A muskrat eating vegetation. (Photo via Kirk Hewlett/iStock)

LANSING — In the battle against invasive species, the common muskrat emerges as an unlikely hero.

A new study in the journal Freshwater Science sheds light on these oft-overlooked rodents and their ecosystem-altering behaviors – and how humans might replicate their actions to combat invasive aquatic plants.

Cattails are a familiar feature of Great Lakes wetlands, yet the dominant species is not native to the region.

“The thing that’s unique about invasive cattails compared to many of the other invasive plants that we see is that it’s been present for over 100 years in the Great Lakes region,” said Shane Lishawa, a research associate at Loyola University in Chicago and the study’s lead author.

“And so, we have this perception

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