Invasive Typha and Frog Call Activity in the Great Lakes

The presence of the invasive hybrid cattail, Typha x glauca, has increased in Great Lakes coastal wetlands, but attempts have been made to control the invasion through the harvesting of Typha biomass. Anurans (frogs and toads) are sensitive to habitat disturbance and fragmentation, and they are likely negatively impacted by invasive plant species that form dense stands like Typha. To quantify the effects of Typha and Typha removal on anurans, I have analyzed audio recordings of anuran calls collected from three habitat zones across four coastal wetlands in northern Michigan. I have analyzed four five-minute segments from each habitat zone during May 2018 for the call activity from different anuran species using bio-acoustic data analysis software (RavenPro)