Speaker: Dennis Whigham (SERC)

Summary: A European strain of Common Reed (Phragmites australis) is rapidly becoming the dominant plant in many Chesapeake Bay tidal and non-tidal wetlands. What are the causes of the recent expansion of a plant that has been present in the U.S. for hundreds of years? What are the potential consequences of the invasion, and what can be done about it? It turns out most of the answers are directly connected to human activities in or near the Chesapeake Bay.