侵入性和本土沼泽草可能为受保护的湿地提供类似的益处
For Immediate Release
An invasive species of marsh grass that spreads, kudzu-like, throughout North American wetlands, may provide similar benefits to protected wetlands as native marsh grasses. According to new research from North Carolina State University, the invasive marsh grass’s effects on carbon storage, erosion prevention and plant diversity in protected wetlands are neutral. The findings could impact management strategies aimed at eradicating the invasive grass.
芦苇澳大利亚，被称为共同的芦苇，是一种可侵入性的沼泽草，可以以每年高达15英尺的速度蔓延。它在整个北美湿地中茁壮成长，研究表明，其密集包装的增长模式扼杀了原生沼泽植物，从而减少了一些受威胁和濒危鸟类使用的植物多样性和栖息地。
然而，其他研究表明Phragmites可能有助于减少沼泽地的海岸线侵蚀，并以比本土草的速度更快地储存碳。
自2013年管理威胁是昂贵的，努力消除Phragmites花费约450万美元 - Seth Theuerkauf，博士学位。候选人在海洋，地球和大气科学的国家，决定看看沼泽草的相对丰度如何影响人类价值的沼泽的生态系统服务，例如他们稳定海岸线的能力。
Theuerkauf和他的同事看着影响Phragmiteson marshes in two protected reserves within the northeastern portion of the North Carolina Coastal Reserve system. In particular, they wanted to compare ecosystem services – plant diversity, shoreline stabilization and carbon storage – between marshes with varying amounts ofPhragmites: those with only native grasses, those with a mix of grasses and those with onlyPhragmites.
调查结果鼓励。该团队发现他们研究的沼泽的生态系统服务之间没有显着差异，表明这一点Phragmites’ effect was largely neutral. However, Theuerkauf points out that the neutral effect could be due to the protected status of the wetlands they studied and the specific ecosystem services evaluated.
“联系的研究Phragmiteswith negative impacts on wetlands are often conducted in areas that have seen significant human interventions, such as shoreline development or construction of drainage canals, whereas our study was conducted in undisturbed marsh habitat within a protected reserve system,” Theuerkauf says.
“Our findings highlight the importance of maintaining protected reserves, as they may provide a strong defense against the negative impacts of invasive species and could reduce the time and money spent on trying to eradicate these species,” adds Theuerkauf. “Additionally, our results suggest thatPhragmites管理努力还应考虑到生态系统服务。“
The research appears online inPLOS ONE. The work was funded in part by North Carolina Sea Grant and the North Carolina Coastal Reserve. Brandon Puckett, research coordinator for the North Carolina Coastal Reserve; NC State graduate student Kathrynlynn Theuerkauf; Ethan Theuerkauf, formerly of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Institute of Marine Science and currently at Illinois State Geological Survey; and Dave Eggleston, professor of marine, earth and atmospheric sciences at NC State contributed to the work.
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Note to editors: An abstract of the paper follows
“Density-dependent role of an invasive marsh grass, Phragmites australis, on ecosystem service provision”
DOI：10.1371/journal.pone.0173007
Authors：Seth Theuerkauf，Dave Eggleston，Kathrynlynn Theuerkauf，北卡罗来纳州立大学;北卡罗来纳州沿海保护区布兰登Puckett;Ethan Theuerkauf，伊利诺伊州国家地质调查
Published:PLOS ONE
Abstract:
侵入物种可以积极，中性的，或对生态系统服务提供负面影响。这种效果的方向和幅度可以是入侵者密度和感兴趣的服务的函数。我们评估了侵入性沼泽草的密度依赖效果，芦苇澳大利亚, on three ecosystem services (plant diversity and community structure, shoreline stabilization, and carbon storage) in two oligohaline marshes within the North Carolina Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NCNERR), USA. Plant species richness was equivalent among low, medium and highPhragmitesdensity plots, and overall plant community composition did not vary significantly byPhragmitesdensity. Shoreline change was most negative (landward retreat) wherePhragmitesdensity was highest (- 0.40 ± 0.19 m yr-1 vs. -0.31 ± 0.10 for low densityPhragmites) in the high energy marsh of Kitty Hawk Woods Reserve and most positive (soundward advance) wherePhragmitesdensity was highest (0.19 ± 0.05 m yr-1 vs. 0.12 ± 0.07 for low densityPhragmites在低能量Currituck银行Res的沼泽erve, although there was no significant effect ofPhragmites海岸线的密度变化。在Currituck Banks中，平均土壤碳含量大致相当于从低低和高中提取的核心Phragmitesdensity plots (23.23 ± 2.0 kg C m-3 vs. 22.81 ± 3.8). In Kitty Hawk Woods, mean soil carbon content was greater in lowPhragmitesdensity plots (36.63 ± 10.22 kg C m-3 ) than those with medium (13.99 ± 1.23 kg C m-3) or high density (21.61 ± 4.53 kg C m-3), but differences were not significant. These findings suggest an overall neutral density-dependent effect ofPhragmiteson three ecosystem services within two oligohaline marshes in different environmental settings within a protected reserve system. Moreover, the conceptual framework of this study can broadly inform an ecosystem services-based approach to invasive species management.
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