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Biotic communities of freshwater marshes and mangroves in relation to saltwater incursions: implications for wetland regulation

Biotic communities of freshwater marshes and mangroves in relation to saltwater incursions:... An ecosystem-level study was conducted in the Guandu wetlands insubtropical coastal Taiwan to examine how salinity influences the abundance,diversity, and structure of biotic communities. We surveyed eight permanentstudy sites, spanning freshwater marshes, to the gate on the dyke, andmesohaline mangroves representing a gradient of the extent of saltwaterincursions. Analyses of abiotic variables showed that salinity was the primarydetermining factor for discriminating habitat types in the wetlands, butcommunities differed in their sensitivity to salinity. The composition of plantand insect communities was most affected by the salinity gradient, suggestingthe utility of these communities for ecological monitoring of saltwaterincursions. However, spatial changes in communities at higher trophic levels,including macrobenthos, mollusks, fish, and birds, could not be explained simplyby the salinity gradient. Instead, changes in these communities were morerelevant to the composition of other biotic communities. Our results show thatspecies richness and diversity of plant communities were higher in the marshesthan in the mangroves. Nevertheless, insect communities censused in themangroves had higher diversity, despite lower abundance and species richness.Macrobenthos surveyed in the mangroves showed higher biomass and number of taxa.Mollusks and fish were also more abundant at sites near the gate compared to themarsh sites. This suggests that maintaining a tidal flux by means of gateregulation is necessary for conserving the spatial heterogeneity andbiodiversity of coastal wetlands. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Biodiversity and Conservation Springer Journals

Biotic communities of freshwater marshes and mangroves in relation to saltwater incursions: implications for wetland regulation

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References (24)

Publisher
Springer Journals
Copyright
Copyright © 2003 by Kluwer Academic Publishers
Subject
Life Sciences; Evolutionary Biology; Tree Biology; Plant Sciences
ISSN
0960-3115
eISSN
1572-9710
DOI
10.1023/A:1022405213732
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

An ecosystem-level study was conducted in the Guandu wetlands insubtropical coastal Taiwan to examine how salinity influences the abundance,diversity, and structure of biotic communities. We surveyed eight permanentstudy sites, spanning freshwater marshes, to the gate on the dyke, andmesohaline mangroves representing a gradient of the extent of saltwaterincursions. Analyses of abiotic variables showed that salinity was the primarydetermining factor for discriminating habitat types in the wetlands, butcommunities differed in their sensitivity to salinity. The composition of plantand insect communities was most affected by the salinity gradient, suggestingthe utility of these communities for ecological monitoring of saltwaterincursions. However, spatial changes in communities at higher trophic levels,including macrobenthos, mollusks, fish, and birds, could not be explained simplyby the salinity gradient. Instead, changes in these communities were morerelevant to the composition of other biotic communities. Our results show thatspecies richness and diversity of plant communities were higher in the marshesthan in the mangroves. Nevertheless, insect communities censused in themangroves had higher diversity, despite lower abundance and species richness.Macrobenthos surveyed in the mangroves showed higher biomass and number of taxa.Mollusks and fish were also more abundant at sites near the gate compared to themarsh sites. This suggests that maintaining a tidal flux by means of gateregulation is necessary for conserving the spatial heterogeneity andbiodiversity of coastal wetlands.

Journal

Biodiversity and Conservation – Springer Journals

Published: Oct 5, 2004

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