Abstract
ABSTRACT Chen, Q. and Ma, K., 2018. Determining whether exotic cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) attracts carnivorous macrobenthic fauna within a Zhanjiang (China) mangrove ecosystem. The last decade witnessed a paradigm shift concerning the impact of functional diversity on ecosystem functioning, and biological invasions have led to profound effects on functional diversity. However, a comprehensive understanding of the effects of exotic plants on macrobenthic functional diversity is not available for mangrove ecosystems. The macrobenthic functional feeding groups were compared in (1) a noninvaded stand vs. an Spartina alterniflora-invaded stand of the mangrove tree Avicennia marina (a mixture of A. marina and S. alterniflora) and (2) a noninvaded unvegetated shoal vs. an invaded shoal (a S. alterniflora monoculture) in Zhanjiang, China. The results indicated that the phytophagous group was the dominant functional feeding group regardless of habitat or macrobenthic parameter (species richness, abundance, ...
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