What is the effectiveness of methods for eradicating or controlling abundance and biomass of invasive aquatic plants in Canada? A systematic review protocol

Abstract

Invasive freshwater aquatic plants can have adverse ecological effects on the systems to which they are introduced, changing ecosystem function, threatening native plant species and causing billions of dollars in damage to infrastructure. Additionally, once established, invasive aquatic plants are often difficult to eradicate or control. Given the importance of managing invasive aquatic plants, and the high associated economic costs of doing so, it is essential to determine the relative effectiveness of different control methods. Here, we present a protocol for a systematic review that will estimate the effectiveness of various biological, chemical, habitat manipulations and/or manual/mechanical methods for eradicating or controlling invasive plant abundance and biomass. This systematic review will use published and grey literature, without date restriction, that determines the effectiveness of invasive plant control methods. English‐language searches will be performed using five bibliographic databases, Google Scholar, and networking tools to find relevant literature. Eligibility screening will be conducted at two stages: (1) title and abstract and (2) full text. Studies that evaluate the effectiveness of methods for controlling the abundance or biomass or eradicating invasive plants will be included. A list of plant species currently, or potentially, in Canadian freshwater systems and of management concern will be considered. Included studies will undergo critical appraisal of internal study validity. We will extract information on study characteristics, intervention and comparator details, measured outcomes (abundance and biomass, broadly defined) and effect modifiers (e.g., plant growth pattern or timing of treatments). A narrative synthesis will be used to describe the quantity and characteristics of the evidence base, while quantitative synthesis (i.e., meta‐analysis) will be conducted to estimate an overall mean and variance of effect when sufficient numbers of similar studies are available.