Effect of tidal barrier construction on macrobenthos community in intertidal zones in Yellow River Delta

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Tuesday 30 june 2015

12:39 - 12:42h at Asia (level 0)

Themes: (T) Managing deltas, (ST) Impacts of urbanization and land reclamation, Poster pitches

Parallel session: Poster pitches: 5C. Deltas - Impacts

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As the intersect area between marine and terrestrial ecosystems, intertidal zones provide the suitable habitat environment for various macrobenthos community However, the construction of tidal barriers in intertidal zones might change the community structure of macrobenthos substantially. In this paper, we surveyed the differences of macrobenthos community, the dominant species, and biodiversity between inside and outside of the tidal barriers in Yiqianer forest zone in Yellow River Delta in April and May, 2014. The survey results showed that 16 and 7 species macrobenthos existed in outside of the tidal barriers (seaward side) and inside of the tidal barriers (landward side), respectively. Polychaetes and mollush macrobenthos are the dominant species in the seaward side, while insect is in the landward side and polychaetes and mollush macrobenthos almost disappeared. Average biomass and abundance in the seaward side is 14.18 g/m2 and 101.85 ind/ m2; while it is 7.25 g/m2 and 1424.00 ind/ m2 in the seaward side, respectively. We calculated the biodiversity indexes, such as Shannon-Weiner index, Pielou evenness index, Simpson index, and Margalef species richness index, and all of them has decreased from seaward to landward sides. Maybe there are two reasons capable to explain the abnormal ecological succession. On the one hand, the barriers separate the erosion of the tides and the salinity of water and sediments deceased in the landward side; On the other hand, the construction of tidal barriers cut off the passage of macrobenthos returning to low tidal zones for breeding, and destroy the biological connectivity. Therefore, as a result, the above, the construction of tidal barriers have changed the community structure of macrobenthos substantially, and the abnormal ecological succession is in process.