Assessing the ecological response plant and soil to the seawalls in the Laizhou bay coastal wetland, China

Abstract

Coastal wetlands are extremely vulnerable to both marine damage and human activities. In order to protect these wetlands, many artificial seawalls have been constructed. However, studies are required to understand how coastal wetlands will evolve under the influence of artificial seawalls. Therefore, to understand this succession process of plants and their adaptation to habitats divided by seawalls, two different habitats inside and outside the seawalls were selected in Laizhou Bay, China. The results showed that there were 5 plant species outside the seawalls that were lower than the 13 species inside. Additionally, the dominant plant species were varied between the two habitats, with mostly annual herbs observed outside the seawalls and perennial shrubs inside. Soil salinity was higher outside the seawalls, which was the key impact factor of soil nutrient differences. The distribution of annual and perennial species may be constrained by spatial differences in soil stoichiometry. Therefore, the plants in coastal wetlands vary significantly at a small scale in response to the disturbance of artificial seawalls. The differences in soil and plants between the two habitats divided by the artificial seawalls provide a new insight for evaluating the artificial coastal projects. The only way to reduce the effects of seawalls on natural coastal wetland vegetation and ecosystem functions is to restore connectivity of tidal flow inside and outside the seawalls.