Variable Effects on Benthic Community From Diking to Eradicate Invasive Plants in the Yangtze Estuary Salt Marsh

Sikai Wang,Ping Zhuang,Feng Zhao,Qiang Sheng,Tingting Zhang

doi:10.3389/fmars.2021.706353

Abstract

The removal of invasive plants is a global concern, and ecological restoration methods have been a major research topic in recent years. In the estuarine salt marsh of the Yangtze River, dikes are typically used in ecological restoration projects to eradicate the invasive plantSpartina alterniflora. We explored ways of optimizing dike construction and of providing an effective basis for the wetland ecological control and protection of biodiversity and analyzed the effects on the macrobenthos of fully and partially dikes. The measurement of the quantitative change in macrobenthos diversity and species composition was carried out in the project area and in a control before (2013) and after (2016) dike construction. Results showed that the number of species and average density decreased significantly in the fully diked enclosed area but increased in the partially diked semi-enclosed area. Outside the project area, all site samples showed increased species richness and average density after dike construction. This study indicated that macrobenthos was negatively affected by the dike project in the inside diked area. However, when the tidewater canals were preserved to maintain the connection between the inside and outside areas, there was a positive effect on macrobenthos in the project area. We suggest that canals are preserved while diking in the salt marsh and that gates are opened regularly to maintain the water and nutrient connectedness inside and outside the dike. The diking project mostly affected mollusks and polychaetes, which are the indispensable food sources for birds and fish. The study provides valid evidence for the management of estuarine salt marsh and the protection of macrobenthos.

Highlights

Coastal salt marshes provide an important interface among terrestrial, riverine, and marine ecosystems
The total project area covered about 25 km2 and was designed to promote the important ecology of the Chongming Island and the construction of the Shanghai “ecological livable city.”
The ecological restoration project in the Yangtze Estuary had a significant environmental impact on the populations and assemblages of macrobenthic invertebrates, but its impacts varied according to the type of dike area examined

Summary

Introduction

Coastal salt marshes provide an important interface among terrestrial, riverine, and marine ecosystems. They contain unique and irreplaceable natural resources and support key ecosystem processes (Wall et al, 2001), such as nutrient circulation, water purification, and food production (Pétillon et al, 2005). They are highly productive ecosystems and are generally regarded as a source. The development and use of natural resources have led to serious damage to salt marsh wetland, the most typical of which is the dike and reclamation project. Previous studies have mainly focused on the environmental changes, which have less impact on the ecological functions of salt marshes, and especially on the macrobenthos

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