They grow up to 15 feet tall and wreak havoc in the wetlands of North America. The non-native common reed is one of the most studied plants in the world.
It is also one of the most damaging, said Clay, professor and chair of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
The first reference genome for P. australis has been published by Clay and his team in order to find out more about the plant.
Their study was featured in a recent edition of The Scientist. Kurt P. Kowalski is a research ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, as well as an associate professor of chemistry at LSU College of Science. Philippa Tanford was a student at Indiana University.
More than 15,000 scientific papers have been published on Phragmites since 2020.
It is one of the worst invaders in wetlands of North America, yet it provides important services in its native European range and in coastal Louisiana, where it is called Roseau Cane, which helps hold our threatened coastline in place.
The genome sequence of Phragmites will help us understand genetic mechanisms that lead to invasion and potential management strategies.
The European Phragmites first appeared in North America in the 1800s, spreading quickly and aggressively through the wetlands of Canada and the United States. Its invasion was dramatic, smothering other native plants and pushing out marsh animals. The negative effect on agricultural production has been caused by it.
The lack of a first-rate genome assembly to use as a reference has made it difficult to uncover the mysteries of the common reed.
Clay and his team built a genome that shows novel genome characteristics that contribute to the invasion of Phragmites australis. The plants have more genes than other grasses.
Clay said that they describe the first reference genome for P. australis and compare it to the native genotypic data from the Great Lakes.
Clay said that this adds to our understanding of mechanisms leading to invasion and supports the development of novel, genomics-assisted management approaches.
More information: Dong‐Ha Oh et al, Novel genome characteristics contribute to the invasiveness of Phragmites australis (common reed), Molecular Ecology (2021). DOI: 10.1111/mec.16293 Journal information: Molecular Ecology Citation: Study uncovers mystery of the invasive common reed (2022, March 4) retrieved 4 March 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-03-uncovers-mystery-invasive-common-reed.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
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