Predicting Invasion and Prioritizing Control of Phragmites Australis in Great Salt Lake Wetlands
Location
ECC 216
Event Website
http://water.usu.edu/
Start Date
4-3-2012 4:45 PM
End Date
4-3-2012 4:50 PM
Description
Invasive species negatively affect the structure, function, and services of the ecosystems they invade. Wetland systems are especially vulnerable to invasion due to their increased resource availability. Wetlands in Utah are already a rare landscape features in a semiarid climate that provide numerous ecosystem services. One of the most problematic invasive plants in North America and within Great Salt Lake (GSL) wetlands is Phragmites australis (common reed; hereafter Phragmites). Phragmites is a tall, clonal, perennial grass that creates dense monocultures, displaces beneficial native wetland vegetation, and reduces the quality of ecosystem services provided by wetlands. Significant resources are spent on controlling Phragmites on public and private lands across America, but little research has been done on Phragmites invasion in inland wetlands, especially in the Intermountain West. To improve the efficacy of management efforts, local land managers need information on drivers of Phragmites distribution and how to prioritize control. In my research I will address three main questions: 1) What is the current distribution of Phragmites around the GSL? 2) Where is it predicted to expand to in the future? 3) Which wetland areas should be targeted for Phragmites control? To determine the current distribution, I am using multispectral images that I will use to classify wetland vegetation. This information will be used to create species distribution models that identify areas vulnerable to future Phragmites invasion. I will then use this information to develop a prioritization framework for Phragmites control based on factors that are relevant to its management.
Predicting Invasion and Prioritizing Control of Phragmites Australis in Great Salt Lake Wetlands
ECC 216
Invasive species negatively affect the structure, function, and services of the ecosystems they invade. Wetland systems are especially vulnerable to invasion due to their increased resource availability. Wetlands in Utah are already a rare landscape features in a semiarid climate that provide numerous ecosystem services. One of the most problematic invasive plants in North America and within Great Salt Lake (GSL) wetlands is Phragmites australis (common reed; hereafter Phragmites). Phragmites is a tall, clonal, perennial grass that creates dense monocultures, displaces beneficial native wetland vegetation, and reduces the quality of ecosystem services provided by wetlands. Significant resources are spent on controlling Phragmites on public and private lands across America, but little research has been done on Phragmites invasion in inland wetlands, especially in the Intermountain West. To improve the efficacy of management efforts, local land managers need information on drivers of Phragmites distribution and how to prioritize control. In my research I will address three main questions: 1) What is the current distribution of Phragmites around the GSL? 2) Where is it predicted to expand to in the future? 3) Which wetland areas should be targeted for Phragmites control? To determine the current distribution, I am using multispectral images that I will use to classify wetland vegetation. This information will be used to create species distribution models that identify areas vulnerable to future Phragmites invasion. I will then use this information to develop a prioritization framework for Phragmites control based on factors that are relevant to its management.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/runoff/2012/Posters/15