Abstract
Common reed, Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. Ex Steud., is the dominant emergent vegetation in the lower Mississippi River Delta (MRD), Louisiana, USA and is comprised primarily of introduced lineages of different phylogeographic origins. Dense stands of P. australis are important for protecting marsh soils from wave action and storm surges. In the Fall of 2016, while investigating symptoms of die-back of Phragmites stands in the lower marsh, a non-native scale was found infesting affected stands in high densities. Identified as Nipponaclerda biwakoensis (Kuwana) (Hemiptera: Aclerdidae), the scale was well established across the lower MRD. This report represents the first recorded population of Nipponaclerda biwakoensis in North America. Intriguingly, there are noticeable differences in die-back symptoms and in scale densities among different lineages of Phragmites in the MRD, with stands of the well-known European invasive lineage appearing healthier and having lower scale densities than other Phragmites lineages. Given its apparent relationship with the die-back syndrome, the scale may have serious implications for the health and stability of Phragmites marsh communities across coastal Louisiana. Efforts are currently underway to investigate the role of the scale and other abiotic stressors in the die-backs and potential management solutions.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Achenbach L, Brix H (2014) Can differences in salinity tolerance explain the distribution of four genetically distinct lineages of Phragmites australis in the Mississippi River Delta? Hydrobiologia 737:5–23
Allen WJ, Young RE, Bhattarai GP et al (2015) Multitrophic enemy escape of invasive Phragmites australis and its introduced herbivores in North America. Biol Invasions 17:3419–3432
Armstrong J, Armstrong W, Armstrong I et al (1996a) Senescence, and phytotoxin, insect, fungal and mechanical damage: factors reducing convective gas-flows in Phragmites australis. Aquat Bot 54:211–226
Armstrong J, Armstrong W, Putten WD (1996b) Phragmites die–back: bud and root death, blockages within the aeration and vascular systems and the possible role of phytotoxins. New Phytol 133:399–414
Bhattarai GP, Meyerson LA, Cronin JT (2017) Geographic variation in apparent competition between native and invasive Phragmites australis. Ecology 98:349–358
Brix H, Ye S, Laws EA et al (2014) Large-scale management of common reed, Phragmites australis, for paper production: a case study from the Liaohe Delta, China. Ecol Eng 73:760–769
Chambers RM, Meyerson LA, Saltonstall K (1999) Expansion of Phragmites australis into tidal wetlands of North America. Aquat Bot 64:261–273
Colin R, Eguiarte LE (2016) Phylogeographic analyses and genetic structure illustrate the complex evolutionary history of Phragmites australis in Mexico. Am J Bot 103:876–887
Coops H, Van der Velde G (1996) Effects of waves on helophyte stands: mechanical characteristics of stems of Phragmites australis and Scirpus lacustris. Aquat Bot 53:175–185
Cronin JT, Bhattarai GP, Allen WJ et al (2015) Biogeography of a plant invasion: plant–herbivore interactions. Ecology 96:1115–1127
Eller FJ, Sorrell BK, Lambertini C, et al (2017) The cosmopolitan model species Phragmites australis: ecophysiology and responses to global change. Front Plant Sci (in press)
Ferris GF (1955) Atlas of the scale insects of North America, v. 7, the Families Aclerdidae, Asterolecaniidae, Conchaspididae Dactylopiidae and Lacciferidae. Stanford University Press, Palo Alto, p 233
Gan X, Choi C, Wang Y et al (2010) Alteration of habitat structure and food resources by invasive smooth cordgrass affects habitat use by wintering saltmarsh birds at Chongming Dongtan, East China. The Auk 127:317–327
García Morales M, Denno BD, Miller DR et al (2016) ScaleNet: a literature-based model of scale insect biology and systematics. Database. https://doi.org/10.1093/database/bav118
Hauber DP, Saltonstall K, White DA et al (2011) Genetic variation in the common reed, Phragmites australis, in the Mississippi River Delta marshes: evidence for multiple introductions. Estuaries Coasts 34:851–862
Horppila J, Kaitaranta J, Joensuu L et al (2013) Influence of emergent macrophyte (Phragmites australis) density on water turbulence and erosion of organic-rich sediment. J Hydrodyn Ser B 25:288–293
Howard RJ, Travis SE, Sikes BA (2008) Rapid growth of a Eurasian haplotype of Phragmites australis in a restored brackish marsh in Louisiana, USA. Biol Invasions 10:369–379
Kaneko S (2004) Within-plant vertical distributions of the scale insect Nipponaclerda biwakoensis and its five parasitoids that exhibit frequent successful multiparasitism on the common reed. Entomol Sci 7:331–339
Kaneko S (2005a) Abundances of five parasitoids attacking the scale insect Nipponaclerda biwakoensis on morphologically changed reed shoots due to damage by a stem-boring caterpillar. Ecol Res 20:555–561
Kaneko S (2005b) Seasonal population changes of five parasitoids attacking the scale insect Nipponaclerda biwakoensis on the common reed, with special reference to predation by wintering birds. Entomol Sci 8:323–329
Kiviat E (2013) Ecosystem services of Phragmites in North America with emphasis on habitat functions. AoB Plants. https://doi.org/10.1093/aobpla/plt008
Kosztarab M (1996) Scale insects of northeastern North America: identification, biology, and distribution. Virginia Museum of Natural History, Martinsville, p 650
Kuwana SI (1907) Coccidae of Japan, I. A synoptical list of Coccidae of Japan with descriptions of thirteen new species. Bull Imp Cent Agric Exp Stn Jpn 1:177–212
Lambert AM, Casagrande RA (2007) Susceptibility of native and non-native common reed to the non-native mealy plum aphid (Homoptera: Aphididae) in North America. Environ Entomol 36:451–457
Lambert AM, Winiarski K, Casagrande RA (2007) Distribution and impact of exotic gall flies (Lipara sp.) on native and exotic Phragmites australis. Aquat Bot 86:163–170
Lambertini C, Mendelssohn IA, Gustafsson MH et al (2012) Tracing the origin of Gulf Coast Phragmites (Poaceae): a story of long-distance dispersal and hybridization. Am J Bot 99:538–551
Li H, Shao J, Qiu S et al (2013) Native Phragmites dieback reduced its dominance in the salt marshes invaded by exotic Spartina in the Yangtze River estuary, China. Ecol Eng 57:236–241
Ma H, Pan H, Wu J et al (2014) Effects of cutting Phragmites australis on the density of the scale insect Nipponaclerda biwakoensis Kuwana and multiparasitism relationships of its five parasitoids. Chin J Appl Entomol 51:90–98 (in Chinese with English abstract)
McConnell HS (1953) A classification of the coccid family Aclerdidae. University of Maryland, Agricultural Experiment Station, College Park, MD
McDonald ME (1955) Cause and effects of a die-off of emergent vegetation. J Wildl Manag 19:24–35
Meagher RL, Gallo M (2008) Sugarcane pests and their management. In: Capinera JL (ed) Encyclopedia of entomology, 2nd edn. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 3613–3630
Meyerson LA, Lambert AM, Saltonstall K (2010) A tale of three lineages: expansion of common reed (Phragmites australis) in the U.S. southwest and Gulf Coast. Invasive Plant Sci Manag 3:515–520
Noyes JS (2017) Universal Chalcidoidea database. World Wide Web electronic publication. http://www.nhm.ac.uk/chalcidoids. Accessed 9 Oct 2017
Park DS, Suh SJ, Oh HW et al (2010) Recovery of the mitochondrial COI barcode region in diverse Hexapoda through tRNA-based primers. BMC Genom 11:423
Qin C, Sun J, Jing X et al (2003) Preliminary report on ecological control techniques of reed pests in salted sea breaches. Plant Prot Technol Ext 2:22–24 (in Chinese with English abstract)
Ramsey EW III, Rangoonwala A (2017) Mapping the change of Phragmites australis live biomass in the lower Mississippi River Delta marshes: U.S. geological survey open-file report 2017–1098. https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20171098
Rice D, Rooth J, Stevenson JC (2000) Colonization and expansion of Phragmites australis in upper Chesapeake Bay tidal marshes. Wetlands 20:280–299
Rooth J, Stevenson J (2000) Sediment deposition patterns in Phragmites australis communities: implications for coastal areas threatened by rising sea-level. Wetl Ecol Manag 8:173–183
Saltonstall K (2002) Cryptic invasion by a non-native genotype of the common reed, Phragmites australis, into North America. Proc Natl Acad Sci 99:2445–2449
Shen BY, Xia BC, Gu BY et al (1995) Investigations on the bionomics and ecological control of Nipponaclerda biwakoensis. Plant Prot 21:15–17 (in Chinese with English abstract)
Temmerman S, Moonen P, Schoelynck J et al (2012) Impact of vegetation die-off on spatial flow patterns over a tidal marsh. Geophys Res, Lett, p 39
Tewksbury L, Casagrande R, Blossey B et al (2002) Potential for biological control of Phragmites australis in North America. Biol Control 23:191–212
van der Putten WH (1997) Die-back of Phragmites australis in European wetlands: an overview of the European research programme on reed die-back and progression (1993–1994). Aquat Bot 59:263–275
Vasquez EA, Glenn EP, Brown JJ et al (2005) Salt tolerance underlies the cryptic invasion of North American salt marshes by an introduced haplotype of the common reed Phragmites australis (Poaceae). Mar Ecol Prog Ser 298:1–8
Wang Z (1994) Economic insect fauna of China. Fasc. 43. Homoptera. Coccidea. Science Press, Beijing, p 302
Williams SJ (1995) Louisiana coastal wetlands: a resource at risk: U.S. geological survey information sheet. http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/la-wetlands/. Accessed 9 Oct 2017
Xia BC, Zhao YQ, Shen BY (1993) The ecological control of pests and diseases of reed in Shenyang beach. J Plant Resour Environ 2:31–36 (in Chinese with English abstract)
Xiong LH, Wu X, Lu JJ (2010) Bird predation on concealed insects in a reed-dominated estuarine tidal marsh. Wetlands 30:1203–1211
Acknowledgements
This project was funded in part by the LSU AgCenter, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act and NSF Grant DMS-1516833 (to J.T.C.). We thank Dr. John Noyes from the British Natural History Museum for identification of parasitoids. We thank Todd Baker, Vaughan McDonald (LADWF), Joe Breaux (LA Ag and Forestry), Barret Fortier, Susan Wilder (USFWS), and Earl Armstrong (Plaquemines Parish) for technical and logistical support. The scale distribution map was created thanks to reports of several agencies in Louisiana. Mention of trade names or commercial products in this publication is solely for the purpose of providing specific information and does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture; USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Electronic supplementary material
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Knight, I.A., Wilson, B.E., Gill, M. et al. Invasion of Nipponaclerda biwakoensis (Hemiptera: Aclerdidae) and Phragmites australis die-back in southern Louisiana, USA. Biol Invasions 20, 2739–2744 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-018-1749-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-018-1749-5