Join the SER-MWGL Chapter for a summer webinar focused on muskrat ecology, wetland ecosystems, and bird conservation! Attendees will receive a 25% discount code to attend the 2026 North American Congress for Conservation and Restoration, co-hosted by the SER-MWGL Chapter. REGISTER HERE!

Presenter: Dr. Leo Chan Gaskins

Date/Time: Wednesday, June 17; 12-1pm CDT 

Presenter Bio: Dr. Leo Chan Gaskins is a community ecologist, David H. Smith Conservation Research Fellow at University of Chicago, and research partner with Audubon Great Lakes. He investigates how organisms impact the diversity, structure and function of wetlands through both consumptive and ecosystem engineering pathways, and how to harness these effects to inform future conservation and restoration efforts. He is a former NSF Graduate Research Fellow, and earned his PhD from Duke University

Abstract: Muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) are a native Midwest ecosystem engineer that alter wetland systems by generating clearings in vegetation to build their homes, or lodges. The openings and structure that muskrats create within wetlands help to increase habitat complexity and generate hemi-marsh conditions, which marsh bird populations rely on to thrive. To understand how muskrat lodges impact diversity within wetlands, I conducted a control-impact study placing ten sets of paired trail cameras pointing at muskrat lodges and vegetated control areas during spring bird migration. I found that muskrat lodges greatly increased the marsh bird, reptile, and mammal abundance relative to vegetated control regions. This suggests that muskrat ecosystem engineering likely reshapes wetlands and facilitates marsh birds through a positive species interaction. By integrating muskrats and their lodges into future wetland restoration plans, we can incorporate and harness this natural facilitation effect to improve bird conservation efforts.

Key Takeaways & Implications:

  • Muskrats are important ecosystem engineers in wetlands but their populations are declining overall.
  • This research strongly suggests they generate a positive species interaction that benefits marsh birds by altering the structure of marshes.
  • This facilitation effect could potentially be harnessed by building mimic muskrat lodges.