Ecological and Evolutionary Misadventures of Spartina

Spartina species of the mid-low intertidal areas are powerful ecological engineers that are highly valued where they are native. Elsewhere, they overgrow native salt marsh and open intertidal mudflats, diminish biota, increase costs of managing wildlife, and interfere with human uses of estuaries. H...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annual review of ecology, evolution, and systematics evolution, and systematics, 2013-01, Vol.44 (1), p.389-410
Main Authors: Strong, Donald R., Ayres, Debra R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aquatic plants
Bays
Biota
Ecological invasion
Environmental engineering
Estuaries
Evolution
Genetic hybridization
Grasses
Hybridity
Hybridization
Hybrids
Indigenous species
Intertidal zone
Marine
Mud flats
Nonnative species
Plants
Salt marshes
Species
Topical Reviews
Wetland ecology
Wildlife management
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Summary:Spartina species of the mid-low intertidal areas are powerful ecological engineers that are highly valued where they are native. Elsewhere, they overgrow native salt marsh and open intertidal mudflats, diminish biota, increase costs of managing wildlife, and interfere with human uses of estuaries. Huge efforts have been mounted to kill some populations of invading Spartina. All large Spartina invasions are by S. densiflora (2n = 7x = 70) or S. alterniflora (2n = 6x = 62) or hybrids between the hexaploid species (2n = 6x). Hybridization is a recurrent theme in Spartina; the allododecaploid S. anglica (2n = 12x = 120) and the hybrid swarm in San Francisco Bay arose through the introductions of S. alterniflora into the range of native Spartina species. The ancient hybrid S. densiflora also hybridized with native Spartina species. Hybridization promotes the evolution of highly invasive populations and hampers control efforts. Whether Spartina, native and not, would protect the shore as sea levels rise depends upon unimpeded areas for upward marsh growth and sufficient sediment, conditions that are often not satisfied.
ISSN:1543-592X
1545-2069
DOI:10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-110512-135803