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Spartina summary
Hybridisation between the British native small cord-grass Spartina
maritima and the north American smooth cord-grass S.
alterniflora prior to 1870 resulted in a vigorous plant which has colonised
many estuary mudflats in the UK and elsewhere in the world. Although this hybrid,
named Spartina anglica (common cord-grass),
is largely confined to England and Wales in the UK, it can form a significant
proportion of the total saltmarsh area at some sites. The saltmarsh survey of
Great Britain (Burd 1989) recorded 7,000ha
from field records taken between 1981 and 1988 and it continues to expand in
northern localities such as Morecambe Bay, northwest England and locally in
the southeast.
 Caption:
Spartina anglica invading tidal flats, Colne, Essex estuaries
At several sites in the UK the loss of mudflat was considered to be serious
enough to justify attempts to control it. Some of the methods
of control can be effective. Natural 'die-back' has taken place and
the case for control (in the UK at least) is not considered to be so strong
now as it was some 10-15 years ago.
Information about the species in the UK has been summarised in two publications
(Doody 1984; Gray
& Benham 1990). A wider view is provided in a book on saltmarshes
(Adam 1990 pp. 78-87). A further review
by English Nature has been undertaken and should be available in 2003.
Comment: Various species of Spartina,
including S. anglica are thought to pose
a significant threat to coastal locations in the USA. S. alterniflora is also
hybridising with native species as for example in San
Francisco Bay where is it also a major threat to wildlife interests.
References
Adam, P.
1990.
Saltmarsh Ecology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 461 pp.
Cambridge Studies in Ecology
Burd, F.
1989.
The Saltmarsh Survey of Great Britain. An Inventory of British Saltmarshes.
Research & survey in nature conservation, 17
Nature Conservancy Council, Peterborough.
Doody, J.P.
1984.
Spartina anglica in Great Britain.
Focus on nature conservation, 5
Nature Conservancy Council, Attingham Park.
Gray, A.J. & Benham, P.E.M.
1990.
Spartina anglica: a Research Review. Institute of Terestrial Ecology, HMSO, London.
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