Extreme salinity fluctuations and invasion by Phragmites australis in wetland ecosystems
Presentation
Paper/Presentation Title | Extreme salinity fluctuations and invasion by Phragmites australis in wetland ecosystems |
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Presentation Type | Presentation |
Authors | Waryszak, Pawel, Birnbaum, Christina and Farrer, Emily |
Year | 2018 |
Place of Publication | United States |
Web Address (URL) of Paper | https://programarchives.z20.web.core.windows.net/2018/Paper73330.html |
Web Address (URL) of Conference Proceedings | https://programarchives.z20.web.core.windows.net/2018/ |
Conference/Event | 2018 Conference of the Ecological Society of America (ESA 2018) |
Event Details | 2018 Conference of the Ecological Society of America (ESA 2018) 103rd Annual meeting of the Ecological Society of America 2018 ESA Annual Meeting Delivery In person Event Date 05 to end of 10 Aug 2018 Event Location New Orleans, Louisiana, United States Event Web Address (URL) |
Abstract | Background/Question/Methods We focus on the model invasive plant, Phragmites australis, to understand what drives plant invasion in Gulf Coast and what its long-term effect on native plant communities is. Using long-term environmental data (314 sites, over 2009–2016 period) from Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CRMS) in Louisiana, we sought to answer the following questions: 1) What is the interannual variability in water salinity and water table level on Louisiana coast? 2) How does the variability in water salinity and water table affect local plant communities and occurrence of P. australis? 3) How does the presence of P. australis affect local plant communities? Results/Conclusions Mean surface water salinity in Louisiana coastal communities showed a slight decline and water table increased over 2009–2016. Variability in salinity in research sites ranged from a 94.2% decrease to a 113% increase compared to the previous year, while variability in water table ranged from 4458% decrease to 2657% increase. Despite negative association with mean salinity, invasive P. australis was most likely to occur in intermediate wetland communities that recorded the broadest oscillations in mean water salinity (0.171–30.7 PPT) and mean water table (-37.2–35.2 cm). Similarly, presence of P. australis showed the highest impact on plant composition in intermediate communities explaining 7.6 % of variation (P < 0.01). The observed extreme fluctuations in salinity and water table may destabilize local plant communities and open an invasion window for non-native plants such as P. australis. P australis likely performs well in areas of variable, especially high, water levels because of its adaptive traits for inundation and anaerobic conditions (e.g., aerenchyma). Looking to the future, if variability in water tables and salinity continues to rise, this invasive plant may be well-suited to these anthropogenic conditions and may actually help to stabilize marshes and prevent land loss. |
Contains Sensitive Content | Does not contain sensitive content |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 410202. Biosecurity science and invasive species ecology |
Public Notes | There are no files associated with this item. |
Byline Affiliations | Tulane University, United States |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/z9709/extreme-salinity-fluctuations-and-invasion-by-phragmites-australis-in-wetland-ecosystems
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