27April12acquatic Plants
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
International Plant Protection Convention Protecting the world’s plant resources from pests 01 2012 ENG Aquatic plants their uses and risks Implementation Review and Support System Support and Review Implementation A review of the global status of aquatic plants Aquatic plants their uses and risks A review of the global status of aquatic plants Ryan M. Wersal, Ph.D. & John D. Madsen, Ph.D. i The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of speciic companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned.All rights reserved. FAO encourages reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product. Non-commercial uses will be authorized free of charge, upon request. Reproduction for resale or other commercial purposes, including educational purposes, may incur fees. Applications for permission to reproduce or disseminate FAO copyright materials, and all queries concerning rights and licences, should be addressed by e-mail to [email protected] or to the Chief, Publishing Policy and Support Branch, Ofice of Knowledge Exchange, Research and Extension, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy. ii Contents Abbreviations and acronyms ..........................................................................................................................................................................iv Glossary of terms ............................................................................................................................................................................................v Preface ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................ix Section I – Definition ..........................................................................................................................................................................................1 Species diversity of aquatic plants and algae ...................................................................................................................................................1 Ecology ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................2 Section II – Uses and benefits of aquatic plants ..................................................................................................................................................3 Ecosystem benefits ..........................................................................................................................................................................................3 Figure 2.1. A diagrammatic representation of a freshwater littoral zone, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. .............................4 Figure 2.2 – A diagrammatic representation of marine zonation. ...............................................................................................................4 Figure 2.3 – A simplified representation of an aquatic food pyramid. Adapted from Madsen (2009). .........................................................5 Use of aquatic plants as food ..........................................................................................................................................................................7 Other uses of aquatic plants ..........................................................................................................................................................................10 Economic benefits of aquatic plants ..............................................................................................................................................................11 Figure 2.4 – The global harvest of marine and freshwater aquatic plants from 1950 to 2009. ...................................................................11 Figure 2.5 – The global harvest of marine and freshwater aquatic plants by taxa group from 1950 to 2009. .............................................12 Section III – Aquatic plants as pests or hosts of plant pests ...............................................................................................................................14 Important species that directly or indirectly, threaten commercially significant crop plants or wild flora ........................................................14 Photo 1 – Invasive aquatic plants for sale at local hardware stores in the United States. Photo by Tom Woolf. .........................................14 Photo 2 – Spartina alterniflora invading coastal mudflats in the state of Washington (USA). Photo by Kim Patten. ....................................16 Photo 3 – The dense growth of Spartina along the west coast of the United States. Photo by Kim Patten. .................................................17 Photo 4 – Water hyacinth clogging a hydroelectric dam on Lake Carraizo, San Jaun, Puerto Rico. Photo by Victor Gonzalez. .................17 Photo 5 – Water hyacinth clogging the dam near Jinja, Uganda in 1996. Photo by Tom McNabb. ...........................................................18 Photo 6 – Water hyacinth impeding navigation at the Port Bell ferry, Uganda, 1996. Photo by Tom McNabb ...........................................18 Photo 7 – A bayou infested with giant salvinia in Mississippi (USA). Photo by Wilfredo Robles. ..............................................................19 Photo 8 – A dense bed of giant salvinia covering golf course ponds at the Dorado Beach Golf Club, Dorado, Puerto Rico. Photo by Wilfredo Robles. ....................................................................................................................................................................................................20 Photo 9 – Giant salvinia with stolon. Photo by Ryan Wersal. ...................................................................................................................20 Photo 10 – Giant salvinia frond showing the dense pubescence. Photo by Ryan Wersal. .........................................................................20 Photo 11 – Water lettuce covering Lake Ocklawaha, Florida (USA). Photo by William Haller ..................................................................21 Photo 12 – Water lettuce covering a large portion of a reservoir in the Laguna Cartageba Wildlife Refuge, Lajas, Puerto Rico. Photo by Wilfredo Robles. ....................................................................................................................................................................................................21 Photo 13 – Water lettuce plant. Photo by John Madsen. ..........................................................................................................................22 Photo 14 – Hydrilla infestation on Roman Reservoir in Florida (USA). Photo by William Haller. ..............................................................22 Photo 15 – Hydrilla leaf spines. Photo by Wilfredo Robles. .....................................................................................................................23 Photo 17 – Hydrilla fouling a boat motor in Mississippi USA. Photo by Wilfredo Robles. ........................................................................24 Photo 18 – Parrotfeather emergent shoots. Photo by Ryan Wersal. ...........................................................................................................24 Photo 19 – Leaf form changes in parrotfeather from submersed to emergent as shoots reach the water surface. Photo by Ryan Wersal. ...25 Photo 20 – Parrotfeather in an irrigation canal in Idaho (USA). Photo by Tom Woolf. ...............................................................................26 Photo 21 – Parrotfeather overtaking a river in Germany. Photo by Andreas Hussner. ................................................................................27 Organisms that directly or indirectly impact aquatic plant growth ................................................................................................................30 Indirect effects or impacts of aquatic weeds ..................................................................................................................................................32 Unintended effects on agricultural crop production ......................................................................................................................................34 Non-agricultural impacts caused by aquatic plants .......................................................................................................................................35 Section IV – Conclusions and recommendations ...............................................................................................................................................36 Conclusions ..................................................................................................................................................................................................36