Impacts of Phragmites australis on Raritan River Ecosystem

Rutgers Undergraduate Adam Rusak developed this video as part of his coursework for Professor JeanMarie Hartman's Fall 2016 course "Tracing the Raritan". In this presentation, Adam looks at the invasive European species of Phragmites Australis that dominates the tidal wetlands of the Lower Raritan Watershed. Adam provides an overview of various impacts of Phragmites Australis on the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem, including fire danger, decreasing evaporation, influences on the nitrogen cycle, an increase of monoculture, and other impacts on viewshed and waterfowl.

[drrmagneto]

how its decreasing water level when the shade provded stop the evaprotion

[tadblackington]

Our ecosystems have been deeply compromised by the loss of the megafauna. Phragmites is a great keystone species that can bring a lot to the party. It just needs counterveiling herbivore pressure to realise its benefits. There used to be mammoths, mastodons, ground sloths, tapirs ang wild horses in our evironment. These are big herbivores that could utilise mass quantities of poor quality forage, ie phragmites. Elephants might be an issue in most places but what about a few Assateague ponies here and there? Also what is the dymamic between phragmites and nutria?