Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Invasive ...

<strong>Proceedings</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Third</strong> <strong>International</strong> <strong>Conference</strong> on Invasive SpartinaChapter 2: Spartina Distribution and SpreadSPARTINA IN CHINA:INTRODUCTION,HISTORY,CURRENT STATUS, AND RECENT RESEARCHS. AN,H.QING,Y.XIAO,C.ZHOU,Z.WANG,Z.DENG,Y.ZHI AND L. CHENSchool <strong>of</strong> Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China; anshq@nju.edu.cnSpartina spp., with <strong>the</strong>ir strong ability for survival, growth, and expansion, attracts ecologists’attention throughout <strong>the</strong> world. Four Spartina species: Spartina anglica, S. alterniflora, S. patensand S. cynosuroides were introduced into China in 1963, 1979, 1979 and 1998, respectively, for <strong>the</strong>purposes <strong>of</strong> agricultural and ecological engineering. So far <strong>the</strong> first three species still survive incoastal China with varying abundance. Spartina anglica is dying back, whereas S. alterniflora hasbeen rampantly invading. Spartina patens appears to be a potential invasive species in China. Weexamine <strong>the</strong> history <strong>of</strong> Spartina’s introductions into China, discuss <strong>the</strong> fate <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> introduced speciesand <strong>the</strong>ir impacts on native ecosystems, and review <strong>the</strong> studies conducted in China over <strong>the</strong> past 40years (from 1963-2003), especially those carried out in <strong>the</strong> Institute <strong>of</strong> Spartina and TidelandDevelopment at Nanjing University.Keywords: Ecological engineering, genetic structure, invasive impacts, management, SpartinaINTRODUCTIONFour Spartina species have been introduced into Chinaas bio-engineers for agricultural and ecological engineeringsince 1963. They were used to accelerate <strong>the</strong> development<strong>of</strong> coastal tidelands for croplands, protect <strong>the</strong> dykes fromtyphoons and control erosion <strong>of</strong> tidelands from tidal waves(Chung and Zhuo 1979; Chung 1982, 1985). The specieshave had different fates in coastal areas <strong>of</strong> China resultingfrom both human activities and natural stresses. Seeds <strong>of</strong> S.patens and S. cynosuroides were introduced into China,toge<strong>the</strong>r with S. alterniflora. But, S. patens failed togerminate in <strong>the</strong> laboratory and S. cynosuroides failed tosurvive in <strong>the</strong> field. In 1998, seeds <strong>of</strong> S. patens wereintroduced into China again and successfully germinatedafter ion radiation treatment (Zhou 2003), <strong>the</strong>n tissue culturewas used to produce <strong>of</strong>fspring at a large scale. So far, about20 hectares (ha) <strong>of</strong> S. patens has been transplanted inTianjing, Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces (Zhou et al 2003).Spartina alterniflora has rapidly spread to o<strong>the</strong>r coastalareas in China, outcompeted native plants and become one<strong>of</strong> most harmful invading plants in China. In contrast, S.anglica is experiencing a dieback and may disappear from<strong>the</strong> coasts. Although S. anglica is a serious invasive speciesin o<strong>the</strong>r countries (Daehler and Strong 1996; Kriworken andHedge 2000; Baumel et al. 2001; Hacker et al. 2001), it isnow not an invasive species in China. More recently, S.patens has shown <strong>the</strong> potential to be an invasive species(Zhou et al. 2003). The four species have had differentdifferent fates including <strong>the</strong> failure <strong>of</strong> S. cynosuroidesintroduction and different invasive processes in coastalChina. Here we give an brief account <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> experiencesfrom Chinese scientists and studies that have been conductedin China since <strong>the</strong> introduction <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se species to thiscountry. It is hoped that <strong>the</strong> information presented here canbe <strong>of</strong> some use to <strong>the</strong> scientists who are working on use,management, control and eradication <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> species that areinvading both Atlantic and Pacific coastal areas worldwide.HISTORY OF SPARTINA INTRODUCTION IN CHINASpartina anglicaSpartina anglica was <strong>the</strong> first Spartina speciesintroduced into China from ano<strong>the</strong>r country. In 1963, 35plants from Essex in England and 100 plants from Hojer inDenmark were introduced to <strong>the</strong> ecological laboratory <strong>of</strong>Nanjing University by Pr<strong>of</strong>. Chung-Hsin Chung (Chong-XinZhong) with <strong>the</strong> help <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Chinese Committee <strong>of</strong> Scienceand Technology. The Spartina survivors — 21 from Englandand 50 from Denmark — were sent to SheyangExperimental Station (35 o N) on <strong>the</strong> Yellow Sea coast after asimple survivial check in <strong>the</strong> laboratory. The survivors <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>English Spartina successfully produced 435,000 new rametsfrom July 1963 to April 1964, which were planted in <strong>the</strong>field in 1964; by 1966 <strong>the</strong> area <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> plantation hadincreased to 32 ha. However, <strong>the</strong> Danish population soondied <strong>of</strong>f. Almost all <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> S. anglica in China aredescendants <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> original 21 English plants, excluding <strong>the</strong>plantations in Xiaoshan and Wenlin <strong>of</strong> Zhejiang Province. In1964, 507 seeds and 18 plants from Poole Harbor in Englandwere introduced to China, <strong>of</strong> which 440 seeds with potentialgermination capacity were treated and sowed in <strong>the</strong>laboratory; 157 <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>m germinated, a germination rate <strong>of</strong>30.97%, and 44 seedlings survived. The 18 plants died <strong>of</strong>f in<strong>the</strong> lab. One year later, 30,601 individuals were obtainedfrom <strong>the</strong> 44 surviving seedlings (Fig. 1), and most <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>mwere planted in Xiaoshan and Wenlin Experimental Stations-65-