Moving from a regional to a continental perspective of Phragmites australis invasion in North America

Abstract

Here we describe the results of a regional comparison of introduced Phragmites australis and two other P. australis lineages found in North America. The regional similarities and differences in introduced P. australis invasion highlight the importance of continental-scale studies for decoding plant invasions.

Management of invasive Phragmites australis in the Adirondacks: a cautionary tale about prospects of eradication

“…This finding is supported by others (Lombard et al 2012;Martin and Blossey 2013b) and it is likely that eradication will be even more elusive in areas with high patch connectivity (Chambers et al 1999;Kulmatiski et al 2010;McCormick et al 2010;Kettenring et al 2012Kettenring et al , 2016Hazelton et al 2014) or in areas with longer invasion histories. For example, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has developed a management prioritization tool (MIDEQ 2014) using multiple ecological, human values, and feasibility criteria where populations covering \100 m 2 are assigned a score of 9 and areas of 4000-80,000 m 2 a score of 5, with sites scoring higher receiving priority for management.…”

“…The species is one of the most widespread and successful NIS in North America (Chambers et al 1999;Kettenring et al 2012;Saltonstall and Meyerson 2016) and has a long history of management (Marks et al 1994;Martin and Blossey 2013b;Hazelton et al 2014). Targeting P. australis is usually justified due to its ability to dominate wetland plant communities with widespread anticipated and documented negative impacts on native plant, invertebrate, fish, reptile and bird communities (Benoit and Askins 1999;Able and Hagan 2000;National Research Council 2004;Bolton and Brooks 2010;Kessler et al 2011;Dibble and Meyerson 2016).…”

Life on the edge: reproductive mode and rate of invasive Phragmites australis patch expansion

“…A wide array of studies have previously estimated the rate of Phragmites patch expansion both in its native European range and as an invader in North America (e.g., Rice and Rooth 2000;Warren et al 2001;Havens et al 2003;Lathrop et al 2003;Wilcox et al 2003;Alvarez et al 2005;Hudon et al 2005;Philipp and Field 2005;MaheuGiroux and de Blois 2007;Howard and Turluck 2013;e.g., Altartouri et al 2014;Bhattarai and Cronin 2014). Here we present new data on spread rates in the western range of Phragmites invasion in North America, where its invasion is much more recent and the climate is very different from other regions of its invasion in North America where it has been intensively studied (e.g., New England, southern Quebec, Great Lakes region, Chesapeake Bay, Gulf Coast; Kettenring et al 2012). In addition, for the first time, we relate Phragmites patch expansion rates with the dominant mode of reproduction.…”

“…Fish and Wildlife Service's Bear River Migratory Bird Life on the edge: reproductive mode Refuge (BRMBR), which is located at the terminus of the Bear River on the northeastern edge of the Great Salt Lake. Non-native Phragmites first invaded Great Salt Lake wetlands (including the BRMBR) in the early 1990s, after the retreat of the lake following historic flooding for almost 6 years starting in 1983 (Olson et al 2004;Kulmatiski et al 2011;Kettenring et al 2012;Vanderlinder et al 2013). The [30,000 ha BRMBR consists of 26 wetland units, constructed following the 1980s flooding .…”

“…The Eurasian lineage of Phragmites is a widespread, aggressive invasive species that can reproduce both sexually and asexually to invade wetlands and disturbed habitats across North America (Saltonstall 2002;Kettenring et al 2012). Sexual reproduction and spread likely plays an important role in Phragmites colonization into disturbed habitats across its North American invasion (Belzile et al 2010;McCormick et al 2010a, b;Kirk et al 2011;Kettenring and Mock 2012;Albert et al 2015).…”