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Coastal Wetlands Connected to Lake Ontario Have Reduced Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) Abundance

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Abstract

Low muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) abundance has been linked to suboptimal water levels, predation, and changes in vegetation composition. We surveyed 43 coastal Lake Ontario wetlands for muskrat houses during winter 2014, and compared zero-inflated Poisson (ZIP) regression models to evaluate effects of wetland and surrounding landscape characteristics on the presence and abundance of muskrat houses. The most informative models were those indicating whether the wetland had an open connection to Lake Ontario. Connection to the lake, which exposed wetlands to the water regulation regime of the Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River system, had a negative influence on muskrat house abundance. Muskrats appeared to be absent from 56% of the surveyed wetlands, and houses occurred at a mean density of 0.27 houses/ha, which was lower than the mean density observed in previous studies. Mean muskrat house density was higher in wetlands without a connection to Lake Ontario (1.04 houses/ha), and muskrats were more prevalent in these wetlands (78%). The apparent low abundance of muskrats in the Lake Ontario study area is concerning, since muskrats are commonly recognized as “ecosystem engineers”, and consequently, the loss of muskrats has the potential to affect both the biotic and the abiotic wetland characteristics.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded through the Canada-Ontario Agreement Respecting Great Lakes Water Quality, by the Lake Ontario Management Unit (LOMU) and the Wildlife Research and Monitoring Section (WRMS) of the OMNRF, and by the contributions of various Conservation Authorities along the north shore of Lake Ontario. We appreciate the field and technical contributions of T. Dale and T. Haggerty (LOMU), M. Allan and G. Meadows (WRMS), B. McNevin and Christine Jennings (Quinte Conservation Authority), T. Beaubiah and T. York (Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority), Adam Weir and Danny Moro (Toronto Region Conservation Authority), and H. Pankhurst (Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority). Additionally, the Lower Trent Conservation Authority and the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority provided helpful advice on the coastal wetlands, and several private landowners of property surrounding certain wetlands provided us with access to sites.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Trent University DNA Building 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough, ON, K9L 0G2, Canada

    Janet E. Greenhorn, Carrie Sadowski & Jeff Bowman

  2. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Lake Ontario Management Unit 41 Hatchery Ln, Picton, ON, K0K 2T0, Canada

    Jeremy Holden

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  1. Janet E. Greenhorn
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  4. Jeff Bowman
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Correspondence to Jeff Bowman.

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Greenhorn, J.E., Sadowski, C., Holden, J. et al. Coastal Wetlands Connected to Lake Ontario Have Reduced Muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) Abundance. Wetlands 37, 339–349 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-016-0874-0

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