education to make sure farmers implement plans. As well as, presenting PAOneStop as a well-rounded viable solution to helping farmers make conservation plans that will minimize soil loss and protect water quality.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 2) Wednesday Evening, 05/18/22

EVALUATING THE USE OF CATTAIL WETLANDS FOR LAND-BASED AQUACULTURE WASTEWATER EFFLUENT REMEDIATION Nicholas Blandford, Richard Grosshans, Bruce Hardy, Nazim Cicek, Vince Palace Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing food production sectors in the world. Land-based aquaculture systems are of particular interest for their ability to control diseases, manage water quality, and reduce risks to wild populations. As with any agricultural output, the nutrient-rich effluent generated in aquaculture systems can lead to eutrophic conditions in receiving waters and threaten the health of aquatic ecosystems. Here we show how cattail (Typha latifolia) can be used to remediate wastewater effluent from land-based aquaculture systems. Model cattail wetlands were established in mesocosms (2 m diameter) and had a gradient of aquaculture wastewater applied weekly, for a total of five weeks. Five wetlands received wastewater (in low to high concentration) and three received no wastewater. Model wetlands were robust to changes in water quality; an ~ 0.15 mg L-1 increase in each of total phosphorous was detected for wetlands dosed with the largest volumes of wastewater. As wetlands proliferated over time, concentrations returned to background levels (< 0.05 mg L-1). Mean plant biomass was found to be ~ 70% greater in the high treatment relative to reference treatments. Nutrient analysis of plant material revealed increases in total nitrogen and total phosphorous among high treatments. Our results suggest 260 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

that cattail wetlands are a viable option for treating effluent from land-based aquaculture operations. Additionally, the implementation of this remediation strategy shows potential for nutrients to be recycled in cattail plants, which can then be harvested for use in subsequent applications (e.g. as biofuel or fertilizer following compositing).

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 2) Wednesday Evening, 05/18/22

TESTING THE EFFICACY OF SALTMARSH RESTORATION FOR A GLOBALLY ENDANGERED SPECIES Frank Gigliotti, Chris Elphick Saltmarsh ecosystems are changing, with increased evidence of marsh change and loss as sea levels rise. Breeding bird species, including the saltmarsh sparrow Ammospiza caudacuta, that depend on these ecosystems have likewise been declining. Restoration will be a necessary component of conservation for these species, and thin layer placement (TLP) has garnered interest as a restoration tool. Saltmarsh sparrows require high-elevation marsh habitat for breeding, but benefits of restoration will only be realized if TLP restored tidal marsh regenerates suitable nesting habitat and restoration does not negatively impact nest success through temporary habitat loss. To address this problem, we have conducted baseline data collection at sites in Connecticut where TLP is planned, and at nearby reference sites. We conducted point count and mist net surveys for breeding saltmarsh sparrows and conducted nest searching to understand current breeding activity at sites. We also surveyed marsh vegetation in nesting areas via on the ground surveys and paired, drone-based LiDAR surveys. We found that planned TLP sites are occupied by nesting sparrows but are not dominated by high-quality nesting habitat. As such, these sites provide good opportunities for evaluating the response of these birds to restoration actions. We will collect future data to understand variation in saltmarsh sparrow nest success, nest site selection, and space use following TLP. Results from this study will inform tidal marsh conservation efforts and our understanding of the efficacy of TLP restoration to reduce saltmarsh sparrow nest failure, a primary cause of population decline for this threatened species.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 2) Wednesday Evening, 05/18/22

TOLERANCE AND RECOVERY CAPACITY OF TROPICAL NATIVE TREE SPECIES TO HYDRIC AND SALINE STRESS: AN EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH FOR WETLANDS REHABILITATION

Wilmer O. Rivera-De Jesús Rehabilitation practices in wetlands ecosystems must consider the context of climate change, the variations in abiotic conditions and how these conditions may influence the tolerance and recovery capacity of the species. The tolerance capacity of a species refers to the resistance that it can present, maintaining its physiological functioning, within a range of environmental conditions (Lambers et al. 2008; Osmond et al. 1987). This study aims to establish the range of tolerance and the recovery capacity to salinity and hydric stress in Pterocarpus officinalis, Thespesia populnea and Amphitecna latifolia, which are tropical native tree species commonly used in rehabilitation projects in estuarine-coastal wetlands. To achieve these objectives, we evaluate structural parameters such as number of leaves and stem size and ecophysiological parameters that include net carbon assimilation (A), stomatal conductance (gs) and water use efficiency (WUE). Also, we evaluate their survival rates in different experimental salinity treatments under greenhouse conditions. (A) and (gs) values indicate a greater tolerance and recuperation capacity to water and saline stress in Thespesia populnea followed by Pterocarpus officinalis and a greater vulnerability in Amphitecna latifolia. In terms of WUE, Thespesia showed the lower and consistent WUE in all the experimental treatments compared to the other species, including the recovery phase. Considering the ecophysiological performance, the structural development, and the survival rates, we can establish that the range of tolerance to saline conditions in all study species varies between 0ppt to 15ppt, but Thespesia present the highest range of tolerance to salinity from 0ppt to 25ppt.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 2) Wednesday Evening, 05/18/22

VEGETATION COMPOSITION ASSESSMENT AND TREND ANALYSIS OF FORESTED MITIGATION WETLANDS IN MARQUETTE MICHIGAN, USA Emma Waatti, Matthew Van Grinsven, Katy Robinson, Connor O’Loughlin, Madeline O’Donnell The purpose of this study was to assess vegetation composition and examine vegetation community trends across a several year period of monitoring to evaluate the condition of five forested mitigation wetlands in Marquette, MI USA. All five wetlands were constructed by the City of Marquette and the Marquette County Conservation District to fulfill Michigan Department of Environmental, Great Lakes, and Energy Division Permits to restore 4.74 acres of forested wetlands. In addition to extensive broadcast application of

sedge (Carex spp.) and rush (Juncus spp.) planting, several woody tree and shrub species including red maple (Acer rubrum L.), white spruce (Picea glauca Moench Voss), highbush cranberry (Viburnum trilobum Marsh.), and red osier dogwood (Cornus stonilifera Michaux) were planted in these wetlands between 2012 - 2018. Repeat quadrat sampling locations were established on both hummocks and hollows along one transect where plant species were identified and their percent cover were monitored annually in each wetland. Non-native species management procedures were also repeatedly used to control species such as narrowleaf cattail (Typha angustifolia L.) and Butterbur (Petasites hybridus L.). Native plant percent plant cover, percent bare ground, non-native plant percent cover, wetland indicator status, and native species richness were summarized for each year within each wetland, and linear regression methods were used to evaluate vegetation composition trends for all study sites since 2012. Preliminary results suggest that non-native species management procedures were effective, and that native plant percent cover significantly increased, native species richness significantly increased, and percent bare-ground significantly decreased since 2012.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 2) Wednesday Evening, 05/18/22

EVALUATING EFFECTS OF BRADDOCK BAY BARRIER BEACH RESTORATION ON WATER QUALITY AND TROPHIC STATE Daniel Beers, Rachel Schultz, Josh Unghire, Douglas Wilcox, Michael Chislock In 2016, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed restoration of the historic barrier beach at Braddock Bay, an embayment located on the southern coast of Lake Ontario approximately 11 miles northwest of Rochester, NY. Water quality of Braddock Bay has been monitored since 2015 to determine if the trophic state has been affected by restoration activities. Water quality samples were collected within Braddock Bay, its tributaries, and Lake Ontario immediately outside the bay to assess pre-, during, and after construction conditions. Two major tributaries (Buttonwood Creek, Salmon Creek) serve as major sources of nutrients (i.e., phosphorus). As a result, water quality for Braddock Bay sites and tributaries remains poor, characterized by eutrophic-to-hypereutrophic conditions. We have observed significantly lower post-restoration phytoplankton biomass and increased water clarity in segments of the bay protected by the barrier beach. In contrast, similar trends have not been observed in segments of the bay not protected by the barrier. Total phosphorus concentrations for sites appear Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 261

consistent over the monitoring period. In contrast, levels of soluble nitrogen have been lower at Braddock Bay sites post-restoration. As Lake Ontario is rich in NOx, relative to bay sites, completion of the barrier beach appears to have enhanced nitrogen limitation of phytoplankton, leading to improved water quality for protected sites in Braddock Bay. Given the currently impaired water quality conditions in Braddock Bay and continued external loading of phosphorus via tributaries, upstream management strategies should be encouraged to further improve water quality.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 2) Wednesday Evening, 05/18/22

ENGAGING WITH OUR NOVEL INFORMATION LANDSCAPE Paul Weihe Recent changes in society, particularly how information is spread and processed, present both exciting opportunities and daunting challenges. Our environmental crises demand coordinated, timely action by am informed citizenry, who in turn must hear and act on results of the results of our work.

This presentation will include “lessons learned” about how to make your message clear and effective, identifying your audience, and the power of networking. Examples from the “Faith in the Vaccine” outreach program in response to the Coronavirus pandemic, experiences with the 99Wetlands blogging project, and public presentation of the hazards of lead in water will be discussed.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 2) Wednesday Evening, 05/18/22

INVESTIGATING THE HYDROLOGICAL CONNECTIVITY OF FORESTED MITIGATION WETLANDS BETWEEN 2019 - 2021 IN MARQUETTE MICHIGAN, USA Connor O’Loughlin, Matthew Van Grinsven, Katy Robinson, Emma Waatti, Madeline O’Donnell In 2011, the City of Marquette and Marquette County Conservation District began a mitigation project to fulfill a Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy permit to restore 2.1 acres of forested palustrine wetlands. A major objective of this study was to characterize the hydrologic conditions of these three mitigated wetlands in Marquette, Michigan by examining hydrological connectivity between the atmosphere, Lake Superior, the surrounding groundwater and the mitigated wetlands.

Wetland water level observations were recorded using data loggers in three mitigated wetlands during the 2019, 2020 and 2021 growing seasons, and these data were compared 262 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

to meteorological observations from a local weather station, Lake Superior water levels, and upland groundwater levels.

Wetland, groundwater and Lake Superior Water level (AMSL) fluctuations and wetland water level responses to precipitation events and to potential evapotranspiration (PET) were analyzed to the examine the hydrological connectivity between wetland study sites, groundwater, Lake Superior, and the atmosphere. Preliminary results suggest wetland water levels are both sensitive and responsive to PET losses and precipitation additions during the growing season where the largest daily PET estimates corresponded with the greatest daily water level drawdown rates. Whereas the smallest daily drawdown rates were detected during periods with low daily PET estimates. Water table responses to precipitation events were also most pronounced when wetland water tables were at their lowest levels during the growing season, and Lake Superior water level fluctuations did not appear to immediately influence wetland water levels.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 2) Wednesday Evening, 05/18/22

BIOCHAR STABILITY AND CARBON SEQUESTRATION CAPACITY ACROSS A SALINITY GRADIENT IN NEW JERSEY TIDAL MARSHES Brittany Wilburn, Aisha Doucoure, Habibata Sylla, Elizabeth Watson, Joshua Barufaldi Biochar is a carbon-based soil amendment that is increasingly used in restoration projects to enhance the atmospheric carbon sequestration abilities of wetland sediments. However, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the longevity of biochar under tidal marsh conditions. The overall goal of this study is to determine the favorability of using biochar as a long-term soil amendment in tidal marsh restoration projects through long-term in situ incubations along the Tuckahoe River in New Jersey. The specific aims of this study are to (1) examine the effects of inundation patterns on the fractionation of biochar particles over time, (2) describe the effects of a salinity gradient on the degradation rate of biochar, (3) determine the effects of redox potential on biochar stability, and (4) evaluate seasonal effects on biochar degradation. Vertical litterbags containing both aboveground and belowground pockets filled with a known amount of hardwood biochar were deployed and monitored at four different locations along the salinity gradient of the estuarine marshes along the Tuckahoe River beginning in June 2021. Individual sets of litterbags were collected at progressively longer time intervals up to one year (n = 20 for each collection, total of 80 litterbags) to determine the

annual rate of biochar degradation within the various salinity ranges of each site, with additional bags deployed and collected seasonally (n = 20 per season). Results from this study will provide coastal managers with valuable information to enhance future tidal wetland restoration projects.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 2) Wednesday Evening, 05/18/22

INFLUENCE OF LAND USE ON STABLE ISOTOPES IN THE BOARDMAN/OTTAWAY RIVER ECOSYSTEM Selina Al-Nazzal, Marisa Vale Cruz, Pete McIntyre, Reid Swanson, Aaron Fisk, Gregory Jacobs Anthropogenic land use drives variation in aquatic ecosystem function, influencing the composition and distribution of basal resources. Variation in nutrient resource availability can ultimately alter the trophic structure and community dynamics. Many studies have used stable isotopes (_15N, _13C and _34S) as a tool to investigate the transfer of nutrients and energy through food webs however, most have not accounted for spatial variation in baseline isotopic signature. To better understand the influence of human activity on the chemical signature of basal resources, we evaluated the variation of _15N, _13C and _34S of macroinvertebrate taxa as a function of anthropogenic land cover in the Boardman/Ottaway River. The Boardman/Ottaway River, a tributary to lake Michigan, is a diverse ecosystem and will be the new location of a fish pass to restore connectivity and allow upstream movement for migratory fish. Variation in _15N, _13C and _34S was observed between taxa but also between sites revealing a possible impact of land use on basal resources and altered trophic structure in the river.

The results will provide a greater understanding of the impact of land use on primary consumers, food web dynamics and a baseline to measure the outcome of FishPass.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 2) Wednesday Evening, 05/18/22

HOW DO HISTORIC LAND USES AFFECT STREAM ECOSYSTEMS? THE ROLE OF STRUCTURAL LEGACIES Ariana Dionisio, Joshua Buonpane, Eric Moore, Wilfred Wollheim, Chester Arnold, Mary Becker, Chris Bellucci, David Bjerklie, Qian Lei-Parent, Paul Stacey, Emily Wilson, Ashley Helton Research on land use legacies and water quality has typically focused on agricultural regions where lagged material transport (signal legacies) is still substantial in groundwater and watershed export; yet, many historically farmed lands

have been developed or reforested for decades. In these watersheds the effects of longer-term structural legacies (e.g. channelization, soil and forest structure) may be particularly important for stream ecosystems. Our goal is to quantify water quality (macroinvertebrate biointegrity, water chemistry) and ecosystem function (nutrient uptake) across historic watershed land uses to characterize the implications of watershed structural legacies for stream ecosystems. We selected 94 small watersheds (2) across CT, MA, and NH, USA using historic aerial imagery, mapped soil characteristics, and satellite-derived land use / land cover across land use change trajectory end members (agriculture to forest, agriculture to developed, agriculture to agriculture, forest to forest). In CT, historically forested watersheds (i.e., forested in 1934 aerial imagery) had similar water chemistry (specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, pH, alkalinity, nutrients) to reforested agricultural watersheds. We are currently analyzing MA and NH watersheds for land use land cover change and water samples for carbon and major anions and cations and. We will use the dataset to inform sampling of a subset of sites across land use change trajectories in which we will collect detailed chemical, biological, and spatial data to understand how land use history impacts current water quality and ecosystem function.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 2) Wednesday Evening, 05/18/22

DEVELOPING A MECHANISTIC MODELING FRAMEWORK FOR AQUATIC INVERTEBRATE COMMUNITIES IN DAMMED RIVERS Angelika Kurthen, David Lytle, Theodore Kennedy Damming changes the physical and chemical characteristics of a river and often eliminates flood disturbance, which allows invasive species that are adapted to constant flow environments to colonize impacted river reaches. Field experiments that test how the frequency and intensity of flood events affect invasive species have shown reductions in invasive species abundances following disturbance.

However, these studies are difficult to perform at ecological meaningful scales and economically impractical. Mathematical models offer a solution because they can predict the outcomes of various flows to inform management decisions. We propose a framework for a coupled, multi-species stage-structured model that will forecast how future flow event frequencies and magnitudes, temperature, and hydropeaking interact to impact native and invasive aquatic invertebrate abundances in dammed rivers. Model outputs can be used to extract sensitivity networks that allow further understanding of the specific interactions between species and the relative strengths of these interactions withWetland Science & Practice July 2022 263

in the aquatic invertebrate assemblage. The framework is useful for identifying flow management scenarios that optimize native species’ populations and characterize interspecific relationships between aquatic invertebrates in Grand Canyon. Of the species included in the model, three are invasive (Potamopyrgus antipodarum, New Zealand Mud Snail; Gammarus lacustris, amphipod; Dreissena bugensis, Quagga Mussel). The other four are native taxa (Hydropsyche osleri, net-spinning caddisfly; Chironomidae, Midges; Simuliidae, Blackflies; Baetidae, Baetid Mayflies). Multispecies mechanistic models allow us to ask management questions about community level response to novel flows caused by climate change or flow regime shifts, instead of focusing on one focal species.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 2) Wednesday Evening, 05/18/22

VIRTUAL ONLY - TIME TRENDS IN L. ERIE ZOOBENTHIC ABUNDANCE AND TOLERANCE SCORES - 1973-1975, 20042016 Emilee Mancini, Jessica Ives, Lyndon Barr, Li Wang, Kenneth Krieger, Jan Ciborowski Multiagency zoobenthic data were summarized from sampling programs comprising the Lake Erie Comprehensive Collaborative Survey initiatives of 2004, 2010, and 201416 and compared with surveys of the 1970s and 1990s.

Identity, abundance and biomass of invertebrates collected in Ponar grabs from over 700 sites were compiled. Scores for each taxon representing tolerance to eutrophication or hypoxia were compiled from the literature representing a 10-point scale (0 = minimally tolerant; 10 = maximally tolerant). A tolerance value for each sample was calculated by multiplying numbers (or biomass) of individuals of each taxon by its tolerance score and calculating a weighted mean.

Data were compared across time points for the western and central basins combined. In 2004, sample sites ranged in condition from Mesotrophic-Good ( 9). Sites in the southern portion of western L. Erie were predominantly in Poor or Fair condition (8-10), whereas offshore sites in the Western basin’s northern portion tended to exhibit Mesotrophic-Good scores (6-7). Fewer western basin sites were sampled in 2010, but overall condition appeared to improve from 2004. Overall condition in 2015 appeared to be better (i.e., have equivalent or lower scores than were observed in 2010). In 2010, benthos at most stations (71±8% of 34 sites) were classified as Mesotrophic-Good (5-7). In 2015, 33 of 38 sites assessed (87±5%) were classified as Mesotrophic-Good. Marked declining trends in lakewide abundance 264 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

and biomass of both dreissenid mussels and oligochaeta worms across the 3 sampling periods corroborated the progressive change in nutrient status.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 2) Wednesday Evening, 05/18/22

CAN WETLANDS BE USED TO ENHANCE THE DEGRADATION OF MICROPLASTIC FIBERS IN WASTEWATER? Sophia Stahl, Lisa Chambers Synthetic or semi-synthetic materials comprise much of today’s clothing. The fibers that break off from these fabrics are considered microplastics due to their small size and synthetic polymer content. A single wash can create thousands of microplastics, making laundry wastewater a major carrier of microplastics. While a portion of the microplastic may be removed during the treatment process, significant quantities can also pass into the environment. Treatment wetlands are effective in the breakdown and removal of long lasting pollutants, yet their ability to remove microplastics has not yet been well studied. This research used a litter bag study to test the degradation of synthetic, semi-synthetic, and natural fabrics deployed in a constructed surface-flow wastewater treatment wetland (Christmas, FL, USA) over 1, 3, and 6 months’ time.

Triplicate fabric samples were placed at the water’s surface and the submerged soil’s surface both near the wastewater inflow (high nutrient water) and near the treatment wetland outflow (lower nutrient water). Change in tensile strength of the fabric was quantified using a tensiometer and used as a proxy for degradation. The field study was complemented by a laboratory bottle experiment assessing the impact of individual factors (UV light, temperature, and nutrient availability). Conditions most favorable for microbial activity (e.g., high nutrient, high temperature, aerobic conditions) are predicted to produce the most rapid degradation of all fabrics, but with exponentially less mass loss from synthetic fabrics relative to natural fabrics. Overall, this research will demonstrate the utility of treatment wetlands for microplastic removal from wastewater.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 2) Wednesday Evening, 05/18/22

COMMUNITY INTERACTIONS VS. INVASIVE COMMUNITY INTERACTIONS: SNAIL HERBIVORY IN LOUISIANA AND MATO GROSSO (BRAZIL) WETLANDS Juliana Stratford, Loretta Battaglia Pomacea maculata is the largest freshwater snail in the

world. This native of Brazil was introduced to the southeastern United States in 1989. A documented voracious consumer, it continues to spread and threaten wetlands in this region, where it happens to overlap with two highly invasive aquatic macrophytes that also hail from Brazil: Salvinia minima and Eichhornia crassipes. This invasive community poses a great threat to native wetland ecosystem structure and function, but also presents a unique opportunity to examine multi-species interactions with shared evolutionary histories. The primary objectives of this study are threefold: 1) to determine whether P. maculata diet reflects a preference for native Louisiana macrophytes over the co-evolved invasive plants; 2) to determine whether P. maculata can be a viable biocontrol agent for S. minima and E. crassipes in their invaded range; and 3) to compare P. maculata herbivory in its invaded and native range.

Project objectives will be addressed through a series of controlled feeding trials using snails and plants from local populations in Louisiana and Mato Grosso (Brazil).

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 2) Wednesday Evening, 05/18/22

PRODUCTION OF NELUMBO LUTEA FROM SEED FOR WETLAND RESTORATION Alexus Uchendu, Lyndsey Ware, Mary Carol Edwards, Susan Conaty, Gilberto Gandar The American lotus, Nelumbo lutea, is a totally edible hydrophyte while having several other attributes that make it a beneficial plant to wetland environments. This member of the Nelumbonaceae family aids in soil erosion prevention, and provides habitat for various micro and macro invertebrates that, in turn, feed other wildlife essential to wetlands. In 2021, Greenstar Wetland Plant Farm harvested lotus seeds from the wild and experimented with germination and propagation processes. Although propagation of N. lutea is commonly done using rhizomes, a reliable method of germinating from seed was discovered. Once nicked using a Texas Nutcracker, the lotus seeds sprouted in 48 hours and grew an average of 2’ during the next 48 hours. This repeatedly observed timeline permitted us to plant 2,500 lotus sprouts in three different environments on the farm: as the control, two small demo ponds with preferred clay substrate and 2.5’ of water inside a hoop house; two outside tanks 1’ deep with silt-like soil and an unfavorable basic pH, and a bayou located on the farm. This study will result in data that will help determine the best method of growing N. lutea within six months for conservation and restoration projects as we continue to sustainably restore our ever decreasing wetlands.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 2) Wednesday Evening, 05/18/22

PREDICTING ECOSYSTEM RESPONSES TO RESTORING FISH MIGRATIONS: DOES WITHIN-NETWORK VARIATION MATTER? Marisa Vale Cruz, Gregory Jacobs, Aaron Fisk, Peter McIntyre Large fish migrations can provide significant nutrient subsidies to their spawning grounds, and environmental management is increasingly aimed at restoring these subsidies. In preparation for a planned fish passage project in the Lake Michigan basin, we set out to evaluate spatial variation in the potential consequences of a restored migration pathway.

Specifically, we want to know where in the river network the ecosystem responses to restored connectivity would be greatest. Using bioassays of carbon breakdown and algal nutrient limitation, we compared a range of sites within a midsize river network as well as two nearby rivers. Leaf litter breakdown rates varied among sites between watersheds as well as within the focal river network. Analysis of algal nutrient limitation via nutrient diffusing substrates suggested overall colimitation of N and P in our study region, but also heterogeneity in the identity of the limiting nutrient among individual tributaries. When this restoration project empowers large numbers of fish to enter this river network for the first time in nearly a century, our findings indicate that the ecosystem consequences of their nutrient inputs will depend strongly on where they go within the network.

The variation among sites appears to be idiosyncratic, such that the specific outcome of restoring fish passage will be difficult to predict. Quantifying the variation in a river network can be a useful tool for addressing these difficulties and informing watershed-level management decisions.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 2) Wednesday Evening, 05/18/22

A MICROCOSM EXPERIMENT OF ROUND GOBY CATCH EFFICIENCY USING DOWN LOOKING STILL IMAGING Nicholas Yeager, Peter Esselman, Kailee Schulz, Shadi Moradi, Joseph Geisz Camera based surveys have the potential to improve estimates of select benthic species over traditional density estimation techniques (e.g., bottom trawls) that cannot be easily deployed in rocky substrates, but the catch efficiency of camera-based surveys remains unknown. Remote Operated Vehicles (ROV’s) and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV’s) carrying cameras can be used to image the lakebed over coarse and fine substrates (e.g., high and low Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 265

structure environments) to estimate numeric and/or biomass abundance. Round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) is a benthic invasive species in the Great Lakes with preferences for rocky habitats that are not well assessed using bottom trawls. To assess the efficiency of photographic capture, we ran an experiment whereby known numbers of round goby were placed in experimental microcosms containing fine or coarse substrates. Photographing the microcosm habitats over a 24-hour period enabled us to evaluate round goby catchability in coarse and fine substrates during the day and at night. In evaluating a subset of the resulting images, we found that more Goby are visually “caught” in low structure environments than in high structure environment and were better caught during the day across all substrates.

Presented During: Tradeshow and Poster Reception (Day 2) Wednesday Evening, 05/18/22

VIRTUAL ONLY - HYDROLOGIC CONDITIONS IN A RESTORED PEATLAND DRIVEN BY SURFACE WATER AND PRECIPITATION Zachary Wagner, Christopher Filstrup, Valerie Brady, Jerry Henneck, Kelly Beaster, Kari Hansen, Robert Hell, Holly Kelly, Katya Kovalenko, Joe Magner Hydrologic connectivity and groundwater versus surface water interactions are critical for assessing ecosystem health and wetland function. Groundwater springs can provide a stable source of water for wetlands during dry weather periods. Peatlands are often hydrologically divided into bog (precipitation driven) and fen (groundwater driven) systems, which have important implications for ecosystem structure and services, including vegetation abundance and composition, carbon storage, and resilience to hydrologic changes. Stable hydrologic conditions are especially vital to restored peatlands in which vegetation moves through several successional stages; the key peat mosses and sedges require water levels at or near the ground surface. Here, we analyzed the water isotopes deuterium and oxygen-18 from surface water, shallow groundwater well and deeper paired groundwater wells in a previously drained, then restored peatland to test the hypothesis that there is a significant groundwater contribution in some areas of the peatland. Findings revealed that most water available to the vegetation at the surface of peatland was precipitation derived. Additionally, initial data suggest deep groundwater may have a residence time on a century or millennia scale due to dense confining unit. The results show precipitation derived moisture is dominant source of water in the peatland and wet conditions are dependent on regional climate rather than groundwater.

266 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

Presented During: Two decades (and counting) of applying DNA techniques to aquatic sciences - Day 1, 05/16/22 9:15 AM - 9:30 AM ET

ENVIRONMENTAL DNA METABARCODING REVEALS AQUATIC INVERTEBRATE COMMUNITY DIVERSITY IN THE GRAND CANYON Jared Freedman, Molly Burke, Theodore Kennedy, David Lytle Within the Grand Canyon, hydropower operations of Glen Canyon Dam have reduced aquatic invertebrate diversity in the mainstem Colorado River. Unregulated tributaries within the Grand Canyon have the potential to act as sources of invertebrate biodiversity for the mainstem, although the degree to which this occurs is unknown. To address this, we used an environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding approach to assemble a dataset of invertebrate community diversity. eDNA samples were collected from 36 locations in the Grand Canyon corresponding to 18 paired mainstem and tributary locations. A 142bp fragment of the invertebrate COI gene was amplified from each sample and sequenced using Illumina MiSeq. After filtering, sequences were grouped into 449 unique operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Using the Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD), a total of 407 OTUs were identified to at least the level of order, including 66 unique species-level identifications. Diptera were the most common insect order, representing 62% of the identified OTUs. NMS ordination of sample sites showed a distinct grouping of mainstem and tributary sites, with significant differences in both aquatic invertebrate community composition and variability within each group. Additionally, both groups displayed a shift in community composition associated with downstream distance. These findings highlight the importance of Grand Canyon perennial tributaries for preserving aquatic invertebrate biodiversity and reveal a wide diversity of Diptera that has previously been underrepresented in morphological taxonomy. Additionally, this research demonstrates the use of eDNA metabarcoding to effectively address questions regarding community ecology.

Presented During: Understanding and Predicting Distribution and Impacts of Aquatic Invasive Species - Day 1, 05/16/22 1:45 PM 2:00 PM ET

VIRTUAL ONLY - CLIMATE-INDUCED INVASIONS: MODELING COMPLEX RESPONSES AND NON-NATIVE FISH EXPANSION IN A WARMING STREAM NETWORK Brittany Beebe, Joseph Ebersole, Allen Brookes, Brenda Rashleigh

Whether through intentional or accidental dispersal, invasive species have had widespread effects on native community dynamics in freshwater ecosystems. Impending shifts in climate patterns may exacerbate the impact of these species on fish communities. For example, warming climate and thus warmer stream temperatures could increase the suitability of habitat in coldwater systems for warmwater species. This habitat suitability transformation will promote distribution expansions of invasive warmwater fishes, leading to shifts in community dynamics that could threaten native fish species. We developed a flexible fish community modeling framework, Simulating Metacommunities of Riverine Fishes (SMRF), to showcase how assemblage modeling can be used to evaluate changes in fish communities in response to warming stream temperatures. Our model integrates aspects of movement, habitat suitability, and species interactions to predict shifts in abundance, distribution, and community assemblage. We explore the details of these community and population dynamics in a small tributary of the Willamette River in western Oregon and discuss how species interactions play a role in determining which species are most successful.

Presented During: Understanding and Predicting Distribution and Impacts of Aquatic Invasive Species - Day 1, 05/16/22 9:45 AM 10:00 AM ET

QUANTIFYING THE EFFECTS OF NON-ANALOG WATER TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS IN SDM-BASED CLIMATE PROJECTIONS Shyam Thomas, Michael Verhoeven, Jake Walsh, Daniel Larkin, Gretchen Hansen Predicting future distributions and abundance of invasive species remains a methodological as well as conservation challenge. Species distribution modeling (SDM) is among the most common methods used in these circumstances; however, it is constrained by SDM’s inability to make reliable predictions in non-analog environmental conditions. We developed SDMs for invasive Myriophyllum spicatum, Eurasian watermilfoil (EWM), in 467 Minnesota lakes using 3 modeling algorithms that vary in the complexity of EWM - water temperature response curve. We then predicted the distribution of EWM for the 2040-2060 time-period using simulated future water temperatures based on 6 global climate models (GCMs) and RCP8.5, i.e., predicting into future non-analog temperature conditions.

Water temperature degree days were the most important predictor of EWM presence under contemporary conditions. Predicted EWM invasion risk under future climate conditions increased in the majority of lakes irrespective

of the modeling algorithm and GCM. However, the predicted risk in lakes where temperatures were predicted to exceed the range observed in the contemporary period (i.e., non-analog temperature conditions) revealed important differences compared to predictions under analog conditions.

Specifically, there was no agreement among the 3 models in predicted change in risk within the non-analog domain (i.e., whether future predicted invasion risk increased, decreased, or remained stable with increasing temperature). Although overall we predict increased risk of EWM invasion for lakes due to climate change, the direction of the response for the warmest lakes is uncertain. By assessing future invasion risk under both analog and non-analog domains, our study reveals important limitations Presented During: Understanding and Predicting Distribution and Impacts of Aquatic Invasive Species - Day 2, 05/17/22 3:45 PM 4:00 PM ET

IMPACTS OF GREAT LAKES TYPHA INVASION ON ANURAN SPECIES Elizabeth Thilges, Andrew Monks, Shane Lishawa, Brian Ohsowski There has been a worldwide decline in anuran (frog and toad) populations, including around the Great Lakes. At the same time, the presence and abundance of the hybrid cattail, Typha x glauca, has expanded in Great Lakes coastal wetlands. This invasive species alters wetlands by forming dense stands, with potential negative impacts on anuran species through fragmentation of their needed habitats. To quantify the possible effects of Typha on different anuran species, I will identify anuran calls from wetlands in northern Michigan by both taking live call surveys and analyzing audio from sound recorders. These sites will consist of paired invaded and uninvaded wetlands, and I will compare the frog populations of the different species at each site.

Presented During: Understanding Reservoir Function in a Changing World, 05/20/22 9:00 AM - 9:15 AM ET

INFLUENCE OF LA ROMAINE RESERVOIR COMPLEX ON RIVERINE CARBON AND NUTRIENT EXPORT TO THE ST LAURENCE ESTUARY Bianca Rodríguez-Cardona, Pascal Bodmer, Felipe Rust, Masumi Stadler, Alain Tremblay, François Bilodeau, Paul del Giorgio Reservoir construction can fundamentally alter the transport and export of nutrients and organic matter by rivers to estuary and coastal areas. Here we present a 7-year study Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 267

of La Romaine Reservoir Complex, composed of a series of four reservoirs sequentially commissioned along La Romaine River in Boreal Québec between 2015 and 2020.

We followed the longitudinal and temporal patterns in concentrations of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorous (TP), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and particulate organic matter (POM) within the La Romaine River above, through the four reservoirs, and downstream into the estuary, during the development of the complex. TN concentrations varied greatly within the reservoirs and between successive reservoirs, suggesting that reservoir habitats can be both sources and sinks of N, but concentrations below the complex remained on average similar to those upriver. TP concentrations, in contrast, consistently increased longitudinally and were greater below the dams than upriver, suggesting that these young boreal reservoirs are net sources of P. DOC and POM concentrations were relatively constant across the river and the reservoir continuum, suggesting no net change despite evidence of intense C processing. Although the reservoirs were influenced by their upstream conditions, each had their own distinct nutrient and C dynamics, likely influenced by morphometry, residence time, and pre-flood landscape. The cumulative effect of the complex as a whole shifted in time, becoming less of an enhanced source of nutrients and OM relative to the pre-flood river as it aged.

Presented During: Urban freshwater ecosystems: multiple stressors and manifold opportunities - Day 1, 05/19/22 9:00 AM - 9:15 AM ET

PRIORITIZING STREAM PROTECTION, RESTORATION AND MANAGEMENT ACTIONS USING LANDSCAPE MODELING AND SPATIAL ANALYSIS Eric Stein, Jeffrey Brown Urban watersheds are often degraded by human activities, reducing their ability to provide ecosystem benefits. While governmental agencies have put forward plans for improving watershed health, resources are limited, and choices must be made as to which watersheds to prioritize and what actions to take. Prioritization tools often lack sufficient specificity, resolution, and automation to be useful in guiding decisions regarding restoration and management actions across regional or statewide scales. To address this, we developed a set of assessment and prioritization tools to support the protection of rivers and associated riparian habitats across California. The tool estimates stream condition at the NHD reach scale based on bioassessment data, uses EPA’s StreamCat dataset to identify stressors, includes reach-specific models to help prioritize actions, and accounts for environmental justice using census tract data. Using the prioritization tool, we identified 38% of 268 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

the stream reaches across California that should be considered the highest priorities for restoration and management actions. At the watershed scale, we were able to identify 7 -40% of reaches that should be prioritized for protection and 10-34% of reaches that should be prioritized for restoration, and management, depending on the watershed. The results of this project can help regional stakeholders and agencies prioritize hundreds of millions of dollars being spent to protect, acquire, and restore coastal stream and riparian habitats. The methods are directly transferable to any regional condition and stress data that can be readily obtained Presented During: Urban freshwater ecosystems: multiple stressors and manifold opportunities - Day 1, 05/19/22 3:45 PM - 4:00 PM ET

HARVESTING INVASIVE PLANTS TO REDUCE SALINIZATION OF FRESHWATER SYSTEMS Sam Schurkamp, Shane Lishawa, Andrew Monks, Beth A Lawrence Winter road salt application is increasingly contributing to the salinization of freshwater ecosystems throughout North America. In the Chicagoland region, much of the applied road salt persists year round in detention basins along the Illinois Tollway system. Many of these basins contain well-established stands of Typha spp. and Phragmites australis, two of the most dominant invasive macrophytes in the Great Lakes region. These plants can cause visibility and drainage issues in the basins due to their density and height, but their rapid annual growth presents an opportunity to evaluate their respective abilities to uptake excess salt ions (Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cl-). Our study investigated the salt removal potential of repeated large-scale invasive plant harvest in detention basins along the Illinois Tollway system. Statistical models were developed to estimate total biomass and salt removal potential in each basin. Based on these models, mechanical harvest has the potential to remove between 100-200 kg of chloride per hectare. We also found differences in salt uptake rates between Typha- and Phragmites-dominated sections. We observed decreases in overall biomass and leaf litter cover following harvest treatments relative to control, which may limit invasive plant dominance and associated visibility issues. Soil and plant tissues are currently being analyzed and chemistry data will clarify if harvesting results in differences between plant tissue samples and alters soil salt content. Our results will inform wetland managers who are dealing with salinization and guide their decisions about invasive plant harvest to reduce salinization of freshwater systems.

Presented During: Urban freshwater ecosystems: multiple stressors and manifold opportunities - Day 2, 05/20/22 8:30 AM - 8:45 AM ET

UNDERSTANDING WATER QUALITY IN URBAN PONDS COMPARED AND THE SURROUNDING LANDSCAPE AND PROBLEMS WITH E. COLI Christina Hargiss, Jack Norland, Erika Olson, Alexis Wanek, Jesse Riley Little is known about the spatial and temporal changes in water quality and E. coli throughout urban ponds and the differences between urban ponds and those in the surrounding landscape. This presentation is a culmination of six years of research including three different projects to determine water quality changes and problems associated with E.coli in these areas. The specific objectives were to: 1) compare water quality of urban, peri-urban and rural ponds; 2) assess normal water quality during and after storm events in urban ponds that receive stormwater; and 3) genetically source track E.coli and test for presence of pathogens to better understand the potential impact on humans. Methods of this study included sampling of surface water during normal times, during storm events, and one week after storm events. E. coli during storm events was also source tracked to determine genetic source and presence of pathogens. Results indicate that grassland areas surrounding ponds may help buffer water quality parameters.

E. coli quantities were often higher in detention ponds than retention ponds, and exceptionally high after rain events; E.coli present during these times was compared to recreational values. Presence of pathogens was never found, but sewage and bird markers were always found and in addition during storms dog and human makers were found. Results of this study are important to water managers of all types as these ponds are often utilized for aesthetic and recreational purposes in urban areas, but are often not tested for safety for these uses.

Presented During: Virtual Posters

THE SILVER LINING: PASSIVE DATA LOGGERS REVEAL EFFECTS OF WILDFIRE ON ALPINE LAKES IN THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA, CA (VIRTUAL) Gabrielle Ruso, Kelly Martin, Erik Meyer, Thea Edwards, Craig Paukert, Elisabeth Webb In the western U.S., fire seasons have lengthened and wildfires have become increasingly intense. The study of wildfire effects on aquatic ecosystems is often focused on outcomes of post-fire runoff, but environmental impacts during the fire event remain understudied. We present

preliminary results of a study in which we deployed passive data loggers to evaluate the real-time effects of a large fire on alpine lakes in the Sierra Nevada, California. On 9 September, 2021, two lightning-caused fires formed the KNP Complex that burned 35,737 ha in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Prior to and during the fire, we quantified aquatic environmental metrics with data loggers in six lakes and two locations in the outlet stream of Pear Lake Basin. At all eight sites, we collected hourly measurements of conductivity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and pH. At the two stream sites, we additionally measured nitrate. By 10 October, approximately 98% of the total fire area had burned and water temperature decreased by 7.5 to 13.6°C (42-70%) at all sites, dissolved oxygen increased at all but one site by 0.30 to 1.84 mg/L (5-31%), and pH increased at all lake sites by 0.06 to 0.57 (1-8%). Nitrate showed flashier variation, especially at the upstream location, that was likely due, in part, to precipitation events.

Although preliminary, these results suggest that smoke and ash from fires may have short-term impacts on the physical and chemical properties of these alpine lakes, which consequently may affect the biological activity and communities of these aquatic ecosystems.

Presented During: Virtual Session - Questions We Should Be Asking to Advance Aquatic Research and Conservation, 05/19/22 - ET

CORRELATION, CAUSATION, AND SPECULATION IN CONSERVATION BIOLOGY (VIRTUAL) Wendell Haag, Angela Burrow A primary goal of conservation biologists is to diagnose causes of faunal declines and prescribe actions for preventing or correcting them. Diagnosing causes and evaluating the effectiveness of conservation actions is difficult due to the complexity of natural systems. Consequently, biologists often rely on correlations of faunal health with readily measured factors or informed speculation to propose causal mechanisms. These approaches are useful and necessary for developing hypotheses. Unfortunately, untested hypotheses may become entrenched as demonstrated fact, ultimately becoming the impetus for conservation action. We illustrate how untested hypotheses can become dogma and guide conservation action using examples for freshwater mussels, amphibians, and other aquatic organisms. Characteristics common to most examples were a lack of rigorous evaluation of proposed causal mechanisms based on field data or manipulative experiments, a lack of follow-up evaluation of conservation actions, and uncritical or careless citation of published literature. In some examples, rigorous evaluation overturned previous dogma, but many proposed mechaWetland Science & Practice July 2022 269

nisms of faunal declines remain unevaluated. Perpetuation of untested dogma impedes progress by giving researchers the impression that mechanisms are well-established. Conservation biologists must weigh the reality that detailed, mechanistic explanations of the causes of faunal declines often are unavailable (or possibly unattainable) against the need to act quickly to prevent species extinction or other natural resource losses. Nevertheless, rigorous hypothesis testing and evaluation of conservation actions can prevent wasted money and resources.

Presented During: Walking a line between necessity and toxicity: Trace Metals, 05/16/22 2:30 PM - 2:45 PM ET

DECOMPOSING SYCAMORE LEAVES CAN BE SECONDARY LEAD CONTAMINATION SOURCES IN STREAMS OF MISSOURIÍS LEAD BELT (U.S.A.) Indigo Tran, Deb Finn, La Toya Kissoon-Charles, Leslie Hatch Big River sediment is contaminated with metals from 200 years of lead mining (Missouri, USA). Elevated metal concentrations have been reported in birds, turtles, and fishes in this watershed. Sycamore trees growing on gravel bars in Big River also accumulated high concentrations of lead, zinc, and cadmium in their leaves. High metal content of leaves can inhibit colonization of microbes and macroinvertebrates, and subsequently, decrease decomposition rates.

Sycamore leaves can release metals back into the ecosystem after they shed and decompose. We carried out a leaf pack experiment using autumnal sycamore leaves to measure metal leaching during decomposition in Big River. We collected leaves from trees on contaminated (downstream of contamination source) and non-contaminated (upstream) gravel bars in Big River and placed them in mesh bags (7mm or < 1 mm hole size) in upstream and downstream riffles in a full-factorial design. On six dates, we collected leaf packs to measure biomass loss and analyze for metal concentrations in the leaves using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Knowing the high initial lead content of sycamore leaves, we hypothesized that metal leaching will increase over time as sycamore leaves decompose in Big River and that river placement will influence metal leaching rate potentially due to sediment metal content. Our initial findings revealed that contaminated leaves decomposed at a faster rate than non-contaminated ones, independent of river placement and mesh size. Preliminary results show high concentrations of lead and zinc in decomposing leaves.

Presented During: Wet & salty: coastal ecosystem science and man270 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

agement under rising tides, 05/19/22 9:00 AM - 9:15 AM ET

NUTRIENT RETENTION AND RELEASE IN ERODING ESTUARINE WETLANDS Jeffrey Cornwell, Lorie Staver, Michael Owens In eutrophic estuaries such as the Chesapeake Bay, the effects of changing climate may impact restoration strategies for alleviating nutrient over-enrichment. Estuarine wetlands are an important sink for nitrogen and phosphorus, providing a valuable ecosystem service. Using data on nutrient burial and denitrification from northern Chesapeake Bay, along with estimates of the bioavailability of eroded marsh particulates, the changing role of wetlands as an important sink for nutrients is examined. Although the erosion of wetlands results in the re-introduction of nitrogen and phosphorus into open-water habitats, the potential for exacerbating eutrophication is highly diminished by the low lability of wetland organic matter. The impact of such erosion on the cycling of Fe-bound phosphorus from marsh soils is highly dependent on both the amount of inorganic P, its solid phase association with Fe, and its potential remobilization from the estuarine sediments into which it is deposited. Although nutrient sequestration in newly constructed wetlands built from dredged materials suggested rapid development of nutrient sequestration, a better understanding of nutrient ecosystem services provided by marshes created by transgression into uplands is necessary for understanding the long-term nutrient-retention value of coastal wetlands.

Presented During: Wet & salty: coastal ecosystem science and management under rising tides, 05/19/22 9:45 AM ET

SALT MARSH COMPARATIVE ECOLOGY: A MULTI-SCALAR TYPOLOGY (VIRTUAL) Erik Yando, Scott Jones, W. James, Denise Colombano, Diana Montemayor, Stefanie Nolte, Jacqueline Raw, Shelby Ziegler, Luzhen Chen, Daniele Daffonchio, Marco Fusi, Kerrylee Rogers, L.A. Sergienko Salt marshes are vital coastal ecosystems existing at the interface between terrestrial and marine habitats. Salt marsh structure, function, and services are thought to be controlled by a variety of relatively well-studied drivers and stressors, but despite occurring globally, salt marshes are often treated as a monolithic ecosystem type with several dominant regions serving as normative for comparative ecology. As a result of this generalization, studies addressing the key drivers and stressors of salt marsh communities rarely frame these drivers explicitly with respect to the spa-

tial scale at which they are measured, hampering the ability to accurately compare findings within or between studies.

In this work we present a conceptual model that illustrates a cross-scale functional typology to aid researchers in making appropriate inferences and comparisons by critically evaluating each study site at the global, coastal, inter-system, and intra-system setting. This work highlights key processes and considerations at each level to appropriately classify study sites. We propose that this classification serves as a basis for communicating the settings at which these studies are conducted, which scales they can be compared at, and what systems are suitable analogs for comparative work.

We discuss needed considerations at each level and further expand on our typology by providing application guidance and a series of case studies to highlight our work. This work ultimately provides a multi-scale classification and works to develop approaches for understanding how salt marshes function today and into the future.

Presented During: Wet & salty: coastal ecosystem science and management under rising tides, 05/19/22 9:30 AM - 9:45 AM ET

RECOLONIZATION OF INVERTEBRATES IN SEDIMENT AUGMENTATION SITES IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA David Boehmer, Amanda Martinez, Kaelin McAtee, Christine Whitcraft Sea-level rise due to climate change is a threat to many coastal communities. Wetlands serve as a natural buffer to sea-level rise, but sediment accretion rates are unable to keep up with the rising water. One method used to combat sea-level rise has been sediment augmentation, the process by which a sediment slurry is pumped onto a marsh plain to artificially raise its elevation. The process typically uses a thin-layer application of coarse grain sediment, but this may not be enough to combat sea-level rise. This study examines the impact of a thick-layer sediment augmentation at the Seal Beach National Wildlife Reserve, specifically looking at whether elevation or sediment type is driving reduced recolonization of invertebrates into the augmentation area. Two types of sediment were collected: sand from the experimental site and mud from mudflats in the refuge.

Both sediment types were defaunated, placed in plastic containers (73mm x 73mm x 45mm) with a mesh screen on the bottom, and re-deployed in both the lower elevation control site and augmentation site. One pair of sand and mud containers were collected at 14, 28, and 51 days after deployment (DAD) to monitor rate of recolonization by invertebrates. This experiment suggests that elevation and not sediment-type is the factor limiting the recovery of invertebrates in sediment augmentation sites. Slower inver-

tebrate recolonization will lead to slower recovery time of augmented marshes, a point that resource managers should consider when choosing this strategy to combat the rising tides.

Presented During: Wet & salty: coastal ecosystem science and management under rising tides, 05/19/22 8:30 AM - 8:45 AM ET

QUANTIFYING BENEFITS OF FLORIDA MANGROVES TO INCREASE COASTAL RESILIENCY: INTEGRATING ENGINEERING AND ECOLOGY Nia Hurst, Leigh Provost, Duncan Bryant, Mary Bryant, Tori Tomiczek, Anna Wargula As sea levels rise and extreme storm events increase, the need for resilient, adaptable coastlines is ever present.

Mangrove swamps, which are especially adapted to their saline and high energy environments, are a well-documented resource to mitigating coastal flood hazards and storm impacts. The ability of mangroves to stabilize coastlines, self-regulate in response to sea level rise, and naturally recover following storm events presents an opportunity to incorporate mangrove swamps into coastal protection strategies. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is committed to an initiative known as Engineering With Nature (EWN), which strategically aligns natural infrastructure with engineering benefits. Building upon EWN principles, the USACE seeks to utilize red mangroves (Rhizophora mangle) in coastal areas to enhance system resiliency. To efficiently incorporate mangroves into the engineering of coastal ecosystems, large-scale physical mangrove modeling is underway to assess the ability of mangroves to attenuate waves and protect coastlines.

Employing a highly collaborative team of engineers and biologists from academia and federal agencies, these ongoing experiments will help determine optimal performance designs of mangrove swamps to increase coastal resiliency.

Research outcomes will improve the application of mangrove swamps in developing sustainable coastal systems.

This talk will discuss the integration of engineering and ecology to provide collaborative and innovative solutions to anticipated increases in sea level rise and storm events through mangrove swamp management.

Presented During: Wetland Science and Conservation from Diversified Wildlife Partnerships, 05/18/22 2:15 PM - 2:30 PM ET

NORTH AMERICAN WATERFOWL PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION PLAN: EDUCATING OUR WATERFOWL SCIENTISTS OF TOMORROW

Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 271

Mike Brasher, Diane Eggeman, Richard Kaminski, Kevin Ringelman, John Eadie, Eduardo Carrera, Shaun Oldenburger, David Howerter, Frank Rohwer, Elisabeth Webb, Drew Lanham, Barbara Frei, Christian Roy The North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP) was created in 1986 to provide a continental vision for conserving and restoring wetlands and associated habitats to support North American waterfowl at prescribed population levels. A premier example of continental ecosystem management and partner-based planning, NAWMP has influenced millions of acres of habitat to help sustain waterfowl populations while benefitting other wildlife and providing diverse ecosystem services. However, management and conservation progress neither effectively nor efficiently without trained professionals to study and steward natural resources. Research from the early 2000s revealed that university-based waterfowl and wetlands programs were declining in North America. By 2013, >40% of these programs no longer existed. The 2018 NAWMP Update identified the need to maintain and expand educational capacity to ensure existence of an appropriately skilled and diverse workforce to meet the conservation goals of NAWMP. In February 2020, the NAWMP Committee endorsed the North American Waterfowl Professional Education Plan (NAWPEP) to help meet this need. The goal of NAWPEP is to, “Engage and assist universities, colleges, and NAWMP partners with establishing, sustaining, and enhancing academic and experiential programs in waterfowl and wetlands science and management, in order that sufficient numbers of inclusively diverse professionals with this expertise from across North America are available to sustain professional capacity and excellence of future waterfowl science and management on this continent.” On behalf of the NAWPEP steering committee, I will present an overview of NAWPEP, our accomplishments since inception, and plans for its future growth.

Presented During: Wetland Science and Conservation from Diversified Wildlife Partnerships, 05/18/22 8:30 AM - 9:00 AM ET

BUILDING DATA-DRIVEN PARTNERSHIPS TO ACCELERATE WETLAND CONSERVATION TO BENEFIT WILDLIFE AND PEOPLE Ellen Herbert Historically, the conservation of wetland ecosystems throughout North America was often a product of coalitions of public agencies and private organizations focused on a limited set of outcomes, for instance the management of fish and wildlife populations. The recognition that the 272 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

loss and degradation of wetlands still outpaces gains from protection and restoration has led to concerted efforts to eliminate silos and accelerate wetland conservation by leveraging the multiple benefits wetlands provide wildlife and people. Central to these efforts to build financial and political support for wetland conservation is the collection and synthesis of data that illustrate multiple wetland benefits and where the greatest overlap in these benefits occurs.

This presentation will highlight specific examples illustrating how data is being utilized to advance for wetland conservation for the benefit of multiple stakeholder group, including: (1) Collaborative research in Iowa and Michigan to develop geospatial models and wetland design criteria that maximize migratory bird habitat and water quality improvement functions. (2) Hybrid climate forecasting and natural infrastructure capacity studies to identify wetland and floodplain restoration projects to reduce the impacts of floods and droughts on communities along the Mississippi River and provide critical migratory and wintering habitat on the Mississippi Flyway. (3) Discussion of a suite of studies designed to quantify the climate mitigation potential of wetland and associated grass and cropland conservation in priority waterfowl breeding habitats in the Prairie Pothole Region of North America. Each example will highlight the connection between data, partnerships, policy, fundraising and conservation program delivery.

Presented During: Wetland Science and Conservation from Diversified Wildlife Partnerships, 05/18/22 9:00 AM - 9:15 AM ET

REIMAGINING FLOODPLAIN RESTORATION FOR FISHERIES, WILDLIFE, AND PEOPLE AT SHIAWASSEE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE Kali Rush, Eric Dunton The Shiawassee Flats is a 40,000-acre floodplain basin formed at the confluence of the Bad, Cass, Flint, Shiawassee, and Tittabawassee Rivers. Historically the Flats were a diverse complex of emergent, submergent, scrub-shrub, and bottomland forested floodplain wetlands. Today, much of the region and the upper part of the watershed is intensively farmed. Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge (SNWR) and Ducks Unlimited (DU) have been at the forefront of an emerging paradigm shift to reconnect restored wetlands to their floodplain by making the hydrologic connections that allow for natural water fluctuations a priority. With the recent restoration of Maankiki Marsh as a foundation, the opportunity to restore 940 acres of habitat evolved into the opportunity to ultimately establish water management resources with long-term benefits that work in concert with the river system throughout the Shiawassee Flats. Informed

by a regional hydro-geomorphic assessment and the consideration of biologists, ecologists, hydrologists, engineers, and constituent groups, SNWR and DU set into motion a phased plan to connect large portions of former floodplain wetlands via multiple ingress/egress points to the Flats with a premium placed on long-term, sustainable wetland management infrastructure. The infrastructure was tested in May 2020, when the Sanford and Edenville dams failed and breached, respectively. The SNWR opened all gates and stored over 3.25 billion gallons of water, redirecting the flood waters away from nearby towns and into the managed wetlands. Conservation professionals in the Shiawassee Flats region have identified several other restoration projects to protect and improve ecosystem services and wildlife habitat.

Presented During: Wetland Science and Conservation from Diversified Wildlife Partnerships, 05/18/22 9:30 AM - 9:45 AM ET

NOAA FIREBIRD: FIRE EFFECTS IN GULF OF MEXICO MARSHES ON MOTTLED DUCKS, BLACK AND YELLOW RAILS Auriel Fournier, Anne Bauer, Mike Brasher, Chris Butler, Wyatt Cheney, Robert Cooper, Warren Conway, James Cox, Nicholas Enwright, Kristine Evans, Karen Hondrick, Erik Johnson, Peter Kappes, Chelsea Kross, Joseph Lancaster Heather Levy, Jonathon Lueck, James Lyons, Lauren Monopoli, Jena Moon, Andrew Nyman, Robert Rohli, Amy Schwarzer, Eric Soehren, Michelle Stantial, Hana Thurman, William Vermillion, Jennifer WIlson, Mark Woodrey Although extensive work has been done in upland systems to understand the role of fire in maintaining ecosystem functions, little has been done on the maintenance of coastal wetlands, or the response of birds in high marsh wetlands. High marsh is a unique habitat type, imminently threatened by sea level rise and characterized by a community of specialized emergent vegetation that tolerates irregular tidal inundation. Land managers’ decisions about prescribed fire in high marsh systems are complicated by uncertainty around the response of birds to the application of prescribed fire. Without an understanding of how prescribed fire impacts high marsh ecosystems, natural resource managers will be limited in our ability to manage and conserve the biodiversity of the Gulf Coast. Black rail, yellow rail, and mottled duck are birds of concern, and uncertainty currently limits the application of prescribed fire for the benefit for all three species. We will present our work to date in monitoring the response of our three focal species to prescribed fire management of their habitats, and what we’ve learned along the way in terms of sampling design for three birds that can be challenging to study.

Presented During: Wetland Science and Conservation from Diversified Wildlife Partnerships, 05/18/22 9:45 AM - 10:00 AM ET

THE PAST AND PRESENT ROLE OF WATERFOWL HUNTING CLUBS IN WETLAND CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT John Simpson Waterfowl hunting sportsmen became increasingly interested in the manipulation of wetland habitat to attract migratory waterfowl to their private hunting preserves in the late 1800s. By the mid-twentieth century, sportsmen owned and managed several million acres of wetland habitat for waterfowl. This pioneering effort led, in part, to the conservation and often restoration of those millions of acres of wetland habitat that were protected as private or eventually publicly held wetlands. These early interests also led to pioneering advances in the fields of waterfowl and wetland habitat management as these sportsmen, through trial and error, experimented with various plantings, water level manipulation, and other practices intended to improve habitat for waterfowl use. The Winous Point Shooting Club and Winous Point Marsh Conservancy are an excellent example of how the interests of early sportsman led to modern wetland conservation practices. With roots that tie back to 1800s sportsmen-conservationists, the Winous Point Marsh Conservancy continues to restore and manage wetlands for waterfowl hunting, for a suite of wetland-dependent wildlife, and to provide other ecosystem services. The Winous Point Marsh Conservancy continues to advance understanding of wetland conservation and management through research partnerships aimed at furthering our understanding of how waterfowl management can be integrated with management for other wetland dependent wildlife and ecosystem services.

Presented During: Wetlands for Nutrient Management: Building a Framework for Science-Based Restoration - Day 1, 05/16/22 4:30 PM - 4:45 PM ET

ESTABLISHING A SYSTEM TO EXAMINE EUTROPHICATION AND INVASION EFFECTS ON WETLAND NUTRIENT MITIGATION Andrew Sample, Gary Ervin, Gray Turnage Increased nutrient inputs into the Mississippi River resulting from extensive agricultural activity and loss of wetlands can be mitigated via wetland restoration initiatives.

The goal of this study was to establish a model system for studying effects of species invasion and eutrophication on floodplain wetlands in the southeastern US. Two regionally non-weedy emergent macrophyte species (Juncus effusus Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 273

and Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani) and two common weedy emergent macrophyte species (Typha latifolia and Phragmites australis) were chosen as model species for these studies. The first year of a multi-year mesocosm study was aimed at determining baseline growth and nutrient removal from the water column for each species, in monoculture, under a standardized flooding and nutrient availability regimen. Results from the first year showed clear differences in growth patterns between the weedy and non-weedy species. As expected, the weedy species exhibited faster radial spread and reached taller maximum heights than the non-weedy species. The non-weedy species also showed relatively consistent growth rates through the growing season, whereas the weedy species displayed relatively short bursts of rapid growth prior to flowering. Despite those differences in growth, we saw no differences in nutrient removal from the water column based on species or species designation (weedy or non-weedy). Follow up work will include simulated scenarios of species invasion (monoculture and mixed culture mesocosms) and eutrophication (mixed culture mesocosms with baseline and increased nitrogen concentrations). This study should provide insight for wetland managers regarding project species selection and planning adaptive management considering two major wetland management challenges.

Presented During: Wetlands for Nutrient Management: Building a Framework for Science-Based Restoration - Day 1, 05/16/22 2:30 PM - 2:45 PM ET

WHEN TO MOVE A MUSSEL: RIBBED MUSSELS ENHANCE NITROGEN REMOVAL, BUT NOT PLANT GROWTH, IN RESTORED URBAN MARSHES Mary Alldred, Thomas Whaley, Timothy Hoellein, Denise Bruesewitz, Christopher Girgenti, J. Gosnell, Chester Zarnoch Along the eastern coast of North America, the mutualism between ribbed mussels (Geukensia demissa) and smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) is foundational to the structure and function of marsh ecosystems. Mussels enhance growth of the grass, and both species support sediment microbial processes that permanently remove nitrogen, a critical ecosystem service in eutrophic estuaries.

We investigated whether the addition of mussels to restored marshes enhances marsh growth and promotes nitrogen-removal within urban estuaries. We hypothesized two potential outcomes: 1) as in natural marshes, mussels may enhance the growth of plants and support microbial processes that retain and remove nitrogen, or 2) mussels may respond positively to increasing inundation while plants re274 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

spond negatively, decoupling the mutualism. We performed experimental additions of ribbed mussels to two constructed marshes in New York, NY, USA that varied in sediment loading and exposure to erosion. At both sites, mussels enhanced removal of nitrogen via microbial denitrification but had no effect on plant growth. To address the generality of our results, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of 45 independent estimates of the effect of Spartina or Geukensia on the growth of its mutualist, and 49 of the effect of either species on nitrogen cycle processes. Consistent with our field experiments, the positive effect of the mutualism on the growth of Spartina and Geukensia was significantly stronger in nonurban than urban locations, and in natural relative to constructed marshes. The effect of both species on the marsh nitrogen cycle remains similar regardless of context.

Presented During: Wetlands for Nutrient Management: Building a Framework for Science-Based Restoration - Day 1, 05/16/22 9:00 AM - 9:15 AM ET

CONNECTIONS MATTER: NATIONAL CLASSIFICATION LINKS WETLANDS AND WATER QUALITY Scott Leibowitz, Ryan Hill, Irena Creed, Jana Compton, Heather Golden, Marc Weber, Mark Rains, Chas Jones, E. Lee, Jay Christensen, Rebecca Bellmore, Charles Lane Wetland connections to downstream waters are primary factors influencing water quality. However, no systematic approach for characterizing connectivity exists. Our goals were to classify wetland hydrologic connectivity across the conterminous US (CONUS), and to describe how wetland hydrological connectivity contributes to watershed function. We classify connectivity between wetlands and downstream waters based on wetland type and the soil properties of the flowpath between wetland and downstream water. We applied this system across the CONUS to identify four classes with decreasing connectivity: riparian, non-riparian with shallow subsurface flowpaths, non-riparian with mid-depth subsurface flowpaths, and non-riparian with deep subsurface flowpaths. Riparian wetlands comprised >70% of all wetlands by area, while the other three classes represent ~10% each. The four wetland types are heterogeneously distributed over the CONUS: e.g., riparian wetlands dominate in southeast and Gulf coasts, while non-riparian deep occurs in prairie pothole and playa lake regions. To evaluate the hydrological classification system for representing connectivity, we related connectivity class to a national dataset of stream acidification, brownification, eutrophication, and sedimentation. Results indicate that constituents associated with acidification and brownifica-

tion became more positive with increasing connectivity, while those associated with basic constituents decreased.

Connectivity did not affect constituents associated with eutrophication and sedimentation. This study demonstrates how our connectivity classification advances our understanding of wetland influences on water quality across the nation – with global potential. The views expressed in this abstract are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Presented During: Wetlands for Nutrient Management: Building a Framework for Science-Based Restoration - Day 1, 05/16/22 1:30 PM - 1:45 PM ET

THE USE OF CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS WITH SUBSURFACE FLOW TO REMOVE NITRATE FROM AGRICULTURAL DRAINAGE Jan Vymazal, Adam Sochacki, Petr Fučík, Tereza Hnátková Constructed wetlands were proposed as a suitable tool for removal of nitrogen from agricultural drainage in the early 1990s. Since then, this technology is used worldwide but mostly as free water surface constructed wetlands. In 2018, three experimental constructed wetlands with horizontal subsurface flow were built to treat tile drainage from 27 ha agricultural watershed. The wetlands have a surface area of 80, 90 and 100 m2 and were planted with a combination of Phalaris arundinacea and Glyceria maxima.

The substrate in all wetlands is gravel (4-8 mm), in two wetlands mixed with birch woodchips (10:1 volume ratio).

In one of those wetlands, the water level is kept at the surface, in the second one the water is kept about 10 cm above the surface. The third wetland has 20 cm layer of birch woodchips on top of gravel. The mean removals of nitrate for 40 months period (8/2018-11/2021) were 52%, 57% and 56% for wetlands 1, 2 and 3, respectively in terms of concentrations. The average load removals amounted to 4598, 3354 and 3120 kg N/ha yr in wetlands 1, 2 and 3 respectively for the same period. The results clearly showed that the most important parameter affecting the removal is the flow as during the highest flows also the highest nitrate concentrations were recorded (up to 600 mg/l). The high flows resulted in high load removal but lower decrease in concentration.

Presented During: Wetlands for Nutrient Management: Building a Framework for Science-Based Restoration - Day 1, 05/16/22 2:45 PM - 3:00 PM ET

ASSESSING NUTRIENT LOAD REDUCTION ACROSS CONSTRUCTED WETLAND TYPES: CASE STUDIES FROM

GRAND LAKE ST MARYS, BUCKEYE LAKE, AND THE GREAT MIAMI RIVER Silvia Newell, Stephen Jacquemin, Justin Myers, Lauren Kinsman-Costello, Janice Kerns Wetlands perform critical ecosystem services, including nutrient reduction, flood mitigation, and biodiversity habitat. More than 90% of wetlands in Ohio have been destroyed and most major water bodies in the state now experience annual harmful cyanobacterial blooms. The H2Ohio Initiative in part funds statewide wetland restoration to improve water quality through nutrient reduction, but the initiative also includes wetlands initially designed for flood mitigation, floodplain and fish habitat, and energy load reduction. The Wright State team of the H2Ohio Wetland Monitoring Program has developed a plan to monitor water quality at nine newly constructed wetlands in western and southern Ohio, including one at Buckeye Lake and three within the Grand Lake St Marys (GLSM) watershed. GLSM is one of the most hypereutropic lakes in North America (above the 90th percentile for nutrient load) with outflows into both Lake Erie and the Ohio River watersheds. Here we present water monitoring plans for assessing nutrient reduction across multiple wetland designs, preliminary nutrient monitoring data, and a comparison with more established constructed wetlands within the GLSM watershed.

Presented During: Wetlands for Nutrient Management: Building a Framework for Science-Based Restoration - Day 1, 05/16/22 2:15 PM - 2:30 PM ET

ECOLOGICAL AND COMMUNITY BUILDING BENEFITS OF URBAN TREATMENT WETLANDS Maureen Wise, Sheryl Parsons Constructed treatment wetlands built into the urban environment have ecological services beyond water quality improvement. Treatment wetlands increase native plant biodiversity, create nature corridors within an urbanized environment and increase understanding of green infrastructure within city limits. Constructed treatment wetlands (referred to as Natural Treatment Systems), have been monitored and maintained by the Irvine Ranch Water District in the San Diego Creek Watershed in Orange County, California as a means to treat and reduce urban runoff before it reaches the ecologically sensitive estuary of the Upper Newport Bay Ecological Reserve. The primary purpose of the network of over 40 constructed treatment wetlands is to improve water quality, yet alternative benefits of these Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 275

wetlands have become increasingly important within recent years. Increasing urban development of historic agricultural land has dramatically decreased open space, greenbelts, native plant diversity and permeable land within this coastal southern California watershed. This newly disturbed land has become susceptible to invasive plant species. These treatment wetlands that have been introduced into the newly urbanized environment require restoration efforts to maintain native plant diversity while reducing the introduction and takeover of invasive weed species. Restoration efforts to eradicate weeds while increasing native wetland and chapparal plant coverage and diversity has proven to not only be an effective Integrative Pest Management plan, but it has widespread ecological benefits such as providing habitat for migratory birds, effectively reducing nitrogen and phosphorous from urban runoff and providing local biodiversity ‘pockets’ within a hardened environment.

Presented During: Wetlands for Nutrient Management: Building a Framework for Science-Based Restoration - Day 2, 05/17/22 9:00 AM - 9:15 AM ET

A PROPOSED FRAMEWORK FOR OPTIMIZING P RETENTION IN WETLAND SOILS Jacob Berkowitz, Sydney Bufkin, Nia Hurst, Shaelynn Kaufman Wetland soils have a natural capacity to sequester nutrients and are often employed to improve water quality. However, wetland phosphorus (P) retention capacity is finite and may be limited by legacy P effects. This presentation describes a proposed framework to identify, evaluate, and operate wetlands developed for P retention. Our approach: 1) screened soil P storage capacity (SPSC) at proposed wetland locations to estimate site suitability; 2) evaluated P sorption isotherms under varying environmental conditions to elucidate temperature and redox effects; 3) analyzed the potential of soil amendments to increase P sorption capacity; 4) is utilizing mesocosms to model field operational scenarios, and 5) is transitioning these findings to a field-scale R&D wetland in Maumee River Basin. Collectively, these studies help to inform the design, management, and operation of wetlands to optimize P retention. Results suggest SPSC provides a useful screening tool for site prioritization. Additionally, P sorption studies highlight environmental effects on P retention and report that amendments can extend the P-removal life of constructed wetland sites when the un-amended soil sorption capacity has been exceeded.

In summary, incorporating multi-scale assessments of P dynamics from bench top studies to field applications will help resource managers estimate the suitability, P reduction 276 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

potential, operational efficiencies, and lifespan of constructed wetland soils.

Presented During: Wetlands for Nutrient Management: Building a Framework for Science-Based Restoration - Day 2, 05/17/22 8:30 AM - 8:45 AM ET

ESTABLISHING A FLEXIBLE BUT ROBUST FRAMEWORK TO ASSESS NUTRIENT REMOVAL IN DIVERSE WETLAND RESTORATIONS (OHIO, USA) Lauren Kinsman-Costello, Janice Kerns, Raissa Mendonca, Richard Becker, Thomas Bridgeman, Justin Chaffin, Kennedy Doro, Kristen Fussell, Stephen Jacquemin, Laura Johnson, Ganming Liu, Kevin McCluney, Helen Michaels, W. Robert Midden, Silvia Newell, Chris Winslow Globally, investments are made to protect, restore, construct, and manage wetland ecosystems to mitigate eutrophication. However, efforts to assess nutrient removal in restored wetlands are often limited and data remains inadequate. In Ohio, wetland restoration is being implemented statewide as part of the H2Ohio Initiative to improve water quality. The H2Ohio Wetland Projects are diverse and numerous, representing over 50 projects including reconnection of diked coastal wetlands as well as wetland restoration and construction on agricultural land and floodplains. The H2Ohio Wetland Monitoring Program (HWMP) includes a multi-disciplinary, coordinated team of researchers developing a long-term data collection framework to assess the nutrient removal effectiveness of wetland restoration throughout the state. We are developing a tiered approach to maximize use of limited resources by intensively investigating and modeling selected representative projects and developing synthetic analyses to infer biogeochemical process from low resolution indicators in less intensively monitored projects. Monitoring will take a mass balance nutrient budgeting approach aimed at quantifying major pools and fluxes of nitrogen and phosphorus to quantify load reduction in contrasting restoration approaches.

Measurements will include hydrologic dynamics, groundwater exchange, vegetation dynamics, soil and surface nutrient status, surface water nutrient concentrations, and sediment-surface water nutrient exchange. Ultimately, the HWMP provides an unprecedented opportunity to compare diverse wetland restoration, construction, and management approaches in terms of direct assessments of nutrient cycling mechanisms. The HWMP will not only generate open data to inform wetland research and management, but will also enhance capacity through cultivating a network of researchers and practitioners.

Presented During: Wetlands for Nutrient Management: Building a Framework for Science-Based Restoration - Day 2, 05/17/22 9:15 AM - 9:30 AM ET

MONITORING TOTAL ABOVE AND BELOWGROUND PLANT NUTRIENT CONTENT ACROSS MULTIPLE WETLANDS Lauren Brown, Ewan Isherwood, W. Robert Midden, Chathuranga Senevirathne, Helen Michaels, Kevin McCluney Wetland vegetation serves as an important nutrient sink which contributes to management and restoration aims of mitigating downstream eutrophication. However, relatively little is known about how vegetation composition and traits impact and respond to nutrient cycling in wetlands.

To better guide restoration and management of wetlands for the purposes of nutrient mitigation, large-scale monitoring of vegetation composition, biomass, and nutrient content is required. Within the Lake Erie watershed, we aim to understand spatial heterogeneity of above- and belowground vegetation biomass, nitrogen, and phosphorus content at multiple spatial scales across several recently restored wetland sites as part of the H2Ohio Initiative. We present the results of destructive sampling for fine-scale biomass and nutrient analyses, and propose a methodology coupling this destructive sampling and vegetation mapping to extend our analyses to entire wetlands. These methods will inform nutrient mitigation efforts in the Lake Erie watershed on an annual basis and establish important foundational knowledge for the broader wetland restoration and management community.

Presented During: Winter Science Symposium – Understanding and adapting to changes in winter climate and freshwater ice across the spectrum of inland waters, 05/20/22 1:30 PM - 1:45 PM ET

SPATIOTEMPORAL DRIVERS OF SUITABLE OVERWINTERING HABITAT FOR CENTRARCHID SPECIES IN A LARGE RIVER NETWORK Rob Mooney, Kathi Jo Jankowski, Madeline Magee, Hilary Dugan Winter habitat conditions play a central role in the survival of fishes in mid-high latitude rivers. Prevalence of hypoxia, changes in flow and depth, and reduced temperature have adverse effects on and potentially bottleneck populations and communities. However, despite the importance of overwintering habitat for fishes, there remains uncertainty in the drivers of suitable habitat across space and time. Our objectives were to 1) assess overwintering suitability of off-channel habitats for centrarchids throughout the Upper

Mississippi River System (UMRS) using suitability indices, and 2) determine the spatiotemporal drivers of suitability across the diverse river landscape of the UMRS. We used spatially explicit hydrogeomorphic characteristics and mid-winter environmental data from the Long-Term Research Monitoring Program to determine suitability of habitats throughout several reaches of the UMRS from 19942019. We calculated suitability indices for depth, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and flow to determine overall habitat suitability (HSIO). We used a random forest to model relationships among HSIO and variables that represent habitat size, connectivity, and winter climate. Overall, we found that water temperature was the main driver of HSIO at 60% of sampling locations, with low temperatures reducing suitability. Further, locations with less than 0.5 m of available water depth had a high probability of being non-suitable.

Additionally, we found that increased snow depth increased the probability of a backwater being non-suitable. Understanding how interactions among landscape features and climate factors influence off-channel habitats is critical to maintaining fish communities throughout large rivers and targeting restoration, especially as winter conditions change over time.

Presented During: Working in Wetlands: The People, Planet and Profit Edition-Collaboration Required, 05/18/22 3:00 PM ET

EAGLE SCOUT TO COLLEGE ATHLETE TO ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST (VIRTUAL) Jeremy Jordan Growing up in Texas, I have always enjoyed hunting, fishing, and being outside. I achieved the rank of Eagle Scout in high school, shortly before beginning my time at the University of Arkansas as a collegiate athlete (cheerleader - GO HOGS). During my time there I worked for many professors and got a lot of experience in many fields including soils, crop genetics, and even poultry production.

I gained an interest in geographic infomration systems and held an internship that turned into a position with the City of Springdale Arkansas Water Department where I conducted a variety of tasks ranging from surveying to drafting to conducting GIS-based studies in support of water and water security within the municipality. During this time, I also worked part-time as a biological technician doing bird and bat surveys for a firm working on a wind power project in northwest Arkansas. I also worked in the weeds science field conducting plot trials before beginning my career in environmental consulting. I am now an Environmental Scientist with an engineering firm in Richardson, TX. I am also an ISA-certified Arborist and get to do some Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 277

interesting work with trees. Additionally, I hold a research permit from Texas Parks and Wildlife for fish and mussels and serve as staff stream ecologist when the need arises. I am very lucky to be where I am today, and most importantly - you can be too with hard work and good mentors! Stay persistent and never stop learning.

Presented During: Working in Wetlands: The People, Planet and Profit Edition-Collaboration Required, 05/18/22 2:15 PM - 2:30 PM ET

THE COLLABORATION CHALLENGE AND FINDING COMMON GROUND Marla Stelk While it may not be as physically challenging (and cold) as the Ice Bucket Challenge, collaboration is nonetheless hard work. In fact, the word “collaboration” comes from the Latin word collaborare, meaning “to labor together” to pursue a common goal or objective. As professions become more specialized, the role of collaboration becomes even more important. Although collaboration is hard work and can add extra time and expense to an endeavor, the additional effort can result in greater outcomes. As the saying goes, the sum is always greater than the parts. Wetlands, in particular, are incredibly diverse and a successful wetland management program will require expertise in physical, biological and chemical sciences as well as policy, engineering, geospatial technology, and regulatory knowledge. Additionally, since wetlands provide many benefits for humans and are at the same time very controversial, experience in public outreach, education and communications is also essential. This presentation will share a story about a successful collaboration between the wetland and silviculture communities which took many twists and turns, fell into several potholes, but eventually found solid footing, a common goal, and a path forward.

Presented During: Working in Wetlands: The People, Planet and Profit Edition-Collaboration Required, 05/18/22 3:00 PM ET

THE ROLE OF WETLAND CONSERVATION ENTHUSIASTS IN DURABLE ENVIRONMENTAL FRESHWATER PROTECTION (VIRTUAL) Sergio Salinas-Rodríguez Rivers and inland wetlands are valuable ecosystems that occupy ~1% of Earth’s surface yet they possess ~12% of the biodiversity and represent a source of water, food, and energy for people worldwide. However, freshwater ecosystems are critically threatened mainly due to habitat loss or degradation, overexploitation, pollution, and climate 278 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

change. Environmental flows (eflow) describe the quantity, timing, and quality of freshwater flows and levels necessary to sustain aquatic ecosystems which, in turn, support human cultures, economies, sustainable livelihoods, and well-being. This presentation aims to inspire wetlands’ students, conservation and restoration practitioners based on the roles that rural communities, scientists, managers, and policymakers play to build eflow case studies for contributing to environmental water protection, on-site implementation, governance, and stewardship. The talk will be enriched by “hands-on” experiences and take-away messages based on the challenges faced in Mexico, from the first studies at the river reach and wetland level that grounded the foundations for the development of a national standard, its systematic implementation, patterns detection, and the policy performance nationwide. To date, a “Call to action to ensure and protect the water requirements of wetlands for the present and the future” has been made by the Contracting Parties to the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar Resolution XII.12) to scale up the strategy internationally.

Presented During: Working in Wetlands: The People, Planet and Profit Edition-Collaboration Required, 05/18/22 9:15 AM - 9:30 AM ET

EXPLORING THE ECOTONE OF WETLAND SCIENCE & ENTREPRENEURISM Jeremy Schewe, PWS My favorite places on the planet are ecotones. I love edge places where “worlds” cross and exchange takes place. In navigating the pathways through life as a wetland scientist, biologist, ecologist, or natural resources manager, one often may find themselves on a clearly defined path that leads them into academia, conservation planning, consulting, policy, or activism. And sometimes, especially for those of you who have spent ample time in the field, getting from location “A” to “B” through a swamp is not always a direct path. Come explore the ecotone of wetland science and entrepreneurism with a seasoned wetland scientist and botanist.

In this presentation, we will take a look at the journey of my commitment to the protection of sensitive habitats and threatened & endangered species while navigating the multi-pathways through the swamp of life. How do academia, non-profit organizations, international NGOs, consultancies, grassroots organizations, venture capital, tech, and entrepreneurism come to the same watering hole?

In my career, I have helped to protect thousands of acres of natural habitat; ran in front of bulldozers to conduct T&E studies; conducted multi-team biological assessments be-

fore fracking companies ran havoc over a natural community; contracted with multiple federal agencies as an independent contractor; managed corporate natural resource teams; and, took an unrealized idea, convinced a bunch of folks to work on it with me, gathered a lot of money, and created a suite of tools and a new business from nothing.

Presented During: Working in Wetlands: The People, Planet and Profit Edition-Collaboration Required, 05/18/22 8:30 AM - 8:45 AM ET

MY 3-D TRAJECTORY: HOW TO LEVERAGE YOUR DRIVE, DEVELOPMENT, AND DREAM ACROSS THE WETLAND SCIENCES David Riera Students of all ages locally and internationally have experienced inequities and diminishing justice across their trajectories to graduate with a degree or to move up the hierarchy of their fields, disciplines, or institutions. Many caught in this wave turn to family, friends, or other professionals as a support network where they build a safe space and place to develop comprehension, efficacy, and agency in order to overcome the sometimes insidious social, economical, and environmental injustices which prevent the individual from developing and growing into a professional with a career and not just a job. Through this account, we will illustrate the fundamental differences between coaches, sponsors, and mentors, then we will focus on the aspects of social versus professional networking in physical and professional spaces, and lastly, the author will provide his qualitative experiences in wetland sciences as a reflective exercise to explore the application of a method called the Hero’s Journey. Navigating through our own preconceptions, distortions, and dissonance is challenging alone but not impossible. Through this process, we will attempt to learn and unlearn knowledge that hinders our ability to connect honestly, openly, and transparently with one another as well as discover the passion, innovation, and vision that we all possess to succeed and support others success. We all represent various academic institutions, businesses, agencies, and our communities but as stakeholders in international society, it is up to us to cultivate a culture of success while dismantling the systems which restrict access, erect glass ceilings, and oppress talent

Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 279

WETLANDS IN THE NEWS XXXXXX

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isted below are some links to some news articles that may be of interest. Links from past issues for other news can be accessed on the SWS website news page. The National Association of Wetland Managers' “Wetland News Digest” (https://www.nawm.org/publications/wetland-news-digest) provides links to other news including public notices from agencies regarding wetland regulations. Freshwater Research News (FRN) is a free quarterly newsletter covering all aspects of freshwater research; to register contact Kev Warburton at Charles Sturt University: KWarburton@csu.edu.au.

SWS members are encouraged to send links to articles about wetlands in their local area. Please send the links to WSP Editor at ralphtiner83@gmail.com and reference “Wetlands in the News” in the subject box. Thanks for your cooperation.

Recovering wetland biogeomorphic feedbacks to restore the world’s biotic carbon hotspots Estuaries more efficient at capturing carbon than some forests: B.C. study Prolific turtle trapper sentenced to prison The Pantanal, the world's largest wetland, is at risk of collapse Between an intersection and a wetland: A conservation land parking conundrum Contractor announced for Soaring Eagle Wetland ADA project Places in news: Pantanal Wetlands Native Maine fish returns to lake on their own for first time in hundreds of years New wetlands limits, annexation of councilman's land stir questions in Ascension Parish | Environment | theadvocate.com Winter Ticks Are Wiping Out Moose in Maine Lax enforcement enables SD farmers to illegally drain wetlands Volunteers to install new floating wetlands in Green Lake St Lucia crocs are losing their teeth due to lead poisoning A Waterway Project in Brazil Imperils a Vast Tropical Wetland Strawberry farms threaten Spanish wetlands Private water donations may help restore Australian wetlands – and prove collaboration possible Mexico’s pink lagoon: The ecological danger lurking behind the tourist attraction Scientists Discovered The World's Largest Known Plant, And It's Over 100 Miles Long How wolf personalities can alter wetlands In Iraq's marshes, herders long for water Rare wetland plant found in Arizona now listed as endangered 'We beg God for water': Chilean lake turns to desert, sounding climate change alarm Dream destinations for aquarists - The Pantanal Biologists try to save ancient fish as Colorado River fades The Pantanal, Brazil Coastal gentrification in Puerto Rico is displacing people and damaging mangroves and wetlands Congo peat: The 'lungs of humanity' which are under threat Draining tropical peatlands for oil palms isn’t just bad — it’s unnecessary, study shows Planting Wetlands Could Help Stave Off Climate Catastrophe Running Tide is facing scientist departures and growing concerns over seaweed sinking for carbon removal Why Scientists Want to Bring Farming to Swampy Peatlands Yellowstone River flooding is a 1 in 500-year event, US Geological Survey says Walking RI: Mingle with birds, beavers, mink and more at Exeter's Fisherville Brook refuge Iconic Infographic Map Compares the World’s Mountains and Rivers Scientists Discover Largest Plant on Earth – Estimated To Be at Least 4,500 Years Old Turkey’s wetlands battle human-made threats, extinction 280 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

WETLAND BOOKSHELF

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received information and links to two e-books by Dr. Joy Zedler published by the town of Dunn, Wisconsin. The first book – Tussock Sedge: A Wetland Superplant – just published, is about Carex stricta and the wet meadows it dominates.

This sedge is perhaps the predominant Carex sedge of the Northeast and Upper Midwest, noted for its tussocks that often provide a place for other plants to colonize where the underlying substrate is too wet for their survival. Beautifully illustrated by Kandis Elliot, the book is based on Joy’s work with University of Wisconsin students and provides an interesting look into the outstanding qualities of this graminoid, its ecology, and restoration, among other topics. The other book - Waubesa Wetlands: New Look at an Old Gem (2nd edition published in 2019) - is a detailed review of these wetlands and their surrounding landscape including their history, ecology, current threats, and future needs. These wetlands are both recognized as a SWS Wetland of Distinction. Both books are free online and available through the town of Dunn’s website (see below).

For the latest news on wetlands and related topics, readers are referred to the National Association of Wetland Managers website (formerly the Association of State Wetland Managers). Their “Wetland News Digest” includes links to government agency public notices and newspaper articles that should be of interest, especially dealing with wetland regulations, court cases, management, and threats: https://www.nawm.org/publications/wetland-news-digest.

Additional resources are listed below. Please help us add new books and reports to this listing. If your agency, organization, or institution has published new publications on wetlands, please send the information to Editor of Wetland Science & Practice at ralphtiner83@gmail.com. Your cooperation is appreciated.

BOOKS • History of Wetland Science: A Perspective from Wetland Leaders • An Introduction to the Aquatic Insects of North America (5th Edition) • Wading Right In: Discovering the Nature of Wetlands • Sedges of Maine • Sedges and Rushes of Minnesota • Wetland & Stream Rapid Assessments: Development,Validation, and Application • Eager: The Surprising Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter • Wetland Indicators – A Guide to Wetland Formation, Identification, Delineation, Classification, and Mapping • Wetland Soils: Genesis, Hydrology, Landscapes, and Classification • Creating and Restoring Wetlands: From Theory to Practice • Salt Marsh Secrets. Who uncovered them and how?

• Remote Sensing of Wetlands: Applications and Advances.

114 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

• Wetlands (5th Edition).

• Black Swan Lake – Life of a Wetland • Coastal Wetlands of the World: Geology, Ecology, Distributionand Applications • Florida’s Wetlands • Mid-Atlantic Freshwater Wetlands: Science, Management,Policy, and Practice • The Atchafalaya River Basin: History and Ecology of an American Wetland • Tidal Wetlands Primer: An Introduction to their Ecology, Natural History, Status and Conservation • Wetland Landscape Characterization: Practical Tools, Methods, and Approaches for Landscape Ecology • Wetland Techniques (3 volumes) • Wildflowers and Other Plants of Iowa Wetlands • Wetland Restoration: A Handbook for New Zealand Freshwater Systems • Wetland Ecosystems • Constructed Wetlands and Sustainable Development • Tussock Sedge: A Wetland Superplant • Waubesa Wetlands: New Look at an Old Gem

Wetland Science & Practice July 2022 281

WSP SUBMISSION GUIDELINES XXXXXX

About Wetland Science & Practice (WSP)

W

etland Science and Practice (WSP) is the SWS quarterly publication aimed at providing information on select SWS activities (technical committee summaries, chapter workshop overview/abstracts, and SWS-funded student activities), articles on ongoing or recently completed wetland research, restoration, or management projects, freelance articles on the general ecology and natural history of wetlands, and highlights of current events. The July issue is typically dedicated to publishing the proceedings of our annual conference. WSP also serves as an outlet for commentaries, perspectives and opinions on important developments in wetland science, theory, management and policy. Both invited and unsolicited manuscripts are reviewed by the WSP editor for suitability for publication.

When deemed necessary or upon request, some articles are subject to scientific peer review. Student papers are welcomed. Please see publication guidelines herein. Electronic access to Wetland Science and Practice is included in your SWS membership. All issues published, except the current issue, are available via the internet to the general public.

The current issue is only available to SWS members; it will be available to the public four months after its publication when the next issue is released (e.g., the January 2022 issue will be an open access issue in April 2022). WSP is an excellent choice to convey the results of your projects or interest in wetlands to others. Also note that as of January 2021, WSP will publish advertisements, contact info@sws. org for details.

HOW YOU CAN HELP If you read something you like in WSP, or that you think someone else would find interesting, be sure to share. Share links to your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn accounts.

Make sure that all your SWS colleagues are checking out our recent issues, and help spread the word about SWS to non-members!

Questions? Contact editor Ralph Tiner, PWS Emeritus (ralphtiner83@gmail.com).

WSP Manuscript – General Guidelines LENGTH: Approximately 5,000 words; can be longer if necessary.

STYLE: See existing articles from 2014 to more recent years available online at: https://members.sws.org/wetland-science-and-practice TEXT: Word document, 12 font, Times New Roman, singlespaced; keep tables and figures separate, although captions can be included in text. For reference citations in text use this format: (Smith 2016; Jones and Whithead 2014; Peterson et al. 2010).

FIGURES: Please include full-color images of subject wetland(s). Image size should be a minimum of 1MB for this e-publication. High resolution images at 150 DPI are preferred.

Figures should be original (not published elsewhere) or in the public domain. If published elsewhere, permission must be granted (author’s responsibility) from that publisher.

Reference Citation Examples • Claus, S., S. Imgraben, K. Brennan, A. Carthey, B. Daly, R. Blakey, E. Turak, and N. Saintilan. 2011.

Assessing the ex-tent and condition of wetlands in NSW: Supporting report A – Conceptual framework, Monitoring, evaluation and re-porting program, Technical report series, Office of Environ-ment and Heritage, Sydney, Australia. OEH 2011/0727.

• Clements, F.E. 1916. Plant Succession: An Analysis of the Development of Vegetation. Carnegie Institution of Wash-ington. Washington D.C. Publication 242.

• Colburn, E.A. 2004. Vernal Pools: Natural History and Conservation. McDonald & Woodward Publishing Company, Blacksburg, VA. • Cole, C.A. and R.P. Brooks. 2000. Patterns of wetland hydrology in the Ridge and Valley Province, Pennsylvania, USA. Wetlands 20: 438-447.

Although not included in the above examples, please be sure to add the doi code to citations where possible.

282 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

2022 Advertising Prospectus Photo Credit: Jason Smith -Penobscot Mountain Perched Bog, Bar Harbor, ME

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Wetland Science & Practice (WSP) WSP is the SWS quarterly publication aimed at providing information on select SWS activities (technical committee summaries, chapter and section workshop overview/abstracts, and SWS-funded student activities); brief summary articles on current or recently completed wetland research, restoration, or management projects; information on the general ecology and natural history of wetlands; and highlights of current events. It is distributed digitally, with over 1,000 impressions and more than 250 reads in the first six months after release.

• Ad Format: Press quality .pdf with images rendered at 300 or higher dpi • Ad Due Date: Artwork is due on the 15th of the month prior to the month of publication • Distribution Date: WSP is published on or around the middle of the month of publication

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GT5000 Terra

Robust multi-gas FTIR analysis for wetland and in-situ research

 Integrate with manual and automated    

N2O chambers for closed-loop analysis Internal battery Splash-proof and IP54 rated Lightweight and portable: 20.7 lb.

Wireless connectivity: Bluetooth & Wi-Fi

284 Wetland Science & Practice July 2022

Gasmet Technologies Inc. sales@gasmet.com

CO2

CH4

CO NH3

H2O

Wetland Science & Practice July 2021 249