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Changes in the Community Structure and Diet of Benthic Macrofauna in Invasive Spartina alterniflora Wetlands Following Restoration with Native Mangroves

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Abstract

The community structure and diet of benthic macrofauna in a Spartina alterniflora wetland and restored native Kandelia obovata mangrove forests of different ages were compared in Zhangjiangkou estuary, China. The biodiversity and total density of benthic macrofauna did not change after the restoration of Spartina wetlands with native mangrove species. However, the total biomass decreased significantly approximately half a year after physical treatments. This decrease in total biomass resulted from a change in the dominant gastropod from the larger Cerithidea djariensis to the smaller Assimine abrevicula. Gastropod and crab species in the Spartina wetland derived more than 80 % of their organic carbon from Spartina. Preliminary physical treatment and plantings of K. obovata did not change the diets of benthic macrofauna during year one of the restoration, but δ13C values in gastropod and crab species collected in both 10- and 40-year K. obovata forests were more depleted than those measured in the Spartina wetland, indicating a change in the diet of benthic macrofauna from homogenous to heterogeneous. These results suggest that biological replacement using native mangrove species can not only successfully control the spread of invasive Spartina, but also restore the diverse food web typical of a mature mangrove ecosystem.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported financially by a grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (30930017) and by Ocean Public Fund Research Projects (201305021, 200905009). We thank Zhiyong Pang and Yuan Ke for stable isotope analyses and Yun Li for stable isotope sample preparations. We thank Jonathon S. Wright for improving the English of this manuscript and two reviewers for improving the manuscript. We are also grateful to the staff at Zhangjiang Estuary mangrove National Nature Reserve for the access to study sites and for providing logistic supports during our field studies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China

    Jianxiang Feng, Jiemin Guo, Qian Huang & Zhiwei Yang

  2. Division of Marine Science and Technology, Graduate School at Shenzhen, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, 518055, China

    Jianxiang Feng, Jiemin Guo, Qian Huang & Guanghui Lin

  3. State Oceanic Administration, Third Institute of Oceanography, Xiamen, 361005, China

    Jinxiang Jiang

  4. Administrative Bureau of Zhangjiang Estuary Mangrove National Nature Reserve, Yunxiao, Fujian, 363300, China

    Guanmin Huang

  5. Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modeling, Center for Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China

    Guanghui Lin

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  1. Jianxiang Feng
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  2. Jiemin Guo
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  5. Guanmin Huang
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Correspondence to Guanghui Lin.

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Feng, J., Guo, J., Huang, Q. et al. Changes in the Community Structure and Diet of Benthic Macrofauna in Invasive Spartina alterniflora Wetlands Following Restoration with Native Mangroves. Wetlands 34, 673–683 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-014-0533-2

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