Testing for an Allelopathic Interaction Between Typha latifolia and Typha x. glauca

Second to habitat destruction, invasive species are the leading cause of extinctions worldwide. The United States spends ~$13 7 billion annually for the control of and on lost revenues due to invasive species. Understanding the mechanism which makes some exotic species invasive is necessary for effective management and control. There are three taxa of cattails in Minnesota: the native and non-invasive species, Typha latifolia L., the exotic and invasive species T. angustifolia L., and the hybrid and invasive Typha x glauca Godr. Other studies have shown that T. angustifolia may use allelochemicals to out-compete neighboring plants which could explain why it is invasive. Allelopathy is a mechanism in which a plant releases chemicals into the environment to inhibit the growth of neighboring plants. Like T. angustifolia, the hybrid T. x glauca may use allelopathy as a mechanism to out-compete its neighbors and become invasive. The purpose of this study was to test if T. x glauca had an allelopathic effect on T. latifolia. In a greenhouse experiment, we grew T. x glauca and T. latifolia with either a conspecific or a heterospecific neighbor. Activated carbon was used as a treatment to ameliorate allelopathic effects; treatments without activated carbon were used as a control. We predict that T. x glauca will have an allelopathic effect on T. latifolia. Our results will provide evidence whether T. x glauca uses allelopathy as a mechanism for invasion. Our experiment has yet to be harvested; the results will be presented at the URC in April