Date of Award

2020

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Biological and Environmental Sciences (MSBES)

Specialization

Ecology and Ecosystem Sciences

Department

Biological Sciences

First Advisor

Laura A Meyerson

Abstract

With the rapid decline of Phragmites australis in the Mississippi River Delta (MRD) and increasing threat of land erosion, understanding the possible contributing factors to reed dieback have become increasingly apparent. In this study, we use a greenhouse experiment to examine how the combination of salinity and herbivory could contribute to carbon starvation and ultimately reed dieback in reed stands of North American native and/or the introduced European in New England wetlands. We measured the aboveground biomass, leaf water content, leaf toughness, and specific leaf area, as well as carbohydrate levels and starch content across three salinity treatments with and without S. frugiperda. We found that sucrose does not seem to play a role in terms of mediating salinity stress and that the percentage of starch granules found in the rhizomes increases with salinity, for both lineages. Overall, with some minor differences, we found that the native and introduced lineage of P. australis are similarly affected by herbivory from S. frugiperda, with and without the addition of salinity.

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.