Science activity

Aquatic invasive species and their impacts have been ecological and management challenges in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) since the 1970s. Despite these impacts, the Delta still provides a suite of ecosystem services. To continue to protect this watershed, an efficient early detection and rapid response (EDRR) framework must be implemented with the goal to find, report, and eradicate invasive species before they spread and cause harm. Effective EDRR frameworks require coordination as well as early action, but frequently the implementation of effective EDRR is limited by lack of information or coordination. Evaluation of the existing draft EDRR framework developed by the Delta Interagency Invasive Species Coordination (DIISC) Team at each stage using a specific species offers the opportunity to discover successful strategies and identify barriers to success. The University proposes to use an invasive submerged aquatic species (ribbon weed, Vallisneria australis) as a case study in the Delta to understand challenges with the EDRR process as well as to design stakeholder-informed interventions to update the existing EDRR framework. In addition, the University will conduct literature review and collect field data on abiotic conditions and plant traits to directly inform the response step of the EDRR process. Finally, the University intends to ensure dissemination of these findings to the DIISC Team and other stakeholders via regular meetings, reports, webinars, and scientific publications.