Download British Columbia`s Top Aquatic Plant Invaders

Invasive Early Detection and Response Plants
Learning “British Columbia’s Top Aquatic Plant Invaders” to
Protect Investments in Natural Resources and the Restoration:
(Webinar August 23, 2014 1:00-2:00pm)
Prof. Sam Chan, Tania Siemens, Jennifer Lam and Danielle Goodrich
Oregon State University, Sea Grant Extension
[email protected]
503-679-4828
THE SOLUTION? Invest in Prevention and Early
Detection to prevent future large scale invasions
and keep costs DOWN!
Agenda for today:
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http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hra/Plants/management.htm
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Invasive species pathways
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Species Overviews:
Riparian
–  Giant Cane – Biomass candidate
–  Flowering rush
–  The knotweed complex
Aquatic
–  Brazilian elodea
–  Hydrilla
–  Eurasian milfoil
–  Parrots Feather milfoil
Additional species
–  Giant hogweed
–  Spartina (cordgrass complex)
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BIOMASS: Replacing coal with potentially invasive
crops. The Case of the Giant Cane :Arundo donax
Fueling Power Plants with a Potentially Invasive Plant
(Giant Cane- Arundo donax)
Arundo donax dominating riparian zone on the
Rio Grande, Texas
Univ of Calif. Riverside Arundo chokes na7ve plants and the func7ons they provide in riparian areas. Arundo is difficult to control and can become highly flammable Ba2le Creek Watershed Conservancy Dense rhizomes facilitate rapid sprou7ng and exclude na7ve species Canes of Arundo can sprout from each node on the stem Arundo donax (Giant Reed) leaves are arranged opposite along the stem Leaves clasp around the stem Steve Csurhes Large Flowers. Seeds are seldom viable
Flowers are borne on long stalks that can be several meters tall Seed-­‐head is a very large plume-­‐like open panicle (30-­‐70 cm long) that is borne at the top of the stems. Seed-­‐heads contain numerous flower spikelets (8-­‐15 mm long) bearing long silky hairs. MBNA Flora Giant Reed (Arundo donax)
•  In PNW climates, reproduces through
•  stem fragments and rhizomes
•  Risks assessments rate this species as potentially
•  moderate to high invasive risk
•  Moderate risk rating because the plant has
•  not produced viable seeds in our climate
•  Risk increases with climate change warming
• 
•  Flowering Rush (Butomus
umbellatus)
East Bay Flathead Lake MT
Resembles common bull rush and difficult to identify without flowers
Difficult to control without herbicides
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Flowering Rush (not a true rush)
Butomus umbellatus
Belongs to its own family: Butomaceae
Habitat: Lake shores. Slow moving water
• umbel shaped cluster of
~20-50 flowers
• 3 whitish pink petals & 3
similar sepals
• green leaves are
triangular in cross
section (a true rush has
round leaves)
• leaf tips may be spirally
twisted
• strongly rhizomatous,
fleshy
• Flowers have nine
stamens arranged in an
outer whorl of six and an
inner whorl of three.
•  There are six carpels,
each can produce about
200 seeds.
Flowering rush: Characteristics
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Flowering rush is an aquatic species resembling a large
sedge
emergent plant with upright foliage in shallower waters
(shoreline to roughly 3 m),
or a submerged plant with flexible leaves suspended in the
water column in deeper waters (approximately 3 -6m
depth).
Easily recognized with 20-50 flowers per cluster
Rhizome fragments are buoyant allowing long distance dispersal.
(photo by Peter Rice)
http://store.msuextension.org/publications/AgandNaturalResources/EB0201.pdf
Reservoirs create favorable habitat for flowering rush
American
Falls
Japanese Knotweed (Hou2uyn 1777) 'a plant of sterling merit... undoubtedly one of the finest herbaceous plants in culMvaMon'. “The late-Victorian taste for Japanese knotweed, a highly invasive species,
proves that fashion doesn't merely come and go; sometimes it must be actively repulsed.”
apanese knotweed – 23 ays aRer emergence Japanese Knotweed:
Outcompeting blackberries
The Knotweed Complex Polygonum x bohemicum, P. cuspidatum, P. sachalinense, P. polystachyum
The soecies name “ Fallopia “ is also used. Buckwheat Family
•  Tall (2-4 m) bamboo-like stems.
•  Broad leaves are rounded, flat, or
heart-shaped at the base, and
taper to a point toward the end
•  Drooping clusters or greenishwhite flowers (2.5–3 mm long)
•  Found in the riparian area of ANY
river or stream
Knotweed can spread quickly through fragments of stems and •  In just two years knotweed had occupied twice the stream length 2006
•  Trask River Peninsula 2008
Animals as potential vectors of knotweed.
Sprouting knotweed cane fragments cut
by ????.
Courtesy, S. Chan and the 10,000 Year Institute
Knotweed Complex
Ecological Impacts
Dominates riparian landscapes
ž  Alters food web by reducing litter
input critical for stream health, fish
and invertebrates
ž  Changes soil chemistry
ž  Compared to native plants, knotweed
ties up higher ratio nutrients in
rhizome biomass
ž  Prevents establishment of native
riparian trees and understory
ž 
Interior of large knotweed patch
Note lack of vegetation in understory
Knotweed has poor bank holding capacity
Why knotweed is so hard to control
Knotweed aboveground mortality after broadcast
herbicide application- What’s next?
http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/animalsAndPlants/noxious-weeds/
weed-identification/invasive-knotweeds/knotweed-control-video.aspx
(Regrowth of knotweed 5 years later)
Aquatic Weeds
stabilizing influence
diverse communities
aggressive competitors
monocultures
Brazilian elodea
Egeria densa
Egeria densa
Brazilian elodea
•  Leaves and stems are generally
are a bright green with a very leafy
appearance.
•  Leaves which are minutely serrated
(needing magnification) are 1-3 cm
long, up to 5mm broad, and found
in whorls of four to eight.
•  Stems grow until they reach the
surface of the water where they
form dense mats.
•  Flowers have three petals which
are white (18-25 mm) and float on
or rise just above the water's
surface.
Widely used in Schools to Teach Anatomy, Demonstrate
Cytoplasm Streaming and as Aquarium Plants
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?
q=Elodea+Cytoplasmic
+Streaming&FORM=RESTAB#view=detail
&mid=A398CB9D63D7B793A1F5A398CB
9D63D7B793A1F5
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Elodea+Cytoplasmic
+Streaming&FORM=RESTAB#view=detail&mid=A398CB9D63D7B793A1F5A398CB9D63D7B793A1F5
Red swamp crayfish (P. Clarkii) and Brazilian elodea shipped from Biological
Supply House into Classrooms Similar to Brazilian Elodea…
Hydrilla, Florida elodea,
water thyme
Hydrilla verticillata
Hydrilla verticillata
•  Hydrilla forms dense mats of
vegetation
•  Leaves in whorls around the
stem (generally 5/whorl).
•  Serrations or small spines
along the leaf edges.
•  Nut-like turions (tubers) a
key to ID
REPORT THIS SPECIES 1-866-INVADER
EURASIAN WATERMILFOIL
Seeds
EURASIAN WATER-MILFOIL
Distribution
Eurasian milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum Myriophyllum spicatum Eurasian watermilfoil Eurasian watermilfoil Northern watermilfoil EURASIAN WATER-MILFOIL
(Myriophyllum spicatum)
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Plant native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa.
Aquatic plant rooted to the bottom of the waterbed
Stems are underwater and long, branching off and
producing many leaves near the water surface.
The leaves are divided into thread-like leaflets, usually
in pairs of more than 12 to 14, forming a feathery
shape, with uppermost leaves having a squarish tip.
This species can be distinguished from native northern
watermilfoil (Myriophyllum sibiricum), whose long
leaflets occur in fewer than 11 pairs and extend almost
to the leaf tip, resulting in rounded uppermost leaves.
In addition, northern watermilfoil tends to grow close to
the bottom, while Eurasian watermilfoil grows up to the
water surface.
Parrot’s feather
Myriophyllum aquaticum
PARROT’S FEATHER
(Myriophyllum aquaticum)
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Originating from Southeastern United
States, north to and including Virginia.
Also native to South America.
Prefers habitats with shallow, sluggish
waters to 1 m deep, including swamps,
ponds and ditches.
Pathway- water gardens , fragments
carried by boating and other water
recreation
Myriophyllum aquaticum – Parrot
Feather
•  Submersed shoots
have reddish orange
leaves
•  At water surface,
plant growth changes
•  Emergent leaves
feather-like, are
whorled and stiff, can
extend above the
water, branching
Thank you! Dr. Sam Chan,
Oregon State Univesity
[email protected]
503-679-4828
Giant hogweed
(heracleum mantegazzianum)
ž  Originally
from Eurasia and introduced
as an ornamental curiosity
Giant Hogweed
Heracleum mantegazzianum
CAUTION! TOXIC!
phyto-photodermatitis
*Oils in this plant cause severe skin burns!
Wear protective clothing and gloves!!
Giant Hogweed
Heracleum mantegazzianum
WHEN TO LOOK
• Flowers May-July
WHERE TO LOOK
• Along streambanks,
fields, forest understory
Giant Hogweed vs. Cow Parsnip
Giant Hogweed
Cow Parsnip
http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hra/plants/
videos.htm#worksafe
Spar7na alterniflora na7ve to the eastern USA (smooth cord grass) occupied over 90% of Willapa Bay, WA mid-­‐90’s Spartina Impacts on Shorebirds Dunlin
Shorebirds/sqr m/hr
Western sandpiper
From: Patten, K. Shorebird, waterfowl, and birds of prey usage in Willapa Bay in response to Spartina control efforts. WSU
Long Beach Extension Unit!
Ecological Impacts ž 
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Conversion of open mud-­‐flats to monotypic meadows of Spartina Displaces native plants in high marsh Increased sediment accumulation Reduction of available wildlife habitat Shift from algal-­‐based food-­‐web to detrital Altered hydrology -­‐ increased channel velocity Increased risk of flooding upstream Known Distribution on the West Coast Comox Harbor, BC
Fanny Bay, BC
Boundary Bay, BC
Puget Sound, WA
Gray’s Harbor, WA
Willapa Bay, WA
Siuslaw River, OR
Coos Bay, OR
Humboldt Bay, CA
San Francisco Bay, CA
British Columbia •  Three species known in BC Note red
•  S. anglica sheaths of
•  S. densiflora S.
densiflora
•  S. patens •  Formed BC Spartina Working Group •  eradication efforts in Vancouver area •  expanded monitoring on east coast of Vancouver Island •  BC Spartina Response Plan 2010 •  Committed to 2018 eradication goal stated in Pacific Coast Collaborative Spartina densiflora
S. Densiflora forms in clumps. S. Anglica often solitary in coarse
clumps
BC Monitoring •  Focus on: •  Fraser Delta & Roberts Bank (S. anglica) •  East Coast of Vancouver Island (S. densiflora) •  Results: •  S. anglica and S. densiflora populations are increasing