Breaking Bad: Native Aquatic Plants Gone Rogue and the Invasive Species That Inspire Them

Abstract

<jats:p>Conventional wisdom suggests that native aquatic plants have evolved to fill a specific ecological niche, and that their growth is regulated by environmental conditions or the presence of natural enemies that limit the distribution or abundance of the species. However, it is becoming obvious that native species are not always well-behaved and can develop populations that quickly reach nuisance levels that require management to avoid negative ecological impacts. This work summarizes information presented at the American Society for Horticultural Science Invasive Plants Research Professional Interest Group Workshops in 2017 and 2018, and it highlights the phenomenon of species that are considered both native and invasive in the aquatic ecosystems of Florida. These “natives gone rogue” are compared with the introduced species they mimic, and the consequences of excessive aquatic plant growth, regardless of the origin of the species, are described.</jats:p>

Evaluating the Effects of Acetic Acid and d-Limonene on Four Aquatic Plants

“…Plants were monitored weekly for 8 weeks after treatment and then the project lead assigned a numerical value of 0 through 10 to describe visual quality (0 = dead; 5 = fair quality, acceptable, somewhat desirable form and color, little to no chlorosis or necrosis; 10 = excellent quality, perfect condition, healthy and robust, excellent color and form). Although some authors (e.g., Cutelle et al, 2013;Koschnick et al, 2005;Mudge et al, 2007) report visual injury or damage resulting from herbicide treatments, we recorded visual quality, which has also been used to describe plant response to differing culture conditions (e.g., Gettys andMoore, 2018, 2019), herbicides (e.g., Gettys and Haller, 2009, 2010Smith et al, 2014), salt stress (e.g., Tootoonchi et al, 2020), and other experimental factors. After visual scoring, a destructive harvest was conducted to collect all live biomass of floating species and all live aboveground shoots of emergent species.…”

“…More than half of this funding ($10.01 million and$8.86 million in FY 2017-18 andFY 2018-19, respectively) was allocated for managing the submersed weed hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata), whereas %25% of those monies ($4.04 million in FY 2017-18 and$4.19 million in FY 2018-19) was spent for floating plant control, which primarily comprise waterhyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) and waterlettuce (Pistia stratiotes). Excessive growth of floating plants causes a number of problems in aquatic ecosystems, including reducing the penetration of oxygen and light into the water column by blocking the airwater interface, creating monocultures by outcompeting native plants, and interfering with flood control operations by creating large, dense mats that obstruct canals and water movement structures (Gettys, 2019). Waterhyacinth, a Brazilian species, was introduced intentionally to Florida during the late 1800s as a water garden ornamental and was released from cultivation soon thereafter (Gettys, 2020a).…”

Selective Native Plants of Oklahoma and Nearby States That Can Be a Nuisance to Occasionally Invasive

“…However, it is becoming apparent that native species are not always "wellbehaved" and that some indigenous species can be as destructive and damaging as nonnative species. For example, a number of reports (e.g., Anderson, 2019;Anderson et al, 2021;Carey et al, 2012;Gettys, 2019;Kendle and Rose, 2000;Marble, 2018;Reichard and White, 2001;Robertson et al, 2020;Ruter, 2019;Schnelle, 2019;Schnelle and Gettys, 2021;Simberloff et al, 2012;Truong et al, 2020;Valery et al, 2009) acknowledge that native plant species can also exhibit behavior that ranges from weedy to invasive in natural areas as well as landscapes.…”

Phytotoxic Effects of Acetic Acid and d-limonene on Four Aquatic Plants

“…Floating plants can block the air-water interface, thus reducing the penetration of oxygen and light into the water column, and interfere with flood control operations by creating mats that obstruct canals and clog water movement structures (Gettys, 2019). Although waterhyacinth and waterlettuce are the most problematic floating plants in Florida, there are a number of other floating species that are intensively managed in the state, including the diminutive but invasive feathered mosquitofern (Azolla pinnata) and common salvinia (Salvinia minima).…”