Distribution and Drivers of a Widespread, Invasive Wetland Grass, Phragmites australis, in Wetlands of the Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA

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• 作者：A. Lexine Long ; Karin M. Kettenring ; Charles P. Hawkins…
• 关键词：Phragmites australis ; Remote sensing ; Species distribution modeling ; Saline wetlands ; Great Salt Lake
• 刊名：Wetlands
• 出版年：2017
• 出版时间：February 2017
• 年：2017
• 卷：37
• 期：1
• 页码：45-57
• 全文大小：
• 刊物主题：Freshwater & Marine Ecology; Environmental Management; Ecology; Hydrogeology; Coastal Sciences; Landscape Ecology;
• 出版者：Springer Netherlands
• ISSN：1943-6246
• 卷排序：37

文摘

The introduced grass Phragmites australis (hereafter Phragmites) is one of the most widespread invasive plants in North American wetlands. Phragmites has been extensively studied in some regions of North America, such as the Chesapeake Bay and the Great Lakes. However, little research has evaluated the extent of Phragmites invasion in the Intermountain West and the environmental drivers that have promoted its spread, particularly in the critically important Great Salt Lake (GSL) wetlands. Here we use high-resolution multispectral imagery to map the current distribution of Phragmites around GSL. We then identify factors associated with Phragmites presence in GSL using a species distribution model using the Random Forest algorithm. We contrast these findings with what is known about Phragmites invasion in other regions. We estimate that Phragmites occupies over 93 km2 around GSL. Phragmites was more likely to be found in wetland areas close to point sources of pollution, at lower elevations with prolonged inundation, and with moderate salinities. Results from our study will assist wetlands managers in prioritizing areas for Phragmites monitoring and control by identifying likely areas of prime Phragmites habitat.