Research
Visit
the
"Invasive
Spartina
in Willapa Bay" website for more details
ONRC
Projects
Big
Changes in Small Places:
Assessing Social and
Economic Trends
at the Local Level
in
Clallam
and Jefferson Counties
Elk
Populations
Forest Policy: Ready for Renaissance
Forest
Manager's Colloquium
GIS
Clearinghouse
Mill Creek
Water Quality
Olympic Region
Harmful Algal Blooms
Integrating
Biocontrol in the IPM for Spartina in Willapa Bay
Public
Involvement in OlyPen Wolf Reintroduction
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ONRC
Projects
Integrating
Biological Control in the Integrated Pest Management Program for
Spartina alterniflora in Willapa Bay
The following is an abstract of
a proposal submitted by ONRC to the National Sea Grant Program competition for research on
non-indigenous marine species held in 1998. The proposal was awarded funding in
August 1998.
Principal Investigator:
Dr. Miranda Wecker, Marine Program,
Olympic Natural Resources Center, University of Washington
Associate Investigators: Dr. Donald Strong, Center for
Population Biology, and Dr. Alan Hastings, Department of Environmental Science and Policy
University of California at Davis Funding Request:
$269,483
Period: November 1, 1998 through October 31, 2000
Rationale:
In 1995, the Washington
Legislature unanimously declared the spread of invasive exotic Spartina "an
environmental disaster." (RCW 17.26.005). Extensive research supported the
conclusion that Spartina species are causing profound structural and, if not
controlled, irreversible alterations to estuarine areas. Highly valued in its home
range, Spartina species are perennial deep-rooted salt marsh cordgrasses native
to the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of North America. As an aggressive exotic invader in
the Pacific Northwest, Spartina species have displaced native assemblages
associated with the regions; open mud-flat estuaries, replacing them with dense monotypic
meadows and terrestrially-associated communities. Invasive cordgrass species are
altering the basic food web upon which many of the region's ecologically and commercially
important native species depend. Since 1993, over $2,000,000 has been spent on an
"integrated pest management" (IPM) approach to Spartina control.
Unlike many NIS invasions, the Spartina problem is a high Priority NIS problem that
appears amenable to management, but to date, the pace of spread outstrips the rate of
control with existing tools. Ecologically sound, effective, and affordable new
control techniques are urgently needed. Biological control is considered the most
promising new tool for Spartina control in Willapa Bay, the site of the largest
infestation. Recent greenhouse studies have shown that Willapa Spartina clones were
severely stressed or killed by moderate populations of Prokelisia
marginata, a
leafhopper common to Spartina's home range (Daehler & Strong 1997). Research is
currently underway to evaluate the host range of P. marginata and to prepare a
parasite-free and disease-free mother culture.
Hypothesis:
Biological control will
become a safe and potent tool in the Spartina Integrated Pest Management program if
rigorous quantitative research approaches are employed in its development and information
derived from research is effectively delivered to resource managers.
Project Objectives:
This application
seeks support for development of biological control as a tool to combat Washington's'
Spartina infestation. Proposed objectives fall into two broad categories: (1)
application of rigorous scientific research and analytic approaches to improve the
efficacy and develop understanding of biological control as a cordgrass tool; and (2) the
effective transfer and incorporation of the scientific information generated through this
research into Washington's IPM program. This project will provide enormous practical
benefits to the state in controlling its most serious existing non-indigenous species
infestation. Our research will also contribute the the development and empirical
testing of theoretical principles that may substantially improve application of biological
control tools in the future.
Summary of Work:
The following tasks
will be undertaken to achieve project objectives. (1) To prepare for evaluation of
biological control releases on Spartina, we will assemble relevant data on prerelease
conditions and identify and where feasible redress key data gaps. (2) To support the
design of an effective IPM program incorporating biological control and to increase
understanding, we will configure several models to simulate plant and insect population
dynamics and their interactions; (3) We will prepare a release strategy appropriate to
conditions in Willapa Bay to the the Spartina problem; (4) To support more precise
allocations of control resources, we will investigate genetic bases of herbivore
sensitivity and herbicide sensitivity and morphological indicators of herbivore
vulnerability; (5) To deliver this critical information to key policy setters and official
participants in the Spartina control program, we will provide periodic in-depth
presentations about the project's research developments; and (6) To secure public
acceptance and cooperation, we will provide a series of education and outreach activities
aimed at local residents, stakeholder groups, and the general public.
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