Recolonization Trends of Fish Communities Following the Restoration of a Great Lakes Coastal Wetland

The Great Lakes coastal wetlands are in decline due to various anthropogenic factors including invasive species. An invasion by Phragmites australis in Long Point Crown Marsh, Lake Erie, reduced the amount of open-water habitat for wildlife. Dredging occurred to restore the environment and create more open water. I studied the recolonization trends of fish communities by examining changes in species richness, population density, and community composition, 2012-2014, in four created and two reference ponds. Then, I examined how water chemistry and vegetation influenced the fish communities using variance partitioning and redundancy analysis. Fishes colonized the created ponds immediately after dredging, but ponds showed variation in population density and community composition indicating that created ponds may not be functioning similar to the reference ponds. Water chemistry and vegetation accounted for very little variation in the communities indicating that other factors are influencing the fish communities.M.Sc