The effects of dormant season burning and flooding on invasive cattail, Typha x glauca, on Rainy Lake and Lake Kabetogama in Northern Minnesota

<p><em>Typha x glauca</em> is one of the most invasive plants in North America. The plant exhibits hybrid vigor and displaces native flora by rapidly forming dense monotypic stands that can break free from the substrate and form floating mat types when established. I tested the effects of prescribed burning, on <em>Typha x glauca</em> in wetlands to adjacent large lakes in Voyageurs National Park in northern Minnesota. My team surveyed four wetlands that were burned in late winter of 2020-21, and six that were unburned controls. Pre-burn data was also collected for all ten wetlands. Pre-flooding data from other wetlands within the Park were used to compare and highlight the impacts of the historic flood of 2022 on <em>Typha x glauca</em>. Changes in percent cover of <em>Typha</em> were not significantly different between burned and unburned wetlands (P=0.85). <em>Typha</em> dropped for both treatments by about 50%. In spring of 2022, the study area was impacted by the greatest flood on historical record, so I took advantage of preflood data to examine how flooding alone affected <em>Typha</em> cover. Mean cover of <em>Typha</em> on floating mats was not significantly different from 2021 to 2022 (P>0.05). However, cover on <em>non</em>-floating mats dropped by 62.4% in 2022 (PTypha x glauca. The 2022 flood only reduced cover on non-floating mats, so manipulating water levels is not likely to eradicate invasive <em>Typha x glauca </em>long term<em>.</em></p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Biology

Year dc:date.available

2023

Author dc:creator

• Meints, Erika

Contributors dc:contributor

• Dr. Alan Rebertus

• Invasive plant management
• prescribed burn
• flooding
• wetlands
• Biodiversity
• Botany
• Plant Biology
• Plant Sciences

Repository record dc:identifier

https://commons.nmu.edu/theses/761

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:commons.nmu.edu:theses-1809