Aquatic invertebrate communities associated with purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), cattail (Typha latifolia), and bulrush (Scirpus acutus) in central Washington, USA
- Resource Type
- Authors
- Walter W. Major; Christian E. Grue; Loveday L. Conquest; S. C. Gardner
- Source
- Wetlands. 21:593-601
- Subject
- Typha
geography
geography.geographical_feature_category
Ecology
biology
Lythrum
Wetland
Vegetation
Bulrush
biology.organism_classification
Lythrum salicaria
Botany
Environmental Chemistry
Scirpus
General Environmental Science
Invertebrate
- Language
- ISSN
- 1943-6246
0277-5212
Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) is an invasive wetland perennial that is thought to threaten the ecological integrity of North American wetlands by forming monotypic stands and altering the diversity of native wetland ecosystems. To determine if purple loosestrife infestation alters aquatic invertebrate communities, the abundance and size distribution of aquatic invertebrates associated with purple loosestrife were quantified during the spring and summer and compared to those within stands of two other commonly occurring emergents, cattail (Typha latifolia) and bulrush (Scirpus acutus). Aquatic invertebrates representing 10 taxa (classes or orders) were collected using four different sampling techniques. Individuals from each taxa were collected in all three vegetation types, although the size of the individuals of some orders was smaller in Lythrum. Measurements of water quality indicated no significant (p