Ecohydrology and ecophysiology of Arundo donax (giant reed)

Arundo donax is an aggressive invasive species that is listed as one of the 100 World's Worst Alien Species by the Global Invasive Species Database. It is estimated to cover approximately 20,000 acres in the Rio Grande watershed, largely in dense monotypic stands. Existing literature on this species is limited, and empirically derived data demonstrating that Arundo is a high water user is lacking. It is, however, a very rapidly growing C3 species that demonstrates significant potential for high water use. The purpose of my research is to utilize leaf gas exchange to provide the first estimate for how much water Arundo may be using at the stand scale at different points throughout the growing season. Additionally, I have been and will continue to use leaf gas exchange to investigate the effects of multiple potential biological control agents on Arundo. I am requesting additional funding because I wish to also conduct leaf nutrient and stable isotope (?13C) analyses in order to address questions of how Arundo leaves vary spatially and temporally in leaf N and integrated water-use efficiency.