There are many researchers studying the ecological impacts of Phragmites and the factors that facilitate its invasion and this work provides the conclusive evidence that they are indeed working with a non-native organism. It uses both historical (from herbaria) and modern specimens to construct a detailed picture of the genetic structure of Phragmites in North America. It also illustrates the utility of molecular techniques in identifying cryptic invaders and is the first example of such an invasion in terrestrial plants.

  Does it describe a new discovery or a new methodology that's useful to others?

This work provides evidence that a non-native strain of Phragmites australis is present in North America and is responsible for the aggressive spread of the species that has been seen over the past 150 years. This information is relevant to wetland ecologists and scientists studying Phragmites as well as property owners and management agencies concerned with the spread of Phragmites and wishing to control it.

  Could you summarize the significance of your paper in layman's terms?

Invasive species now pose one of the greatest threats to species diversity and habitat conservation worldwide. In North America, our wetlands have been highly disturbed by development and other human impacts and now many of these sites are being taken over by Phragmites, which rapidly forms a monoculture once it invades a site. While Phragmites is native to many parts of North America, the aggressive non-native strain is now displacing native Phragmites and other native species and is also spreading into sites where Phragmites did not grow historically. While environmental changes are surely a factor in contributing to the spread of this species, we now know that a non-native cousin of our native Phragmites is responsible for the increases in its distribution and abundance.

  How did you become involved in this research?

I am interested in applying molecular techniques to solve ecological questions that cannot be otherwise answered and the Phragmites case was a good example of such a question.

Kristin Saltonstall
Assistant Research Scientist
Horn Point Laboratory
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Cambridge, MD, USA