The effects of reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea L.) on wetland habitat and arthropod community composition in an urban freshwater wetland

Reed canary grass ( Phalaris arundinacea L.) is an aggressive invader that dominates wetlands throughout the US. We examined the effects of reed canary grass on wetland habitat, both vegetation canopy architecture and soil environment, and its impacts the arthropod community in an urban wetland in P...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Wetlands ecology and management 2017-04, Vol.25 (2), p.159-175
Main Authors: Weilhoefer, C. L., Williams, D., Nguyen, I., Jakstis, K., Fischer, C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aquatic habitats
Arthropoda
Arthropods
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Canopies
Community composition
Conservation Biology/Ecology
Environmental Law/Policy/Ecojustice
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
Grasses
Habitat changes
Habitats
Hydrology/Water Resources
Life Sciences
Marine & Freshwater Sciences
Nonnative species
Original Paper
Phalaris arundinacea
Relative abundance
Soil environment
Soil moisture
Vegetation
Water Quality/Water Pollution
Wetlands
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Summary:Reed canary grass ( Phalaris arundinacea L.) is an aggressive invader that dominates wetlands throughout the US. We examined the effects of reed canary grass on wetland habitat, both vegetation canopy architecture and soil environment, and its impacts the arthropod community in an urban wetland in Portland, OR, USA. Reed canary grass dominance resulted in reduced vegetation canopy complexity through reductions in native vegetation diversity and canopy height. In addition, reed canary grass dominance significantly changed the wetland soil environment, decreasing soil organic content and increasing soil moisture. The arthropod community responded to these habitat changes, being distinct between plots dominated by reed canary grass and those dominated by native vegetation. In addition, diversity measures were significantly lower in plots dominated by reed canary grass. Variables describing both vegetation canopy complexity and soil environment were more important predictors than relative abundance of reed canary grass in multiple regression models developed for dominant arthropod taxa and community metrics. Our results suggest that the mechanism by which reed canary grass affects the wetland arthropod community is primarily indirect, through habitat changes, rather than by directly altering its food source.
ISSN:0923-4861
1572-9834
DOI:10.1007/s11273-016-9507-x