Grants / Department of Defense / Engineer Research and Development Center

W81EWF-23-SOI-0017: Genetic characterization of introduced European frogbit and water soldier (Hydrocharis morsus-ranae and Stratiotes aloides) to support management and biological control development

Closed Closed August 2, 2023 Opportunity W81EWF-23-SOI-0017 ☆ Save

This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: ERDC Broad Agency Announcement (W912HZ26S0001). Status: Closes January 1, 2027 (55 days left). It is in our archive of Engineer Research and Development Center notices from 2023.

• Award ceiling$100,000
• Total funding$200,000
• Expected awards1
• Cost sharingNot required
• Funding typeCooperative Agreement

Key dates

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to the applicants described in the notice.

• Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

This opportunity is restricted to non-federal partners of the Rocky Mountain or Great Lakes-Northern Forest Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (CESU).

Is this a realistic fit?

• Past Basic, Applied, and Advanced Research in Science and Engineering awards averaged $1.1 million; this notice allows up to $100,000 per award.
• Most of the program's money (69% over five years) went to colleges and universities.
• No cost sharing or match is required.

What the grant funds

In the US, aquatic invasive plants cost millions of dollars annually in management and mitigation, requiring development of cost-effective strategies for preventing and dealing with their impacts. One species of particular concern is European frogbit (Hydrocharis morsus-ranae) due to the negative effects of infestations on recipient ecosystems. Similarly, water soldier (Stratoites aloides) is an emerging invader in North America with similar predicted impacts as H. morsus-ranae). Herbicide and mechanical management programs may be viable in some cases; however, they can be detrimental to native flora, and cost prohibitive at scale. Biological control represents a potentially cost-effective tool for long-term sustainable management. Hydrocharis morsus-ranae is an invasive nuisance species that forms large free-floating mats. Infestations impede water traffic, reduce water flow, displace native flora, contribute to hypoxic water conditions, and degrade recreational activities like swimming and fishing (Catling et al. 2003). Native to Europe and Northwest Asia, H. morsus-ranae escaped from a botanic garden in Ottawa, Canada in the 1930s, and has since spread throughout the Great Lakes states, as well as Vermont and Washington (Zhu et al. 2017; EDDMaps 2023). Current biological control efforts targeting H. morsus-ranae have been limited to generalist herbivores, including native snails and grass carp, but have only achieved limited success (Zhu et al. 2017). Classical biological control remains a potential tool, and several potential natural enemies have been identified from the native range (Weyl and Hinz 2022). Stratiotes aloides is an emerging invasive weed in North America. The current distribution of S. aloides is limited to the Trent River in Ontario, Canada where it was detected in 2008 (USDA-APHIS 2017x). Impact of S. aloides are similar to those of H. morsus-ranae, with the added detriment of sharp serrated leaves that can cut those who come in contact with it (OFAH/OMNR 2012). Though little is known about the potential for the biological control of S. aloides, it often co-occurs with H. morsus-ranae within its native range, and due to the close phylogenetic relationship between the two species (Family: Hydrocharitaceae), it has been suggested that biological control surveys should include both (Weyl and Hinz 2022).

Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development.

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, W912HZ26S0001, which is open now.

The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.