Wetlands provide humans with critical ecosystem services and serve as important repositories of biodiversity; however, little is known about the importance of small isolated ephemeral wetlands, which are largely ignored by managers and policymakers.
Ephemeral wetlands in the southeastern coastal plain support a host of specialist plant and herpetological species, but it is unknown if they support unique bird communities. The purpose of our study is to examine how disturbances – prescribed fire and tree thinning treatments – will alter ephemeral wetlands and their constituent avifauna. We will collect avian point count, vegetation, and wetland attribute data at two field sites managed for long-leaf pine restoration with prescribed fire. Additionally, wetlands at one of the sites will receive tree thinning treatments in an effort to promote herbaceous plants and prolong the hydroperiod of these wetlands. In contrast, we expect to find that thinning treatments may reduce bird species richness.
Project Update
Developed from this project was a LiDAR processing tool. This tool allows the user to estimate canopy cover ofany given area, as long as coordinates are provided in UTM, and a radius emanating from each coordinate is given. Currently, the McGlinn Lab are the only ones using this tool, with potential implementation in the works for other institutions. This would include estimating stand basal area for subsequent estimation of timber and restoration of forest biodiversity.
Project Findings
Researchers found that isolated wetlands are hotspots for songbird biodiversity relative to the surrounding pine savanna habitat, primarily because the wetlands support higher numbers of birds. Restoration efforts that remove the tree canopy cover in wetlands did not harm the songbird communities but did improve habitat for vulnerable plants and herpetofauna (reptiles and amphibians). The songbird community did not differ between restoration treatments in which trees were cut and removed, and those in which trees were cut and not removed. Human and automated songbird detection methods are complementary, and their joint usage results in a better understanding of the avian community.
Researchers also found that Canby’s dropwort can be reestablished in wetlands if the planting locations are sunny and wet but not completely inundated for several weeks at a time. Mowing is a suitable alternative to fire for creating a sunny habitat for young Canby’s dropwort plants. Larger Canby’s dropwort plants had higher survival rates and were more likely to flower after the first year of reintroduction. The project resulted in a mini-documentary of the process of reintroducing Canby’s dropwort, which proved to be an effective tool for communicating with a wider audience.
Resulting Publications
Barnes, Isabelle. 2025. Avian Response to Tree Removal in Small, Isolated Wetlands. College of Charleston.
Barratt Heitman, Jackson. (2023). Are Ephemeral Wetlands Hotspots for Avian Biodiversity in Pine Savanna Habitats? College of Charleston.
Barratt Heitmann, J., Folk, T.H., Lord, L.J., McGlinn, D.J. (2025). ”Geographically Isolated Wetlands have Higher Alpha Diversity than Surrounding Uplands in Pine Savanna Ecosystems.” Wetlands Ecology and Management, Volume 33, Issue 1.
Sean Cannon. (2022). A Survey to Identify Barriers Preventing Stormwater Retention Pond Vegetated Buffer Implementation in South Carolina. College of Charleston.
Williamson, Ansley. (2023). Passive Acoustic Monitoring Detects Different Frequencies and Diversity of Songbirds Than a Point Count Method: A Case Study of Ephemeral Wetlands. College of Charleston.