Evidence of Sexual Reproduction in the Invasive Common Reed (Phragmites australis subsp. australis; Poaceae) in Eastern Canada: A Possible Consequence of Global Warming

Brisson, Jacques; Paradis, Étienne; Bellavance, Marie-Ève

doi:10.3119/07-15.1

Cited by 44 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…This supports observations from other parts of the world (McKee and Richards 1996;Ishii and Kadono 2002). Moreover, until very recently (Brisson et al 2008), no common reed seedlings had ever been reported in the field in Canada. Consequently, most ecologists presumed that the establishment of new populations resulted from the natural (water) or human-assisted (road construction) spread of stem and rhizome fragments (Gervais et al 1993;Chambers et al 1999;Mal and Narine 2004;Minchinton 2006).…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…For example, Ishii and Kadono (2002) observed that although the seed set in the majority of common reed stands studied in southwestern Japan was well below 10%, it could reach as high as 60% in one site in a given year. This suggests that, under favourable climatic circumstances, the production of viable seeds can occasionally reach high levels (McKee and Richards 1996;Brisson et al 2008). However, for colonization to occur, common reed seeds need to come in contact with a seedbed suitable for the germination and initial establishment of the plants.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…They should also prevent the creation of suitable seedbeds (disturbed soils) in wetlands, or at least revegetate disturbed soils as soon as possible. Management practices leading to a dense plant cover that can compete for space and light with common reed seedlings may represent a good strategy for preventing the establishment of a common reed stand (Brisson et al 2008). Common reed stand N 10 km Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seeds contribute strongly to the spread of the invasive genotype of the common reed (Phragmites australis)

et al. 2009

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The introduced subspecies of the common reed (Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud. subsp. australis; Poaceae) is considered one of the most invasive plants in North American wetlands. Given its relatively low seed set and its tremendous capacity to spread via stolons or rhizomes, it has generally been thought that the spread of vegetative diaspores was responsible for the establishment of new populations. To test this hypothesis, we sampled a single plant from each of 345 visually-distinct common reed stands located along the shores of Lake St. François (southern Quebec, Canada). With a set of six nuclear microsatellite markers, we distinguished 134 different genotypes. The number of individuals sharing the same genotype ranged from one to 16, and averaged 2.1. Most genotypes were encountered only once. We examined the spatial distribution of the most frequent genotypes and found little evidence of clusters along the lakeshore. These data contradict the hypothesis that a common reed invasion is initiated by the introduction of vegetative diaspores from a few clones. Rather, they clearly support the alternative hypothesis that seeds were the primary diaspores responsible for the establishment of common reed populations.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seeds contribute strongly to the spread of the invasive genotype of the common reed (Phragmites australis)

et al. 2009

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“…3 Germination rates of native, introduced and hybrid seeds. Germination rate for introduced Phragmites seed was significantly higher (P \ 0.05) than those for either native or hybrid Phragmites seed stage of the life cycle, such as death of the seedling in the first winter season (Brisson et al 2008 Such knowledge greatly enhances our estimation of the likelihood that hybridization has occurred and, if screening efforts are intensified, that we will find instances of it in the field.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…While the North American Phragmites literature generally reports low, if any, sexual reproduction, more recent evidence suggests that Phragmites does establish and spread by seed, particularly if seedlings survive the first winter (Brisson et al 2008).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hybridization of invasive Phragmites australis with a native subspecies in North America

2009

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Interspecific hybridization can lead to the extinction of native populations and increased aggressiveness in hybrid forms relative to their parental lineages. However, interbreeding among subspecies is less often recognized as a serious threat to native species. Phragmites australis offers an excellent opportunity to investigate intraspecific hybridization since both native and introduced lineages occur in North America. Introduced Phragmites is a highly successful estuarine plant invader throughout North America, but native Phragmites populations are declining in the eastern US. Despite range overlaps, hybridization has not yet been detected between the native and introduced lineages in the wild, suggesting that phenological or physiological barriers preclude cross-pollination. We demonstrate, for the first time, that native and introduced populations of Phragmites can hybridize. There is substantial overlap in flowering period between native and introduced populations from the same geographic locations. We manually cross-pollinated native individuals with pollen from introduced Phragmites and recovered viable offspring. We then used microsatellite markers to prove that alleles unique to the pollen parent were transferred to progeny. Our results imply a mechanism for the further decline of native Phragmites in North America and a potential for the formation of aggressive hybrid offspring.

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Freshwater wetlands: fertile grounds for the invasive Phragmites australis in a climate change context

Tougas-Tellier

Morin²,

Hatin

et al. 2015

Ecology and Evolution

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Climate change will likely affect flooding regimes, which have a large influence on the functioning of freshwater riparian wetlands. Low water levels predicted for several fluvial systems make wetlands especially vulnerable to the spread of invaders, such as the common reed (Phragmites australis), one of the most invasive species in North America. We developed a model to map the distribution of potential germination grounds of the common reed in freshwater wetlands of the St. Lawrence River (Québec, Canada) under current climate conditions and used this model to predict their future distribution under two climate change scenarios simulated for 2050. We gathered historical and recent (remote sensing) data on the distribution of common reed stands for model calibration and validation purposes, then determined the parameters controlling the species establishment by seed. A two-dimensional model and the identified parameters were used to simulate the current (2010) and future (2050) distribution of germination grounds. Common reed stands are not widespread along the St. Lawrence River (212 ha), but our model suggests that current climate conditions are already conducive to considerable further expansion (>16,000 ha). Climate change may also exacerbate the expansion, particularly if river water levels drop, which will expose large bare areas propitious to seed germination. This phenomenon may be particularly important in one sector of the river, where existing common reed stands could increase their areas by a factor of 100, potentially creating the most extensive reedbed complex in North America. After colonizing salt and brackishwater marshes, the common reed could considerably expand into the freshwater marshes of North America which cover several million hectares. The effects of common reed expansion on biodiversity are difficult to predict, but likely to be highly deleterious given the competitiveness of the invader and the biological richness of freshwater wetlands.

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Evidence of Sexual Reproduction in the Invasive Common Reed (Phragmites australis subsp. australis; Poaceae) in Eastern Canada: A Possible Consequence of Global Warming

Cited by 44 publications

References 14 publications

Seeds contribute strongly to the spread of the invasive genotype of the common reed (Phragmites australis)

Seeds contribute strongly to the spread of the invasive genotype of the common reed (Phragmites australis)

Hybridization of invasive Phragmites australis with a native subspecies in North America

Freshwater wetlands: fertile grounds for the invasive Phragmites australis in a climate change context

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