Great Lakes Research and Education Center, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore: Connecting Research, Education, and Outreach through Research Internships

The National Park Service (NPS) initiated the Natural Resources Challenge in 1999. The Challenge resulted in the development of research learning centers (RLCs) throughout the country. The RLCs increase the effectiveness and communication of scientific research in national parks by (1) facilitating use of parks for scientific inquiry; (2) supporting sciencebased decision-making; (3) communicating current research information; and (4) promoting resource stewardship through partnerships. RLCs initiate, support, and implement a wide variety of research projects and provide opportunities for university students to work with researchers and park managers. The Great Lakes Research and Education Center initiated a university student research internship program in 2005 to provide support for researchers and managers in the Great Lakes Network parks (Figure 1). Among the network parks, eight participated in the program

Clonal structure of invasive cattail (Typhaceae

Abstract There is mounting evidence that the clonal dynamics of foundational plant species, including exotic invaders such as hybrid Typha x glauca, have a profound effect on wetland function. Here, we report on the clonal structure of five intensively sampled Typha stands from the Upper Midwest region where invasions have been especially disruptive. Each of these stands consisted of a large proportion of F 1 hybrids between T. latifolia and T. angustifolia, although backcrosses to both parents were also observed, and provided a means of determining relative age of invasion. We found clonal richness, measured as the proportion of ramets representing distinct genets, to vary positively with age of invasion over a range from 0.20 to 0.45, whereas Simpson's Evenness was relatively consistent among sites due to a pattern of dominance by a few large clones accompanied by many smaller clones. Ramets were significantly clumped within genets over a range of approximately 20 m, although many clones included ramets separated by as much as 60 to 90 m, suggesting some degree of clone fragmentation over time. Related genets were significantly clumped over approximately 10 m, suggesting that seedling cohorts may frequently recruit in close proximity to one another

Typha (Cattail) Invasion in North American Wetlands: Biology, Regional Problems, Impacts, Ecosystem Services, and Management

Typha is an iconic wetland plant found worldwide. Hybridization and anthropogenic disturbances have resulted in large increases in Typha abundance in wetland ecosystems throughout North America at a cost to native floral and faunal biodiversity. As demonstrated by three regional case studies, Typha is capable of rapidly colonizing habitats and forming monodominant vegetation stands due to traits such as robust size, rapid growth rate, and rhizomatic expansion. Increased nutrient inputs into wetlands and altered hydrologic regimes are among the principal anthropogenic drivers of Typha invasion. Typha is associated with a wide range of negative ecological impacts to wetland and agricultural systems, but also is linked with a variety of ecosystem services such as bioremediation and provisioning of biomass, as well as an assortment of traditional cultural uses. Numerous physical, chemical, and hydrologic control methods are used to manage invasive Typha, but results are inconsistent and multiple methods and repeated treatments often are required. While this review focuses on invasive Typha in North America, the literature cited comes from research on Typha and other invasive species from around the world. As such, many of the underlying concepts in this review are relevant to invasive species in other wetland ecosystems worldwide

Mayflies, stoneflies, and caddisflies of streams and marshes of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, USA

United States National Parks have protected natural communities for one hundred years. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (INDU) is a park unit along the southern boundary of Lake Michigan in Indiana, USA. An inventory of 19 sites, consisting of a seep, 12 streams, four marshes, a bog, and a fen were examined for mayflies (Ephemeroptera), stoneflies (Plecoptera), and caddisflies (Trichoptera) (EPT taxa). Volunteers and authors collect 35 ultraviolet light traps during summer 2013 and supplementary benthic and adult sampling added species not attracted by lights or that were only present in colder months. Seventy-eight EPT species were recovered: 12 mayflies, two stoneflies, and 64 caddisflies. The EPT richness found at INDU was a low proportion of the number of species known from Indiana: caddisflies contributed only 32.7% of known state fauna, mayflies and stoneflies contributed 8.4% and 2.3%, respectively. Site EPT richness ranged from one for a seep to 34 for an 8 m-wide stream. Richness in streams generally increased with stream size. Seven new state records and rare species are reported. The number of EPT species at INDU is slightly larger than that found at Isle Royale National Park in 2013, and the community composition and evenness between orders were different

Speciesâ specific SSR alleles for studies of hybrid cattails (Typha latifolia à T. angustifolia; Typhaceae) in North America

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141617/1/ajb22061.pd

Typha (Cattail) Invasion in North American Wetlands: Biology, Regional Problems, Impacts, Ecosystem Services, and Management

Typha is an iconic wetland plant found worldwide. Hybridization and anthropogenic disturbances have resulted in large increases in Typha abundance in wetland ecosystems throughout North America at a cost to native floral and faunal biodiversity. As demonstrated by three regional case studies, Typha is capable of rapidly colonizing habitats and forming monodominant vegetation stands due to traits such as robust size, rapid growth rate, and rhizomatic expansion. Increased nutrient inputs into wetlands and altered hydrologic regimes are among the principal anthropogenic drivers of Typha invasion. Typha is associated with a wide range of negative ecological impacts to wetland and agricultural systems, but also is linked with a variety of ecosystem services such as bioremediation and provisioning of biomass, as well as an assortment of traditional cultural uses. Numerous physical, chemical, and hydrologic control methods are used to manage invasive Typha, but results are inconsistent and multiple methods and repeated treatments often are required. While this review focuses on invasive Typha in North America, the literature cited comes from research on Typha and other invasive species from around the world. As such, many of the underlying concepts in this review are relevant to invasive species in other wetland ecosystems worldwide