Murphy_Symposium Poster 70thNE FW

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  • AbstractIncreasing species diversity is an indicator of greater ecosystem resiliency. In coastal tidal marshes, habitat size, salinity, native plant diversity and the extent of invasion by non-native plants are known to influence bird species diversity. We explored how marsh bird diversity (Shannon Wiener Index) in the tidal marshes of the Saco River Estuary in southern Maine was influenced by plant species diversity, marsh size, salinity, the distance from the mouth of the river, marsh width, composition of edge habitat and extent of invasion by non-native Phragmites australis. We conducted point counts at 16 tidal marshes from May through September, 2010-2013; we conducted one high tide and one low tide count each month at each point. We detected 53 species of marsh birds and identified 70 species of marsh plants. Increasing salinity, which varied from