Seasonal Biomass and Starch Allocation of Common Reed (Phragmites australis) (Haplotype I) in Southern Alabama, USA

Abstract

Common reed (Phragmites australis) is a nonnative invasive perennial grass that is problematic in aquatic and riparian environments across the United States. Common reed often forms monotypic stands that displace native vegetation which provide food and cover for wildlife. To help maintain native habitats and manage populations of common reed in the United States, an understanding of its life history and starch allocation patterns are needed. Monthly biomass samples were harvested from sites throughout the Mobile River delta in southern Alabama, USA from January 2006 to December 2007 to quantify seasonal biomass and starch allocation patterns. Total biomass of common reed throughout the study was between 1375 and 3718 g m−2 depending on the season. Maximum aboveground biomass was 2200 ± 220 g m−2 in October of 2006 and 1302 ± 88 g m−2 in December of 2007. Maximum belowground biomass was seen in November of 2006 and 2007 with 1602 ± 233 and 1610 ± 517 g m−2 respectively. Biomass was related to ambient temperature, in that, as temperature decreased aboveground biomass (p = 0.05) decreased. Decreases in aboveground biomass were followed by an increase in belowground biomass (p < 0.01). Starch comprised 1 to 10% of aboveground biomass with peak temporary storage occurring in July and August 2006 and September to November of 2007. Belowground tissues stored the majority of starch for common reed regardless of the time of year. Overall, belowground tissues stored 5 to 20% of total starch for common reed with peak storage occurring in December 2006 and October 2007. Starch allocation to belowground tissues increased as temperatures decreased. Understanding seasonal life history patterns can provide information to guide management strategies by identifying the vulnerable points in biomass and starch reserves in common reed.

Starch Biosynthesis in the Developing Endosperms of Grasses and Cereals

“…In addition to the hypoxic conditions that are prevailing in the endosperm that appear to be conducive to starch synthesis, some aquatic members of the Poaceae, such as the common cattail or bulrush (Typha latifolia L.), and the common reed (Phragmites australis Cav.) produce large quantities (~70% by weight) of storage starch in their submerged rhizomes [127,128] under highly hypoxic conditions. Mutations in key steps in the provision of carbon for ADP-Glc formation outlined above, namely, miniature 1 (min1) for INV, shrunken 1 (sh1) for SuSy, and either shrunken 2 or brittle 2 (sh2 or bt2) for AGPase, underline the importance of cytosolic ADP-Glc as a precursor for storage starch synthesis in the endosperms of the Poaceae [98,109,129,130].…”

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

“…In the fall, P. australis resources are translocated from above-ground tissue into rhizomes, and are allocated to new growth in the spring (Juneau and Tarasoff, 2013). The primary storage carbohydrate is starch (Mal and Narine, 2004), which comprises 1 -10% of above-ground biomass and 5 -20% is stored in below-ground biomass (Wersal et al, 2013). Rhizomes that undergo overwintering receive carbohydrates from shoots to encourage growth when the growing season returns (Boar, 1996;Wersal et al, 2013), and it follows that rhizomes collected for greenhouse experiments in the fall have higher survivorship than those collected in the spring (Juneau and Tarasoff, 2013).…”

“…The primary storage carbohydrate is starch (Mal and Narine, 2004), which comprises 1 -10% of above-ground biomass and 5 -20% is stored in below-ground biomass (Wersal et al, 2013). Rhizomes that undergo overwintering receive carbohydrates from shoots to encourage growth when the growing season returns (Boar, 1996;Wersal et al, 2013), and it follows that rhizomes collected for greenhouse experiments in the fall have higher survivorship than those collected in the spring (Juneau and Tarasoff, 2013). Rhizomes allow P. australis to allocate resources to young shoots to achieve a stand structure with more uniform shoot height and weight (Hara et al, 1993).…”

Determination of carbohydrate allocation patterns in water hyacinth to discover the potential physiological weak points in its life cycle

“…A physiological weak point in the life cycle of a plant is when it is least likely to recover from the application of a control method (Luu and Getsinger 1990a). Many studies have determined the physiological weak points within the life cycle of many macrophyte species based primarily on seasonal carbohydrate allocation patterns and have demonstrated that timing the control approach to the target species' weak point in carbohydrate storage can improve the effectiveness of control (Madsen 1993a(Madsen , 1997Katovich et al 1998;Madsen and Owens 1998;Owens and Madsen 1998;Woolf and Madsen 2003;Wersal et al 2011;Wersal, Madsen, and Cheshier 2013;Eid and Shaltout 2016).…”