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Research Project: Insects in Ecosystem Restoration Researcher: Anna Fiedler, PhD student Michigan prairie fens are unique in their plant and animal diversity. Invasive species are one of the primary threats to that diversity. Glossy buckthorn (Frangula alnus) is one of the most common prairie fen invasives. The potential for F. alnus to alter communities that it invades is very real. Land managers and conservationists have qualitatively mentioned a variety of changes in prairie fen upon invasion of F. alnus. However, the relationship between F. alnus presence and biotic and abiotic factors has not been quantified in wetlands. I will examine the effect of management of an invasive species, Frangula alnus (glossy buckthorn), on native plant and insect abundance in Michigan prairie fen. My objectives are to 1) assess the abiotic and biotic characteristics in prairie fen invaded by F. alnus, 2) examine the response of native plant and insect abundance and diversity to F. alnus control, 3) determine changes in pollination services and pollinator community composition associated with F. alnus control, and 4) determine whether biological diversity of restored prairie fen approaches high-quality reference sites over time. Through this research, I will gain valuable quantitative information on biotic and abiotic processes during prairie fen restoration. | 
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In Fall 2007, I gathered pre-management data in buckthorn invaded and high quality uninvaded reference areas. I found greater soil organic matter, nitrate, and ammonia in buckthorn invaded areas, and significantly lower soil pH, light availability, soil microtopography (number of vegetation hummocks), and herbaceous plant diversity and cover in F. alnus invaded plots. In winter of 2008 we cut and stump treated buckthorn with herbicide in invaded areas of the prairie fen. During the growing seasons of 2008 and 2009, we will compare the change in plant and insect species presence over time in buckthorn removal and invaded areas. This work will allow us to look not only at how habitats are different in the presence of invasive plants, but also at whether plants and insects that are key components of habitat functions, including water filtration and pollination, return to areas with restoration. Long-term impacts of this study include integrating species diversity at multiple trophic levels and functional success into the concept of habitat restoration success.
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