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Evidence Does Not Support A Role For Gallic Acid In Phragmites Australis Invasion Success, Jeffrey D. Weidenhamer, Mei Li, Joshua Allman, Robert G. Bergosh, Mason Posner

Jeffrey D. Weidenhamer

Gallic acid has been reported to be responsible for the invasive success of nonnative genotypes of Phragmites australis in North America. We have been unable to confirm previous reports of persistent high concentrations of gallic acid in the rhizosphere of invasive P. australis, and of high concentrations of gallic acid and gallotannins in P. australis rhizomes. The half-life of gallic acid in nonsterile P. australis soil was measured by aqueous extraction of soils and found to be less than 1 day at added concentrations up to 10,000 mu g g(-1). Furthermore, extraction of P. australis soil collected in North Carolina …