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Northern hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata ssp. lithuanica): discovery and establishment outside the Connecticut River

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 February 2024

Jeremiah R. Foley IV Open the ORCID record for Jeremiah R. Foley IV [Opens in a new window] ,
Summer E. Stebbins Open the ORCID record for Summer E. Stebbins [Opens in a new window] ,
Riley Doherty ,
Nicholas P. Tippery Open the ORCID record for Nicholas P. Tippery [Opens in a new window]  and
Gregory J. Bugbee
Jeremiah R. Foley IV*
Affiliation:
Assistant Agricultural Scientist II, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, Department of Environmental Science and Forestry, New Haven, CT, USA
Summer E. Stebbins
Affiliation:
Agricultural Research Technician II, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, Department of Environmental Science and Forestry, New Haven, CT, USA
Riley Doherty
Affiliation:
Agricultural Research Technician I, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, Department of Environmental Science and Forestry, New Haven, CT, USA
Nicholas P. Tippery
Affiliation:
Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wisconsin–Whitewater, Whitewater, WI, USA
Gregory J. Bugbee
Affiliation:
Associate Agricultural Scientist, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, Department of Environmental Science and Forestry, New Haven, CT, USA
*
Corresponding author: Jeremiah R. Foley IV; Email: Jeremiah.Foley@ct.gov
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Abstract

Hydrilla [Hydrilla verticillata (L. f.) Royle], an invasive aquatic weed, has had a rich introduction history into the United States, with multiple subspecies being introduced since the 1960s. The most recent occurred before 2016, when northern hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata ssp. lithuanica) was discovered in the Connecticut River. By 2021, following a 3-yr survey from Agawam, MA, to the Long Island Sound by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Office of Aquatic Invasive Species, H. verticillata ssp. lithuanica was found in more than 113 km of the river, occupying 344 ha. Since this survey, there has been concern that H. verticillata ssp. lithuanica would spread to nearby waterbodies and have a significant negative impact. Here, we report the first documented spread and establishment of H. verticillata ssp. lithuanica from the Connecticut River to five waterbodies in Connecticut and one in Massachusetts. Of the eight sites where H. verticillata observations were made, 75% (n = 6) were confirmed to be H. verticillata ssp. lithuanica and 25% (n = 2) to be Hydrilla verticillata ssp. peregrina (wandering hydrilla). Except for one site, all six locations infested with H. verticillata ssp. lithuanica provide watercraft access through public or private boat ramps. The authors also postulate on the mechanisms facilitating the spread and establishment of this subspecies.

Keywords

Aquatic invasive speciesmacrophytenorthern hydrillarecreational boatingpatterns of spreadwater-thyme
Type
Note
Information
Invasive Plant Science and Management , Volume 17 , Issue 1 , March 2024 , pp. 55 - 59
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Weed Science Society of America

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Footnotes

Associate Editor: Rob J. Richardson, North Carolina State

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