Table 1.

Specific tasks outlined by members of PSC to guide research to support Phragmites management using microbial symbiosis.

Science agenda	Tasks
Microbial inventory	(a) Gather data on the composition and transmission method of epiphytic and endophytic microbes associated with Phragmites populations
	(b) Determine the variation of the Phragmites microbiome in time and space (e.g., within a stand, by site) or time (e.g., over plant life cycle, age of Phragmites stand)
	(c) Explore the relevant pathogenic microbes in Phragmites communities and interactions that may exist with mutualistic microbes
	(d) Characterize the microbiomes of target native plant species to determine if there is a common core group of taxa from which to explore their significance in a probiotic management approach
	(e) Determine variation in native species microbiomes in space, by species, or by growth stage to allow some predictive patterns that may inform the timing of a manipulative strategy
	(f) Compare the endophytic communities of invasive Phragmites to that of native Phragmites
Benefits of microbes	(a) Test the plant response of Phragmites when inoculated by particular microbe or set of microbes
	(b) Determine endophytes that impact growth rate, biomass production, tolerance to stress, or other characteristics that may provide a competitive advantage
	(c) Assess the impacts of inoculants on Phragmites' competitive abilities
	(d) Determine the impact of Phragmites-associated pathogens on native plant communities
	(e) Identify particular microbes associated with Phragmites or with native plants that increase the relative competitiveness of native wetland species in the presence of Phragmites
	(f) Identify individual microbes or microbial consortia that impact plant developmental pathways (e.g., nitrogen-fixing bacteria)
Targeting relationships for control	(a) Test microbial sensitivities to inhibitors (e.g., fungicides or antibiotics)
	(b) Determine the selectivity of microbial inhibitors for particular groups microbes
	(c) Test endophyte sensitivity to treatments with limited environmental impact
	(d) Determine the competitive outcomes of Phragmites with native plants following the elimination or suppression of selected microbes
	(e) Determine competitive outcomes of Phragmites with native plants with the inoculation of mutualistic microbes or with the elimination or suppression of pathogens (f) Explore mechanisms that underly reductions in Phragmites competitiveness
Test control methods	(a) Analyze considerations for scaling up to landscape-level application of microbial-based control methods
	(b) Perform analysis for appropriate regulatory bodies and involve regulators in discussions and planning
	(c) Determine impacts of microbial manipulations on non-target species
	(d) Determine the direct environmental impacts of the method of manipulation (e.g., fungicide, boric acid)
	(e) Assess costs associated with microbiome manipulation management strategies
	(f) Explore optimal management efficacy at short- and long-term time scales