| XIE Wenjing,GAO Shu. 2013. Invasive Spartina alterniflora-induced factors affecting epibenthos distribution in coastal salt marsh, China. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 32(2):81－88 |
| Invasive Spartina alterniflora-induced factors affecting epibenthos distribution in coastal salt marsh, China |
| Invasive Spartina alterniflora-induced factors affecting epibenthos distribution in coastal salt marsh, China |
| Received:August 12, 2011 Revised:June 13, 2012 |
| DOI：10.1007/s13131-013-0280-x |
| Key words:benthos ecology exotic plant species grain size tidal-flat sedimentation Jiangsu coast |
| 中文关键词: benthos ecology exotic plant species grain size tidal-flat sedimentation Jiangsu coast |
| 基金项目:the National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract No. 40476041; the State Oceanic Administration of China under contract No. 2010418006. |
| Author Name | Affiliation | E-mail | | XIE Wenjing | School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
Key Laboratory of Coast and Island Development of Ministry of Education, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China | | | GAO Shu | School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
Key Laboratory of Coast and Island Development of Ministry of Education, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China | shugao@nju.edu.cn |
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| Abstract: |
| Artificially introduced cordgrass, Spartina alterniflora, rapidly colonized the intertidal flats of the Jiangsu coast, eastern China. The epibenthos on an intertidal flat invaded by S. alterniflora were studied, to identify how local epibenthos species react to an altered environment. Epibenthic samples and surficial sediment samples were collected along a shore-normal profile in 50 quadrats at ten stations across the Spartina salt marsh; and five control quadrats for a station located on the barren sandy-mud flat. The grain size parameters of the surficial sediments show that S. alterniflora altered the grain size gradient along the profile of the intertidal zone by trapping fine-grained sediments. Spartina alterniflora could inhabit lower elevations than indigenous salt marsh vegetation, thus creating larger areas of finer surficial sediments, which was suitable for not only native epibenthic species but also species which do not exist on the barren sandy-mud flat. Correlation analyses show that the epibenthos were sensitive to sediment grain size and type, on the invaded S. alterniflora salt marsh. Further, there was an interspecific relationship affecting the distribution of epibenthos. The results show that epibenthos preferred ecological niches, within the Spartina salt marsh, even in the same sampling station. |
| 中文摘要: |
| Artificially introduced cordgrass, Spartina alterniflora, rapidly colonized the intertidal flats of the Jiangsu coast, eastern China. The epibenthos on an intertidal flat invaded by S. alterniflora were studied, to identify how local epibenthos species react to an altered environment. Epibenthic samples and surficial sediment samples were collected along a shore-normal profile in 50 quadrats at ten stations across the Spartina salt marsh; and five control quadrats for a station located on the barren sandy-mud flat. The grain size parameters of the surficial sediments show that S. alterniflora altered the grain size gradient along the profile of the intertidal zone by trapping fine-grained sediments. Spartina alterniflora could inhabit lower elevations than indigenous salt marsh vegetation, thus creating larger areas of finer surficial sediments, which was suitable for not only native epibenthic species but also species which do not exist on the barren sandy-mud flat. Correlation analyses show that the epibenthos were sensitive to sediment grain size and type, on the invaded S. alterniflora salt marsh. Further, there was an interspecific relationship affecting the distribution of epibenthos. The results show that epibenthos preferred ecological niches, within the Spartina salt marsh, even in the same sampling station. |
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