Michigan’s A Guide to the Control and Management of Invasive Phragmites has recently been updated. This 3rd edition has expanded content on how to distinguish between the native and European strain of Phragmites and new recommendations on treatment strategies.
I often get questions about what the long-term outlook is like for native plants, so it was great to see a study that looks at genetic adaptations of native species in invaded grasslands. The authors have been studying adapations of native grasses in grasslands invaded by Russian knapweed, Acroptilon repens. They found that native grass species taken from invaded areas were better able to grow compared to the same grass species taken from uninvaded areas when planted with a novel invader, Canada thistle, Cirsium arvense. The authors recommend conserving populations of native species growing with invasive species to encourage new adaptations that could be used in restoration projects. Let’s hope lots of native species harbor the potential to adapt to invasions.
Ferrero-Serrano, Á.
Most riparian buffer regulations are set to reduce nutrient inputs to waterways, but riparian buffers also serve as habitat for native plants and animals. Plant invasions can significantly alter riparian habitats. A new paper by Ferris et al. looks at plant invasions along riparian corridors of different widths within the White Clay Creek Watershed in Pennsylvania and Delaware. They find that wider areas (15 – 25 m wide and wider) had significantly lower rates of invasion by garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) and Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus). However, even the widest areas were still invaded by Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) and multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora).
Ferris, G., V. D’Amico, and C. K. Williams. 2012. Determining effective riparian buffer width for nonnative plant exclusion and habitat enhancement. International Journal of Ecology 2012. Available online: http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijeco/2012/170931/
