<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>
<oai_dc:dc xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:oai_dc="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/ http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc.xsd">
  <dc:contributor>Danielle S. Snow</dc:contributor>
  <dc:contributor>McKenzie K.H. Smith</dc:contributor>
  <dc:contributor>Kathryn L. Kingsley</dc:contributor>
  <dc:contributor>James F. White</dc:contributor>
  <dc:contributor>Kurt P. Kowalski</dc:contributor>
  <dc:creator>Wesley A. Bickford</dc:creator>
  <dc:date>2024</dc:date>
  <dc:description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span class="html-italic"&gt;&lt;i&gt;Phragmites australis&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;is a cosmopolitan grass species common in wetland ecosystems across the world. In much of North America, the non-native subspecies of&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span class="html-italic"&gt;Phragmites&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;threatens wetland biodiversity, hinders recreation, and is a persistent problem for natural resource managers. In other parts of the world, populations are in decline, as Reed Die-Back Syndrome (RDBS) plagues some&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span class="html-italic"&gt;Phragmites&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;stands in its native range. RDBS is defined by a clumped growth form, stunted root and shoot growth, premature senescence, and shoot death. RDBS has been associated with a build-up of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and altered bacterial and oomycete communities in soils, but the exact causes are unknown. To control invasive&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span class="html-italic"&gt;Phragmites&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/i&gt;populations, we sought to develop treatments that mimic the conditions of RDBS. We applied various SCFA treatments at various concentrations to mesocosm soils growing either&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span class="html-italic"&gt;Phragmites&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;or native wetland plants. We found that the high-concentration SCFA treatments applied weekly induced strong significant declines in above- and belowground biomass of&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span class="html-italic"&gt;Phragmites&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;. Declines were significant but slightly weaker in native species. In addition, soil bacterial abundance increased, diversity decreased, and bacterial community composition significantly differed following treatments, such that treated pots maintained a higher relative abundance of Pseudomonadaceae and fewer Acidobacteriaceae than untreated pots. Our results suggest that application of SCFAs to&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;span class="html-italic"&gt;Phragmites&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;can lead to stunted plants and altered soil bacterial communities similar to populations affected by RDBS. However, the lack of species-specificity and intensive application rate may not make this treatment ideal as a widespread management tool.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</dc:description>
  <dc:format>application/pdf</dc:format>
  <dc:identifier>10.3390/microorganisms11030639</dc:identifier>
  <dc:language>en</dc:language>
  <dc:publisher>MDPI</dc:publisher>
  <dc:title>Experimentally induced dieback conditions limit Phragmites australis growth</dc:title>
  <dc:type>article</dc:type>
</oai_dc:dc>