Restoration of native mangrove wetlands can reverse diet shifts of benthic macrofauna caused by invasive cordgrass

Abstract

Ecological replacement using native mangrove species combined with physical treatments has become an effective method in controlling the spread of invasive cordgrass Spartina alterniflora. To re‐establish ecosystem functions, trophic interactions between macrofauna and their potential food resources must be considered during the restoration process. Here, we examined the changes in the diets of macrofauna in three restored mangrove ecosystems with different invasion histories following the removal of S. alterniflora in southern China. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios for dominant macrofauna, as well as their potential food sources, were analysed. The relative contributions of the different carbon sources to the diets of benthic macrofauna and isotopic niche width, including convex hull areas and standard ellipse areas of the macrofaunal community, were then calculated and compared among sampling sites in each region. Our results indicated that Spartina‐derived detritus contributed to >80% of the organic carbon sources of dominant macrofauna in the S. alterniflora communities in all three regions. Spartina alterniflora communities had lower convex hull areas and standard ellipse areas than natural mangrove forests, indicating significant resource competition among different consumer populations. Replacing S. alterniflora with the native mangrove species Kandelia obovata could reverse the diets of these macrofaunal species, resulting in a shift from homogeneous Spartina‐dominated diets to more heterogeneous algae‐based diets. It could take several decades to restore food web interactions to a pre‐impacted state. Even the diets of macrofauna in mature mangrove (>40 years) remained affected by the Spartina‐derived organic matter. Synthesis and applications. Our study reveals that the ecological replacement of invasive Spartina alterniflora using native mangrove species could restore food web function gradually. However, this removal and replacement approach is a long process and requires significant manpower and resources. Furthermore, the native ecosystem will continue to be influenced by the cordgrass as long as large areas of wetland nearby are occupied by S. alterniflora. Consequently, preventing the colonization of S. alterniflora should be a priority for coastal ecosystem management in southern China.

Effects of Invasive Spartina alterniflora Loisel. and Subsequent Ecological Replacement by Sonneratia apetala Buch.-Ham. on Soil Organic Carbon Fractions and Stock

“…In China, the fast growing exotic mangrove S. apetala has shown no advantages for carbon storage potential when compared to the native mangrove forests [7,27,54]. In contrast, the native mangrove K. obovata not only controlled the growth of S. alterniflora, but it also had a larger soil carbon pool than the invasive S. alterniflora and gradually restored the food web complexity after 14 years of restoration [10,20,21]. When considering the invasive potential and less prominent carbon stock ability of exotic S. apetala, native mangrove species are more appropriate in the future management in the control of S. alterniflora.…”

“…Furthermore, the spread of S. alterniflora can increase the emissions of greenhouse gases, which is detrimental to the "blue carbon" function of coastal wetlands [2,3,55,56]. Therefore, a biological replacement method using mangrove species, especially native mangroves, to control S. alterniflora is recommended for the management of coastal wetlands [21,24,25].…”

“…The restoration of native or natural habitat by removing invasive plants is an important method for ecosystem management [20][21][22]. Owing to adverse influences on the native ecosystems [15,23], different measures have been used to control the spread of S. alterniflora, including ecological replacement using native or exotic mangrove species [21,24,25] after physical treatment. As a fastgrowing mangrove species, the exotic Sonneratia apetala Buch.-Ham.…”

“…The primary goal of restoration is to reconstruct ecosystems with similar structure and function to those that were previously degraded or lost [22]. The mangrove vegetation community can be re-established [24,25] and the associated macrofaunal community and trophic relationships can also be gradually restored [10,20,21] after the S. alterniflora is replaced with mangrove species. Short-term restoration of Kandelia obovata Sheue, Liu, and Yong, a mangrove species that is native to southeastern China, did not significantly enhance the soil organic carbon (SOC) stock after 15 years [21].…”

“…The mangrove vegetation community can be re-established [24,25] and the associated macrofaunal community and trophic relationships can also be gradually restored [10,20,21] after the S. alterniflora is replaced with mangrove species. Short-term restoration of Kandelia obovata Sheue, Liu, and Yong, a mangrove species that is native to southeastern China, did not significantly enhance the soil organic carbon (SOC) stock after 15 years [21]. However, the soil carbon accumulation and stock in mangrove ecosystems can be affected by factors, such as plant species, stand age, environmental conditions, and organic matter retention and export [5,8,14,26].…”