Phragmites Australis Patch Characteristics in Relation to Watershed Landcover Patterns on the Eastern Shore of Virginia

Phragmites australis is a perennial grass presently invading many intertidal and freshwater wetlands throughout much of the Atlantic Coast of North America. The spread of Phragmites into coastal wetlands is in part determined by available freshwater and nutrients, especially nitrogen, within the watershed where Phragmites populations occur. The Eastern Shore of Virginia is an intensive agricultural area, and watershed landcover may play a major role in Phragmites invasion. Forty-five Phragmites patches were sampled in eight VA Eastern Shore mainland watersheds and on a barrier island. Regardless of watershed landcover characteristics, there was little variation in Phragmites australis patch characteristics along the oceanside of the entire Eastern Shore of Virginia. Phragmites is a generalist with broad environmental tolerances. Thus, successful management and eradication plans may have broad scale application for this invasive grass