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Cordgrass(Redirected from Spartina)
The genus Spartina, commonly known as cordgrass, contains 14 species, including S. anglica and S. alterniflora. They form meadows and grow quickly. Several Spartina species are native to Florida, and most species are native to the east coasts of North and South America. Spartina has been planted by humans to reclaim estuarine areas for farming, to supply feed for livestock, and to prevent erosion. Species range from one to seven feet tall. Various members of the genus have spread outside of their native boundaries and become invasive. S. anglica, in particular, has a variety of traits that allow it to outcompete native plants. S. anglica has a high saline tolerance and can keep the process of photosynthesis going at lower temperatures more productively than other similar plants. It can grow on a wide range of sediments, and members of Spartina can survive inundation in salt water for long periods of time. In California, Spartina is well established in the San Francisco region, as several species and hybrid specimens have spread into creeks, bays, and more remote coastal locations. In the Willapa Bay of Washington state, Spartina is present in 15 to 25 thousand acres (60 to 100 km²) of land, according to a 1999 estimate. In contrast, in the 1950’s, under 400 acres (1.6 km²) of Spartina were present. It is also making inroads into Puget Sound and Grays Harbor in Washington. The grass can hinder water circulation and drainage or block boating channels. Meadows of Spartina can crowd out native species, reducing biodiversity and altering the environment; as a result of Spartina's growth, invertebrates that live in mud flats are killed as their habitat is infested, and in turn, food sources disappear for birds who feed on those invertebrates. Several means of control and eradication have been employed against Spartina where it has become a pest. Hand pulling is effective, but only when done thoroughly and carefully, lest the plant’s seeds spread to infest other areas. Glyphosate, an herbicide, is approved in Washington to kill it. In Willapa Bay, leafhopper bugs (Prokelisia marginata ) have been employed to kill the plants, which threaten the oyster industry there. Surveys, by air, land, and sea are conducted in infested and threatened areas near San Francisco to determine Spartina's spread. References
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