Access Type
Open Access Thesis
Date of Award
January 2014
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.S.
Department
Biological Sciences
First Advisor
Donna R. Kashian
Abstract
The invasive reed, Phragmites australis, is widespread within the Great Lakes region, and is often blamed for habitat degradation. Once established, it creates dense litter mats that may persist following remediation efforts of living stock removal. We investigated the effects of P. australis and Typha angustifolia, narrow-leaf cattail, litter on seedling emergence from the native seed bank by harvesting soils from five Great Lakes coastal marshes densely populated by either Phragmites or Typha and exposing them to Phramities or Typha litter in treatments of varying litter depths. Seedling emergences were quantified for six weeks. Soils from Phragmites dominated sites had significantly less instances of emergence regardless of litter depth compared to soils from Typha dominated sites, and in general the deeper the litter fewer seeds emerged regardless of litter species. These results indicate that Phragmites can have a negative impact on the viability of the seedbank in a Great lakes coastal marsh.
Recommended Citation
White, Travis, "The Effects Of Phragmites Australis Litter On Seed Emergence In The Erie-Huron Corridor, Michigan" (2014). Wayne State University Theses. 321.
https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/oa_theses/321
Included in
Biology Commons, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, Environmental Sciences Commons