Common reeds were located today in 12 locations throughout the Cohasset/Scituate area. These reeds are fast spreading, and better location analyses of where they can be found may help in managing their population.
There is hope to managing this species in the future: two moth species, Archanara geminipuncta (the twin-spotted wainscot) and Archanara neurica (the white-mantled wainscot) have shown high host-specificity in laying eggs on Phragmites australis. It is possible that these two species may be used in the future for biological control, as the traditional method of herbicide is not 100% effective, and may pollute fragile wetland ecosystems (Blosset et al. 2018).
Source:
Blossey, B., Häfliger, P., Tewksbury, L., Dávalos, A., & Casagrande, R. (2018). Host specificity and risk assessment of Archanara geminipuncta and Archanara neurica, two potential biocontrol agents for invasive Phragmites australis in North America. Biological control, 125, 98-112.
No comments:
Post a Comment