Evaluating the Success of Wetland Mitigation in the Grand Rapids Area

Presentation Type

Poster/Portfolio

Presenter Major(s)

Biology

Mentor Information

James Dunn

Department

Biology

Location

Kirkhof Center KC 76

Start Date

10-4-2013 2:00 PM

End Date

10-4-2013 3:00 PM

Keywords

Environment

Abstract

Michigan's wetlands were declining at an alarming rate. Thus, the process of wetland mitigation was introduced to offset this loss. From 2003-2006, a series of mitigated wetlands were installed to compensate for the wetlands removed during the construction of the M6 highway south of Grand Rapids. The objective was to analyze whether these man-made wetlands function the same as natural wetlands in terms of ecological function. We collected macroinvertebrate and plant community data in mitigated and natural wetlands as bioindicators of ecosystem function. We applied this data to indices of biological integrity (IBIs) designed specifically for inland, depressional wetlands. Floristic quality analyses yielded varying results. However, the macroinvertebrate IBI scores for the reference wetlands indicated healthier ecosystems than their mitigated counterparts. These results indicate that plants alone may not be enough to accurately illustrate the system's overall biologic condition.

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Apr 10th, 2:00 PM Apr 10th, 3:00 PM

Evaluating the Success of Wetland Mitigation in the Grand Rapids Area

Kirkhof Center KC 76

Michigan's wetlands were declining at an alarming rate. Thus, the process of wetland mitigation was introduced to offset this loss. From 2003-2006, a series of mitigated wetlands were installed to compensate for the wetlands removed during the construction of the M6 highway south of Grand Rapids. The objective was to analyze whether these man-made wetlands function the same as natural wetlands in terms of ecological function. We collected macroinvertebrate and plant community data in mitigated and natural wetlands as bioindicators of ecosystem function. We applied this data to indices of biological integrity (IBIs) designed specifically for inland, depressional wetlands. Floristic quality analyses yielded varying results. However, the macroinvertebrate IBI scores for the reference wetlands indicated healthier ecosystems than their mitigated counterparts. These results indicate that plants alone may not be enough to accurately illustrate the system's overall biologic condition.