Potential for Biological Control of Phragmites australis in North America

Tewksbury, Lisa; Casagrande, Richard A.; Blossey, Bernd; Häfliger, Patrick; Schwarzländer, Mark

doi:10.1006/bcon.2001.0994

Cited by 132 publications

(110 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…This has given rise to research to assess feasibility of biological control for the introduced lineage in North America (Tewksbury et al 2002a;Blossey 2003;Häfliger et al 2006a, b;Blossey and Casagrande 2016). Interestingly, there appears to be important biotic resistance to the non-native lineage in less disturbed areas further from human impact (Taddeo and De Blois 2012) and with thriving native plant competitors (Peter and Burdick 2010).…”

Section: Study Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

et al. 2017

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Invasive plant management (largely mechanical and chemical) consumes an ever-increasing portion of budgets for land management organizations, but metrics of success, other than extent of areas treated or resources expended is rarely available. Here we assess success of managing 346 populations of invasive Phragmites australis (range 0.36-4134 m 2 ; cover 37-75%) in the Adirondack Park in upstate New York, USA. We began by treating 18 patches in 2010 using herbicide; gradually adding patches treated annually or intermittently for a total of 334 by the end of the project period. We monitored each population annually and if P. australis was present mapped its spatial extent and estimated cover. We considered P. australis eradicated when live stems were absent from a site for at least three consecutive years. Our treatments reduced size and cover of P. australis populations and eradication was achieved at 104 of 294 sites. However, probability of eradicating P. australis over a 7-year project timeframe was 0.83 for the smallest patches (0.36 m 2 ), whereas at medium (45 m 2 ) and large patches ([3000 m 2 ) probability of eradication decreased to 0.26 and 0.02, respectively. Our results question efficacy of managing large P. australis populations with the goal of eradication. We urge conservation organizations to clearly articulate management objectives beyond short-term suppression of target plants and to promote accountability by providing quantitative measurements of outcomes.

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Section: Study Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

et al. 2017

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“…Native P. australis has coevolved with fewer than 10 herbivore species, while in Europe introduced P. australis evolved with over 100 herbivores (Tewksbury et al, 2002). In North America, the current assemblage of herbivores feeding on both introduced and native P. australis is mostly comprised of introduced European species, leading researchers to hypothesize that introduced P. australis experiences lower predation because of its co-evolutionary history (Park and Blossey, 2008;Tewksbury et al, 2002). However, there is on-going debate in the literature about whether herbivores really are haplotype-specific and the implications for biological control of P. australis.…”

Section: Response To Herbivorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-term effects of a Phragmites australis invasion on birds in a Lake Erie coastal marsh

Robichaud

Rooney

2017

Journal of Great Lakes Research

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“…(c) Insects-Although 26 species of insects, mites and fungal pathogens have been identified as phytophagous on P. australis in North America, only 5 were found to be native [see Table 1 in Tewksbury et al (2002) for a complete list]. In contrast, 171 insects and mites from Europe and 80 arthropods from Australia have been reported as phytophagous on P. australis [see Table 2 in Tewksbury et al (2002) for a complete list; Wapshere (1990a)].…”

Section: Response To Herbivory Disease and Higher Plant Parasitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The biology of Canadian weeds. 129. Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud.

Mal¹,

Narine²

2004

Can. J. Plant Sci.

100

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-common reed, is a perennial, emergent aquatic plant with annual cane-like stems developed from an extensive rhizome system. It grows in low-lying wet areas such as fresh and salt-water marshes, drainage ditches, shallow lake edges, sandy banks, roadsides, woodlands and rocky places. Stems can reach up to 6.0 m in height, vary in diameter from 4 to10 mm and have 10 to 25 cm long hollow internodes. Clones are extended by perennial rhizomes with extensive aerenchymatous tissue that supplies oxygen. Roots develop from rhizomes and other submerged parts of shoots. Leaves are smooth, alternate with narrow-lanceolate laminae, 20 to 70 cm long and 1 to 5 cm broad, and tapering to long slender points. The inflorescence is a terminal panicle, often 30 cm long, dull purple to yellow, with main branches bearing many spikelets. Seed production and germination are extremely variable and comparatively rare in many populations. Phragmites australis carries out photosynthesis through the C 3 pathway (or a variation thereof). Studies of genetic variation through isozyme and other molecular methods suggest that the populations are very closely related, and that variation in the metapopulation is small. Chloroplast DNA sequences of two non-coding regions indicate that non-native introduced genotypes of P. australis have displaced native genotypes in parts of North America. Phragmites australis often forms extensive monocultures in North America. As a consequence, habitat quality and species diversity have been documented to decline. However, in roadside populations it is effective in taking up many typical heavy metals that originate from nearby highways and buildings. Phragmites australis is found in all Canadian provinces and the Northwest Territories, but not in the Yukon Territory or Nunavut. The infestation of P. australis is most severe in the Great Lakes region and its migration is primarily mediated through rivers, canals and waterways but roadways are increasingly becoming important. Changes in the water regime have been linked to its success and could ultimately result in changes to the floristic composition of a habitat. Rodeo™, an aqueous solution of the isopropylamine salt of glyphosate, is most frequently used to control P. australis populations. Other methods of control include cutting, burning, and drainage of the species' habitat. As P. australis is considered to be invasive in North America, introduction of biological control agents is now being investigated. Can. J. Plant Sci. 84: 365-396. Le roseau commun Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud. est une vivace aquatique dont le vaste système de rhizomes donne chaque année des tiges ressemblant à des cannes. L'espèce pousse dans les dépressions humides comme les marais d'eau douce et salants, les fossés de drainage, la rive des lacs peu profonds, les berges sablonneuses, le bord des routes, les boisés et les endroits rocailleux. Les tiges atteignent parfois jusqu'à 6,0 m de hauteur et leur diamètre varie de 4 à 10 mm, avec de longues sections creuses de 10 à ...

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Potential for Biological Control of Phragmites australis in North America

Cited by 132 publications

References 55 publications

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

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

Long-term effects of a Phragmites australis invasion on birds in a Lake Erie coastal marsh

The biology of Canadian weeds. 129. Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud.

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