Flowering Rush - Center for Invasive Plant Management
Flowering Rush - Center for Invasive Plant Management
Flowering Rush - Center for Invasive Plant Management
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<strong>Flowering</strong> <strong>Rush</strong><br />
An <strong>Invasive</strong> Aquatic Macrophyte<br />
Infesting the Columbia River Basin<br />
Peter Rice, University of Montana,<br />
Virgil Dupuis & Alvin Mitchell, Salish Kootenai College
<strong>Flowering</strong> <strong>Rush</strong><br />
(Butomus umbellatus)<br />
•umbel shaped cluster<br />
of ~30 flowers<br />
•3 whitish pink petals &<br />
3 similar sepals<br />
•green leaves are<br />
triangular in cross<br />
section<br />
•leaf tips may be<br />
spirally twisted<br />
•strongly rhizomatous
(c) Gary Fewless<br />
Rhizome fragmentation is primary mechanism<br />
of dispersal and reproduction
<strong>Flowering</strong> <strong>Rush</strong> (Butomus umbellatus)<br />
East Bay Flathead Lake MT
Eurasian<br />
Origin
North American Invasion<br />
• circa 1895-1905 St. Lawrence River region<br />
•1949 Snake River Idaho (Idaho Falls)<br />
Infested Counties in WA, OR, ID, MT, WY<br />
•1964 Flathead Lake (north shore: Peaceful Bay)
• Fully Submerged Form at 10-20 ft depths<br />
• Emergent Form at 0-10 ft depths<br />
• Shoreline Form at surface groundwater table
Inflorescence Bulblets<br />
Rhizome Buds & Fragments<br />
Seed<br />
Rhizome Bulblets
Diploid Triploid<br />
self-compatible self-sterile within clones<br />
prolific flowering infrequent flowering<br />
high seed production low production of sterile<br />
seeds<br />
prolific bulblet<br />
production (rhizome &<br />
inflorescence)<br />
primary dispersal is by<br />
vegetative structures<br />
2 karotypes<br />
inflorescence bulblet<br />
production not evident<br />
disperses only by<br />
rhizome fragmentation
Buoyant Rhizome Fragments
Rhizome Fragments on<br />
Unvegetated Littoral Zone Sediments
Pre<strong>for</strong>med Roots and Large Carbohydrate Reserve Quickly Anchor Fragments In Sediments<br />
Apr 30, 2009
Kerr Dam<br />
1 st (1964)<br />
Peaceful<br />
Bay<br />
Flathead Lake<br />
Known Infestations<br />
Flathead Lake<br />
Partial Survey<br />
Data Through<br />
10/13/2008
<strong>Invasive</strong>s of Wetlands & Shoreline<br />
(Displacing Native <strong>Plant</strong>s)
Shoots Emerging in Late March/Early April
<strong>Flowering</strong> <strong>Rush</strong> Displacing Native Bulrush<br />
(March to May Emergence Be<strong>for</strong>e Natives)
Kerr Dam Induced Low Pool in Spring<br />
Favors <strong>Flowering</strong> <strong>Rush</strong> Over Native Macrophytes
Flathead River Above Kerr Dam<br />
Bottom Barrier
Robust Triploid<br />
Dispersing Out of Flathead Lake<br />
Lateral<br />
Rhizome<br />
Bud
Kerr Dam Spillway from Flathead Lake to River
Flathead Lake Is On<br />
a Northerly Reach of<br />
the Columbia River<br />
System<br />
American Falls
Dispersal Down the Columbia River System<br />
• Kerr Dam into Flathead and Clark Fork Rivers (MT)<br />
• Thompson Falls, Noxon, Cabinet Reservoirs (MT)<br />
• 165 Miles & Into Lake Pend Oreille (ID)<br />
• Snake River Aberdeen-Springfield Canal Irrigation<br />
Systems (ID)
Perma Bridge<br />
~ 2.5 Infestation per Mile on Flathead River
Flathead River Above Paradise MT<br />
Incipient <strong>Flowering</strong> <strong>Rush</strong> Infestation
American Falls<br />
Infestations<br />
at the<br />
Headwaters of<br />
the Southerly<br />
Reach of the<br />
Columbia<br />
River System
Aberdeen-Springfield Canal System<br />
(Spills to Snake River at American Falls ID)
Aberdeen-Springfield Canal System<br />
(Spills to Snake River at American Falls ID)
Aberdeen-Springfield Canal System<br />
(Spills to Snake River at American Falls ID)<br />
Chaining to Reduce <strong>Flowering</strong> <strong>Rush</strong>
Aberdeen-Springfield Canal System<br />
(Spills to Snake River at American Falls ID)<br />
Chaining Induces Rhizome Fragmentation & Dispersal
Aberdeen-Springfield Canal System<br />
(Spills to Snake River at American Falls ID)
Pablo Reservoir Irrigation Lift Station<br />
Flathead Lake/River<br />
<strong>Flowering</strong> <strong>Rush</strong> Colony
Flathead Valley Pablo Reservoir Irrigation Canal<br />
6.7 Million Acres Irrigated by<br />
Withdrawals From<br />
Columbia River System
Fishing Access Site Boat Ramp
Prop Fowling Stalls Motors & Facilitates Dispersal<br />
(c) BASF Corporation. Photo by Mitch Kezar
Private Boat Docks Surrounded by <strong>Flowering</strong> <strong>Rush</strong><br />
(c) BASF Corporation. Photo by Mitch Kezar<br />
Not Only A Nuisance But Also a Contributing Factor in Dispersal
(c) BASF Corporation.<br />
Photo by Mitch Kezar<br />
Ideal Habitat <strong>for</strong> Great Pond Snails<br />
(Lymnaea stagnalis)<br />
Host <strong>for</strong> Swimmer’s Itch<br />
(schistosome cercarial dermatitis)<br />
Trematode Parasite (Trichobilharzia ocellata)
USFWS North Shore<br />
Water Fowl Production Area<br />
Constructed Dynamic Gravel Beaches<br />
Dampened Wave Action<br />
<strong>Flowering</strong> <strong>Rush</strong> Now Filling In Wetland
Obvious Negative Impacts<br />
•Displacement of Native <strong>Plant</strong> Communities<br />
•Formation of Monotypic Vegetation<br />
•Loss of Open Water Recreation<br />
•Irrigation Impediment<br />
Higher Level Impacts Have Not Been Assessed<br />
•Increases in Water Temperatures<br />
•Nutrient Releases<br />
•Sediment Transport & Deposition<br />
•Food Chain Alterations / Native Fisheries
Infesting<br />
Previously Unvegetated Littoral Zones<br />
Will Induce<br />
Trophic & Ecosystem Cascades
Uni<strong>for</strong>m Infestations Lack Structural Diversity <strong>for</strong> Support of Multiple Species<br />
Underwater View<br />
(c) BASF Corporation.<br />
Photo by Mitch Kezar
Macrophytes Increase Water Temperatures<br />
Northern Pike Spawning<br />
Over Vegetation Beds<br />
Cooper 2008
Macrophyte Nutrient Releases<br />
Triggers Algae Blooms<br />
Van Eeckhout and Quade1994; James et. al. 2003
Accretion of Sediments
Sediment Transport & Deposition (Lotic & Lentic)
Vegetated vs. Open Water<br />
Littoral Zone
These Introduced Piscivorous Fish<br />
Are Adapted to Vegetated Habitats<br />
(Dibble et al 1997)<br />
Native Salmonids Are Open Water Species
Occluded Mouth of Dayton Creek<br />
Historic Spawning Habitat For<br />
Adfluvial Cutthroats
Spatial Model:<br />
SPOT/10’ Lakebed<br />
on<br />
NAIP/Land<br />
Dayton Creek Delta<br />
Bright Red is<br />
<strong>Flowering</strong> rush
Schultz 2006<br />
Yellow Perch Prefer<br />
<strong>Flowering</strong> <strong>Rush</strong><br />
coontail flowering rush cattail bulrush<br />
Black Bullhead<br />
Yellow Perch
Native Cutthroat<br />
Native Bull Trout<br />
Cautionary Hypotheses<br />
Introduced Yellow Perch Yellow Perch Eggs on Vegetation<br />
Gregory & Powels 1985<br />
Introduced Lake Trout
Native Cutthroat<br />
Native Bull Trout<br />
Lake Trout Expand as Perch Prey Base Habitat Increases<br />
Magnifying Incidental Predation on Native Salmonids?<br />
Introduced Yellow Perch Yellow Perch Eggs on Vegetation<br />
Gregory & Powels 1985<br />
Introduced Lake Trout
Bass Predation of Salmonids<br />
Tabor 1993, Fritts & Peasrsons 2004, Bonar et al. 2005
Bass Predation of Salmonids<br />
Tabor 1993, Fritts & Peasrsons 2004, Bonar et al. 2005
Northern Pike Spawning in Macrophyte Beds<br />
(Macrophytes Increase Water Temperatures &<br />
Reduce Predation of Northern Pike Eggs & Juveniles)<br />
Cooper 2008
Montana Fish, Wildlife &<br />
Parks<br />
Radio Tag Study<br />
of<br />
Northern Pike Distribution<br />
in the<br />
Upper Flathead River
<strong>Flowering</strong><br />
<strong>Rush</strong><br />
Dominates<br />
Sloughs Being<br />
Used by<br />
Northern Pike<br />
Fennon Slough<br />
Mill Creek Slough
Northern Pike Predation of Salmonids<br />
McMahon & Bennett 1996
Northern Pike Bioenergetics Study<br />
Bull Trout** & Cutthroats* Are<br />
Being Significantly Depredated<br />
by Northern Pike<br />
Prey items<br />
Season WCT* BULL**<br />
Winter 686 380<br />
Spring 2,015 2,922<br />
Summer 9,428 0<br />
Fall 1,250 156<br />
Totals 13,379 3,457<br />
Muhlfeld et al. (2008)
Traditional Obstacles to Salmonid Restoration<br />
4H’S:<br />
Harvest, Hatcheries,<br />
Hydrosystem, and Habitat alteration
Spatial Modeling Suggests<br />
Lake Littoral Zones<br />
Will Be Converted to<br />
Northern Pike Habitat
4H’S: harvest, hatcheries, the hydrosystem,<br />
and habitat alteration<br />
& PREDATION by PISCIVOROUS EXOTICS<br />
Sanderson et al 2009<br />
Muhlfeld et al 2008
<strong>Flowering</strong> <strong>Rush</strong> Rhizome Dispersal<br />
May Convert 8.8% of Flathead Lake to Densely Vegetated Habitat
CLASS SUSCEPTIBILTY ACRES<br />
0-10’ DEPTH 5,823<br />
Organic Extreme 544<br />
Silt High 3,062<br />
Vegetation High 101<br />
Saturated Soil/Water High? 657<br />
Sand Medium to Low? 972<br />
Cobble/Gravel Low 489<br />
10-20’ DEPTH Varied est. 8,735<br />
WETLANDS Medium 1,536<br />
Results From Spatial Modeling of Lakebed Sediments & <strong>Flowering</strong> <strong>Rush</strong> Distribution
Initial Result<br />
Spatial Modeling<br />
Habitat<br />
Size<br />
Acres<br />
Current Susceptible<br />
Infested*<br />
Acres<br />
Maximum<br />
Acres<br />
% of<br />
Lake<br />
0-10’ Littoral 5,823 >1,039 4,364 3.5<br />
10-20’ Littoral 8,375 ?>1,000 6,546 5.3<br />
14,558 ?>2,039 10,910 8.8<br />
% Current & Susceptible >14 75<br />
Wetlands 1,536 100 ? 1,536<br />
*dense infestations with high cover value<br />
NAIP Spatial Model <strong>for</strong> East Bay
Current Project Objectives<br />
Salish Kootenai College, Salish & Kootenai Tribes, University of Montana<br />
•Mapping Flathead Lake<br />
•Spatial modeling to predict spread and in<strong>for</strong>m<br />
management decisions (Flathead Lake)<br />
•Phenology in relation to management options<br />
•Herbicide and hand digging trials<br />
•Karyotyping various CRB infestations<br />
•In<strong>for</strong>ming Columbia River system managers<br />
of threat
Where to Go Next?<br />
• Northwest Power & Conservation Council has<br />
regional scale interest in the integrity of the<br />
Columbia River System<br />
• Submit a New System-Wide Proposal<br />
• Four NW States as Partners:<br />
• Agencies, Tribes, Universities<br />
• Salish Kootenai College & CS&K Tribes Lead
Northwest Power & Conservation Council<br />
Fish & Wildlife Program<br />
New System-Wide Proposal Rationle<br />
• 31 Dams on the Columbia River<br />
System<br />
•Fast Flow Through System<br />
Was Converted to Extensive<br />
Impounded Littoral Zones<br />
Suitable <strong>for</strong> Macrophytes<br />
• 6.7 Million Acres Irrigated from<br />
Columbia R.<br />
• Native Salmonid Restoration &<br />
Maintenance a Programmatic Goal
System-Wide / Multi-Partner<br />
Comprehensive Scientific Assessment<br />
• Main Stem Survey<br />
• Water Level <strong>Management</strong> &<br />
Invasion Success<br />
• Reproductive Phenology &<br />
Rhizome/Seed Dispersal<br />
• Higher Trophic Level Impacts<br />
• Sediment Deposition &<br />
Transport<br />
• Control Methods<br />
• Professional Awareness<br />
• Strategic Plan <strong>for</strong> CRB
Still a Early Detection Rapid Response Opportunity<br />
Flathead Lake<br />
L. Pend Oreille<br />
• Flathead Lake<br />
~2,000 ac<br />
• Thompson Falls<br />
~28 ac (12.5% FoO)<br />
• Noxon<br />
~46 ac (0.6% FoO)<br />
• Cabinet<br />
Present (
: Columbia River System<br />
<strong>Flowering</strong> rush<br />
Eurasian watermilfoil
Questions & Comments?<br />
<strong>Flowering</strong> rush Photos by Alvin Mitchell & Dave Boldt SKC, Sue Ball CSKT, Steve Howser Aberdeen ID,<br />
Peter Rice UM, Chris Eckert Queens University, Gary Fewless University of Wisconsin, Mike Kezar BASF
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