Community Structure of Benthic Macrofauna and the Ecological Quality of Mangrove Wetlands in Hainan, China

Abstract

Few studies have systematically assessed the ecological status of mangrove wetlands following the stress of anthropogenic activities in China. This study investigated the spatial and seasonal distribution of benthic macroinvertebrate communities and assessed the ecological quality of mangrove habitats on an island scale in Hainan, China (containing the third largest mangrove area of China and the highest mangrove species richness). For the benthic macrofauna community structure, a total of 102 macrobenthic taxa belonging to 50 families were identified, with Crustaceans, Molluscs, Polychaetes, and Oligochaeta having relative abundances of 52.3%, 36.1%, 10.8%, and 0.8%, respectively. Decapoda and Gastropoda dominated the benthic community abundance. Non-metric multidimensional scaling and an analysis of similarities revealed significantly different macroinvertebrate assemblages among the regions during the two seasons. The South mangroves had the lowest macrofauna species numbers, biodiversity, richness, and abundance. The macrofaunal species richness, Shannon index, Margalef index, abundance, and biomass markedly affected by region and season. As indicated by the biotic indices AMBI (AZTI’s Marine Biotic Index) and M-AMBI, more than half of the mangrove habitats on Hainan Island were slightly to heavily disturbed and had poor to moderate ecological quality. Our results recommend long-term monitoring for evaluating the quality status of mangrove wetlands and avoiding extensive land-use conversion of mangroves. Holistic approaches considering ecological characteristics and combining information on both floral and faunal functionality would contribute to the effective management and conservation of mangroves in disturbed areas.

A new species of the genus Ctenapseudes Bamber, Ariyananda et Silva, 1997 (Tanaidacea: Parapseudidae) from the Cần Giờ mangrove area in South Vietnam

“…These crustaceans play a crucial role in a wide range of marine ecosystems by connecting primary producers and higher trophic levels. This is attributed to their high abundance (reaching up to 146,000 inds/m 2 ) in some habitats [Barnard, 1970;Delille et al, 1985;Bouillon et al, 2002;Lee, 2008;Angsupanich et al, 2010;Li et al, 2022]. Devoid of a dispersal phase, such as planktonic larvae in their life cycle, allopatric speciation and high regional diversity dominate in this typical peracarid group of crustaceans, making a cosmopolitan distribution unlikely or even non-existent [Bamber, 1998;Blazewicz-Paszkowycz et al, 2012].…”