EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT ERADICATION MEASURES FOR CONTROLLING SPARTINA ALTERNIFLORA ON PLANTS AND MACROBENTHIC INVERTEBRATES

Finding optimal control strategies for invasive plant Spartina alterniflora are important for the conservation of bird habitats and local biodiversity in estuarine wetland ecosystems. The purpose of the current study was to assess effectiveness of the eradication of 3 different measures including waterlogging plus mowing', repeated mowing', and herbicide' on large-area S. alterniflora communities at Chongming Dongtan. The effects of these measures on macrobenthos and reed were also evaluated. We observed that repeated mowing reduced the stem height of S. alterniflora but did not eradicate the invasive plant. The application of chemical herbicides was unable to eradicate S. alterniflora. Both repeated mowing and herbicide application measures had no significant impacts on macrobenthic invertebrates. Waterlogging plus mowing was the most effective measure for removing S. alterniflora; however, it had negative influences on macrobenthic communities and native plant reed in the long-term. These data suggested that waterlogging with mowing was a feasible measure for eradicating large-area S. alterniflora at estuarine salt marshes; however the impact on native plants and macrobenthic fauna need to be minimized during the subsequent management.