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2025-05
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Freshwater emergent wetlands have declined since the mid-1800s. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, wetland loss increased by over 50% in the US between 2009 and 2019. Half of all threatened and endangered species rely on wetlands for survival. The fewer wetlands that remain are tasked with supplying the resources for all wetland-dependent wildlife, making their conservation and management critical. In the Midwest, where wetland decline has been severe, wetlands are commonly managed for migrating waterfowl. Conservation practitioners, including wetland managers, are increasingly tasked with managing wetlands for a broad suite of avian species, including, but not limited to, waterfowl. My study objective is to understand how avian species richness varies across different wetland management practices and locations at wetlands managed primarily for waterfowl. Specifically, how does species richness compare at private vs publicly managed wetlands, and how do management practices like water drawdown and soil disturbance impact avian species richness? ARUs were placed in wetlands throughout the state of Missouri during May of 2024. I then ran audio files through BirdNET analyzer to produce a list of avian species for 47 different study locations. Avian species richness ranged from 24 to 52 species at a wetland. There was no statistically significant difference in species richness between public and privately managed wetlands. There was not strong statistical support for different species richness values in wetlands with different management histories, though my results suggest less than annual disturbances may promote species richness. These results are largely preliminary and further research and data processing is necessary including manual review of audio files and obtaining a greater sample size. By encouraging less than annual disturbances, this research informs management practices to better suit avian species richness and overall wetland biodiversity.