Overview
Arundo donax (L.) (giant reed) is a perennial, clump-forming hydrophyte that has invaded Mediterranean, subtropical, and semi-arid riparian zones worldwide. It is the largest of six species in the genus Arundo and is one of the tallest grasses (up to 10 m tall). Arundo donax is considered native to eastern Asia (Polunin and Huxley 1987), but recent data suggests a Mediterranean origin (Dudley et al. 2008).
Arundo donax has been cultivated across Asia, southern Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East for thousands of years (Perdue 1958) and was first introduced to the New World in the early 1800s from the Mediterranean region (Bell 1997). In North America, A. donax has colonized riparian systems from Maryland to California (Bell 1997; Figure 1) and is considered to have had its greatest impact in southern California (Dudley and Collins 1995; Bell 1997) and along the Rio Grande in Texas and Mexico (Dudley 2000). Invasion of riparian systems in the southwestern US is generally facilitated by the highly variable hydrologic regimes of these systems (Bell 1997).
Arundo has many purported environmental and socio-economic impacts, including:
1) displacing native riparian plants and reducing wildlife habitat quality for protected species
2) reducing water availability by transpiring large quantities of water
3) choking watercourses, exacerbating flooding and promoting channel erosion
4) providing fuel for wildfires, especially near urban areas
5) contributing massive debris to riverbanks and beach areas
6) interfering with recreational use of river corridors by the public |
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| Our lab is conducting research to determine the effects of Arundo invasion on native biota and ecosystem properties and the most effective control and restoration strategies for reducing impacts to ecosystems. Or research objectives include:
1) Documenting the impacts of Arundo invasion on riparian ecosystem biodiversity, nutrient cycles, hydrology, and fire cycles.
2) Evaluating the potential for host-specific biological control agents to reduce Arundo biomass.
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Planning and implementing a watershed-scale restoration program to re-establish native native communities in areas where Arundo and other invasive species have been removed. |
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Facts
Arundo donax (giant reed) is a member of the grass family (Poaceae) and is native to tropical and sub-tropical regions of Asia and Europe where it grows in freshwater habitats. Arundo was introduced into may regions of the new world as an economic crop plant for the production of wind intruments and thatching for roofs, and for erosion control. However, it has become highly invasive in riparian systems of the southwestern United States and into Mexico. The dynamic flooding nature of rivers in the southwest facilitates the dispersal and rapid invasion of Arundo in these systems. Currently, Arundo is one of the top 5 invasive species degrading natural ecosystems in California (Cal-IPC 2004) and was recently declared a Noxious Weed by the California Department of Food and Agriculture. |
