Edward P. Glenn J. Jed Brown Glenn R. Guntenspergen Stephen G. Nelson Edward A. Vasquez 2005 <p><span>A distinct, non-native haplotype of the common reed </span><i>Phragmites australis </i><span>has become invasive in Atlantic coastal </span><i>Spartina</i><span> marshes. We compared the salt tolerance and other growth characteristics of the invasive M haplotype with 2 native haplotypes (F and AC) in greenhouse experiments. The M haplotype retained 50% of its growth potential up to 0.4 M NaCl, whereas the F and AC haplotypes did not grow above 0.1 M NaCl. The M haplotype produced more shoots per gram of rhizome tissue and had higher relative growth rates than the native haplotypes on both freshwater and saline water treatments. The M haplotype also differed from the native haplotypes in shoot water content and the biometrics of shoots and rhizomes. The results offer an explanation for how the M haplotype is able to spread in coastal salt marshes and support the conclusion of DNA analyses that the M haplotype is a distinct ecotype of </span><i>P. australis</i><span>.</span></p> application/pdf 10.3354/meps298001 en Inter-Research Salt tolerance underlies the cryptic invasion of North American salt marshes by an introduced haplotype of the common reed <i>Phragmites australis</i> (Poaceae) article