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Effects of Common Reed (Phragmites australis) Invasion and Glyphosate and Imazapyr Herbicide Application on Gastropod and Epiphyton Communities in Sheldon Marsh Nature Reserve

Back, Christina L.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1275331237

Abstract Details

2010, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology.
Phragmites australis, the common reed, is an invasive macrophyte in many eastern North American wetlands. Reed often rapidly forms dense, near-monotypic stands by replacing native vegetation, which lowers plant diversity and alters wetland habitat structure. Accordingly, herbicides such as imazypr-based Habitat® and glyphosate-based AquaNeat® are often applied to reed stands in an attempt to control its establishment and spread. Although these herbicides are apparently not toxic to benthic organisms, they may indirectly affect them by altering available habitat structure via increased detrital litter, increased light penetration to surface waters and increased water temperature. Understanding the impacts of widespread herbiciding on benthic communities, as well as the impact of different herbicides on habitat conditions, should help wetland managers design control plans to reduce reed and conserve system biodiversity. I compared gastropod (i.e., snails) and epiphyton communities, and habitat conditions among large, replicated plots of unsprayed Phragmites, glyphosate-sprayed Phragmites, imazapyr-sprayed Phragmites and unsprayed Typha angustifolia (narrow-leaf cattail) in early the summer 2008 in a Lake Erie coastal marsh. I studied gastropods because they can greatly influence trophic structure in freshwater systems by consuming benthic algae and by serving as prey to sportfish. Moreover, I included Typha angustifolia in the study because it is another invasive plant common to many Lake Erie coastal wetlands. Relative abundances of gastropods were similar among treatments on 24 June and 30 June, but differed on 8 July. On 8 July, Fossaria spp. were particularly abundant in herbicide-treated plots, and Promenetus umbilicatellus was abundant in AquaNeat®- treated plots. Snail densities were greater in plots containing metaphyton (filamentous green algae) than in plots without metaphyton, and juvenile and small snails were abundant in metaphyton mats. Metaphyton presence was linked to increases in light penetration caused by herbiciding. Epiphytic algal densities, and chlorophyll a levels, an indicator of algal biomass, were low in all treatments, and diatom-dominated epiphyton communities were similar among treatments. Dry mass of benthic organic matter (BOM), which can provide available substrate for epiphyton growth and habitat for snails, was also similar among treatments. Dissolved oxygen and water depths were similar among treatments, but water depths significantly declined with sampling date. A combination of low and highly variable water levels, low oxygen levels, and eutrophic conditions apparently shape snail and algal community structure in this marsh. My results suggest that both glyphosate- and imazapyr-containing herbicides have little effect on the herbivore-producer relationship and gastropod diversity in Sheldon marsh 1-year post-spraying.
Joseph R. Holomuzki, PhD (Advisor)
Stuart A. Ludsin, PhD (Committee Member)
G. Thomas Watters, PhD (Committee Member)
Ecology
Phragmites; gastropods; herbicides; glyphosate; imazapyr;

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Back, C. L. (2010). Effects of Common Reed (Phragmites australis) Invasion and Glyphosate and Imazapyr Herbicide Application on Gastropod and Epiphyton Communities in Sheldon Marsh Nature Reserve [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1275331237

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Back, Christina. Effects of Common Reed (Phragmites australis) Invasion and Glyphosate and Imazapyr Herbicide Application on Gastropod and Epiphyton Communities in Sheldon Marsh Nature Reserve. 2010. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1275331237.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Back, Christina. "Effects of Common Reed (Phragmites australis) Invasion and Glyphosate and Imazapyr Herbicide Application on Gastropod and Epiphyton Communities in Sheldon Marsh Nature Reserve." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1275331237

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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