{"id":9257,"date":"2017-02-27T16:21:26","date_gmt":"2017-02-27T21:21:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/news\/?p=9257"},"modified":"2017-02-27T16:21:26","modified_gmt":"2017-02-27T21:21:26","slug":"invasive-and-native-marsh-grasses-may-provide-similar-benefits-to-protected-wetlands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/invasive-and-native-marsh-grasses-may-provide-similar-benefits-to-protected-wetlands\/","title":{"rendered":"Invasive and Native Marsh Grasses May Provide Similar Benefits to Protected Wetlands"},"content":{"rendered":"

From left, Katelyn Theuerkauf of NC State,\u00a0along with\u00a0Samantha Godwin and Brandon Puckett of N.C. Coastal Reserve,\u00a0deploy stakes to monitor marsh erosion at Currituck Banks Reserve. Photo by Seth Theuerkauf\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<\/h3>\n

Contact:\u00a0<\/em>
\nTracey Peake, North Carolina State University,\u00a0<\/span>919-515-6142,\u00a0tracey_peake@ncsu.edu<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Katie Mosher, North Carolina Sea Grant, 919-515-9069, kmosher@ncsu.edu<\/em><\/p>\n

Note: This post is in collaboration with North Carolina State University. The publication includes results from a fellowship funded jointly by North Carolina Sea Grant and the N.C. Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

An invasive species of marsh grass that spreads, kudzu-like, throughout North American wetlands, may provide similar benefits to protected wetlands as native marsh grasses. According to new research from North Carolina State University, the invasive marsh grass\u2019s effects on carbon storage, erosion prevention and plant diversity in protected wetlands are neutral. The findings could impact management strategies aimed at eradicating the invasive grass.<\/p>\n

Phragmites australis<\/em>, known as the common reed, is an invasive marsh grass that can spread at rates up to 15 feet per year. It thrives throughout North American wetlands, and studies have demonstrated that its densely packed growth pattern chokes out native marsh plants, thereby reducing plant diversity and habitat used by some threatened and endangered birds.<\/p>\n

However, other studies have shown that\u00a0Phragmites<\/em>\u00a0may help reduce shoreline erosion in marshlands and store carbon at faster rates than native grasses.<\/p>\n

Since managing the threat is costly \u2013 in 2013, efforts to eradicate\u00a0Phragmites<\/em>\u00a0cost about $4.5 million \u2013 Seth Theuerkauf, a Ph.D. candidate in marine, earth and atmospheric sciences at NC State, decided to look at how relative abundance of the marsh grass affected the ecosystem services that humans value from marshes, such as their ability to stabilize shorelines.<\/p>\n

Theuerkauf and his colleagues looked at impacts of\u00a0Phragmites<\/em>\u00a0on marshes in two protected reserves within the northeastern portion of the North Carolina Coastal Reserve system. In particular, they wanted to compare ecosystem services \u2013 plant diversity, shoreline stabilization and carbon storage \u2013 between marshes with varying amounts of\u00a0Phragmites<\/em>: those with only native grasses, those with a mix of grasses and those with only\u00a0Phragmites<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The findings were encouraging. The team found no significant differences between ecosystem services of the marshes they studied, indicating that\u00a0Phragmites<\/em>\u2019 effect was largely neutral. However, Theuerkauf points out that the neutral effect could be due to the protected status of the wetlands they studied and the specific ecosystem services evaluated.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudies that associate\u00a0Phragmites<\/em>\u00a0with negative impacts on wetlands are often conducted in areas that have seen significant human interventions, such as shoreline development or construction of drainage canals, whereas our study was conducted in undisturbed marsh habitat within a protected reserve system,\u201d Theuerkauf says.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur findings highlight the importance of maintaining protected reserves, as they may provide a strong defense against the negative impacts of invasive species and could reduce the time and money spent on trying to eradicate these species,\u201d adds Theuerkauf. \u201cAdditionally, our results suggest that\u00a0Phragmites<\/em>\u00a0management efforts should also take ecosystem services into account.\u201d<\/p>\n

The research appears online in\u00a0PLOS ONE<\/em>. The work was funded in part by North Carolina Sea Grant and the North Carolina Coastal Reserve. Brandon Puckett, research coordinator for the North Carolina Coastal Reserve; NC State graduate student Kathrynlynn Theuerkauf; Ethan Theuerkauf, formerly of UNC-Chapel Hill\u2019s Institute of Marine Science and currently at Illinois State Geological Survey; and Dave Eggleston, professor of marine, earth and atmospheric sciences at NC State; contributed to the work.<\/p>\n

###<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

North Carolina Sea Grant:<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>Your link to research and resources for a healthier coast<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Note to editors:<\/strong> An abstract of the paper follows<\/p>\n

\u201cDensity-dependent role of an invasive marsh grass, Phragmites australis, on ecosystem service provision\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

DOI:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a010.1371\/journal.pone.0173007<\/a><\/p>\n

Authors<\/em>: Seth Theuerkauf, Dave Eggleston, Kathrynlynn Theuerkauf, North Carolina State University; Brandon Puckett, North Carolina Coastal Reserve; Ethan Theuerkauf, Illinois State Geological Survey
\nPublished<\/em>:\u00a0PLOS ONE<\/em><\/p>\n

Abstract:<\/strong>
\nInvasive species can positively, neutrally, or negatively affect the provision of ecosystem services. The direction and magnitude of this effect can be a function of the invaders\u2019 density and the service(s) of interest. We assessed the density-dependent effect of an invasive marsh grass,\u00a0Phragmites australis<\/em>, on three ecosystem services (plant diversity and community structure, shoreline stabilization, and carbon storage) in two oligohaline marshes within the North Carolina Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NCNERR), USA. Plant species richness was equivalent among low, medium and high\u00a0Phragmites<\/em>\u00a0density plots, and overall plant community composition did not vary significantly by\u00a0Phragmites<\/em>\u00a0density. Shoreline change was most negative (landward retreat) where\u00a0Phragmites<\/em>\u00a0density was highest (- 0.40 \u00b1 0.19 m yr-1 vs. -0.31 \u00b1 0.10 for low density\u00a0Phragmites<\/em>) in the high energy marsh of Kitty Hawk Woods Reserve and most positive (soundward advance) where\u00a0Phragmites<\/em>\u00a0density was highest (0.19 \u00b1 0.05 m yr-1 vs. 0.12 \u00b1 0.07 for low density\u00a0Phragmites<\/em>) in the lower energy marsh of Currituck Banks Reserve, although there was no significant effect of\u00a0Phragmites<\/em>\u00a0density on shoreline change. In Currituck Banks, mean soil carbon content was approximately equivalent in cores extracted from low and high\u00a0Phragmites<\/em>\u00a0density plots (23.23 \u00b1 2.0 kg C m-3 vs. 22.81 \u00b1 3.8). In Kitty Hawk Woods, mean soil carbon content was greater in low\u00a0Phragmites<\/em>\u00a0density plots (36.63 \u00b1 10.22 kg C m-3 ) than those with medium (13.99 \u00b1 1.23 kg C m-3) or high density (21.61 \u00b1 4.53 kg C m-3), but differences were not significant. These findings suggest an overall neutral density-dependent effect of\u00a0Phragmites<\/em>\u00a0on three ecosystem services within two oligohaline marshes in different environmental settings within a protected reserve system. Moreover, the conceptual framework of this study can broadly inform an ecosystem services-based approach to invasive species management.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This post is in collaboration with North Carolina State University, with funding for the N.C. Coastal Reserve fellowship provided in part by North Carolina Sea Grant. <\/p>\n

Contact:
\nTracey Peake, 919-515-6142, tracey_peake@ncsu.edu<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":18855,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1391],"tags":[],"_ncst_magazine_issue":[],"class_list":["post-9257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":{"ncst_posts_meta_modified_date":null},"yoast_head":"\nInvasive and Native Marsh Grasses May Provide Similar Benefits to Protected Wetlands - North Carolina Sea Grant<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/invasive-and-native-marsh-grasses-may-provide-similar-benefits-to-protected-wetlands\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Invasive and Native Marsh Grasses May Provide Similar Benefits to Protected Wetlands - North Carolina Sea Grant\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This post is in collaboration with North Carolina State University, with funding for the N.C. Coastal Reserve fellowship provided in part by North Carolina Sea Grant. Contact: Tracey Peake, 919-515-6142, tracey_peake@ncsu.edu\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/invasive-and-native-marsh-grasses-may-provide-similar-benefits-to-protected-wetlands\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"North Carolina Sea Grant\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-02-27T21:21:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Janna Sasser\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Janna Sasser\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/invasive-and-native-marsh-grasses-may-provide-similar-benefits-to-protected-wetlands\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/invasive-and-native-marsh-grasses-may-provide-similar-benefits-to-protected-wetlands\/\",\"name\":\"Invasive and Native Marsh Grasses May Provide Similar Benefits to Protected Wetlands - North Carolina Sea Grant\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/guten\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/invasive-and-native-marsh-grasses-may-provide-similar-benefits-to-protected-wetlands\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/invasive-and-native-marsh-grasses-may-provide-similar-benefits-to-protected-wetlands\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/marshgrass_web.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-02-27T21:21:26+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/guten\/#\/schema\/person\/3e7e7d2e407b06e5175490f0aa7ccd01\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/invasive-and-native-marsh-grasses-may-provide-similar-benefits-to-protected-wetlands\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/invasive-and-native-marsh-grasses-may-provide-similar-benefits-to-protected-wetlands\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/invasive-and-native-marsh-grasses-may-provide-similar-benefits-to-protected-wetlands\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/marshgrass_web.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/marshgrass_web.jpg\",\"width\":600,\"height\":400,\"caption\":\"Katelyn Theuerkauf, Samantha Godwin and Brandon Puckett deploying stakes to monitor marsh erosion at Currituck Banks Reserve\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/invasive-and-native-marsh-grasses-may-provide-similar-benefits-to-protected-wetlands\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Invasive and Native Marsh Grasses May Provide Similar Benefits to Protected Wetlands\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/guten\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/guten\/\",\"name\":\"North Carolina Sea Grant\",\"description\":\"North Carolina Sea Grant news\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/guten\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/guten\/#\/schema\/person\/3e7e7d2e407b06e5175490f0aa7ccd01\",\"name\":\"Janna Sasser\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/guten\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/705ef36ba1dcc753a0771e173036b909?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/705ef36ba1dcc753a0771e173036b909?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Janna Sasser\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/author\/jesasser\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Invasive and Native Marsh Grasses May Provide Similar Benefits to Protected Wetlands - North Carolina Sea Grant","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/invasive-and-native-marsh-grasses-may-provide-similar-benefits-to-protected-wetlands\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Invasive and Native Marsh Grasses May Provide Similar Benefits to Protected Wetlands - North Carolina Sea Grant","og_description":"This post is in collaboration with North Carolina State University, with funding for the N.C. Coastal Reserve fellowship provided in part by North Carolina Sea Grant. Contact: Tracey Peake, 919-515-6142, tracey_peake@ncsu.edu","og_url":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/invasive-and-native-marsh-grasses-may-provide-similar-benefits-to-protected-wetlands\/","og_site_name":"North Carolina Sea Grant","article_published_time":"2017-02-27T21:21:26+00:00","author":"Janna Sasser","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Janna Sasser","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/invasive-and-native-marsh-grasses-may-provide-similar-benefits-to-protected-wetlands\/","url":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/invasive-and-native-marsh-grasses-may-provide-similar-benefits-to-protected-wetlands\/","name":"Invasive and Native Marsh Grasses May Provide Similar Benefits to Protected Wetlands - North Carolina Sea Grant","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/guten\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/invasive-and-native-marsh-grasses-may-provide-similar-benefits-to-protected-wetlands\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/invasive-and-native-marsh-grasses-may-provide-similar-benefits-to-protected-wetlands\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/marshgrass_web.jpg","datePublished":"2017-02-27T21:21:26+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/guten\/#\/schema\/person\/3e7e7d2e407b06e5175490f0aa7ccd01"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/invasive-and-native-marsh-grasses-may-provide-similar-benefits-to-protected-wetlands\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/invasive-and-native-marsh-grasses-may-provide-similar-benefits-to-protected-wetlands\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/invasive-and-native-marsh-grasses-may-provide-similar-benefits-to-protected-wetlands\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/marshgrass_web.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/marshgrass_web.jpg","width":600,"height":400,"caption":"Katelyn Theuerkauf, Samantha Godwin and Brandon Puckett deploying stakes to monitor marsh erosion at Currituck Banks Reserve"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/invasive-and-native-marsh-grasses-may-provide-similar-benefits-to-protected-wetlands\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Invasive and Native Marsh Grasses May Provide Similar Benefits to Protected Wetlands"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/guten\/#website","url":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/guten\/","name":"North Carolina Sea Grant","description":"North Carolina Sea Grant news","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/guten\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/guten\/#\/schema\/person\/3e7e7d2e407b06e5175490f0aa7ccd01","name":"Janna Sasser","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/guten\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/705ef36ba1dcc753a0771e173036b909?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/705ef36ba1dcc753a0771e173036b909?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Janna Sasser"},"url":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/author\/jesasser\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9257","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9257"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9257\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18855"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9257"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9257"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9257"},{"taxonomy":"_ncst_magazine_issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/_ncst_magazine_issue?post=9257"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}