Comparison of benthic nematode assemblages in native mangrove forest and exotic mangrove plantations (Sonneratia apetala Buch-Ham) along the South China Coast

Sujing Fu; Yiyong Rao; Xinwei Chen; Xiping Zhou; Chen Wu; Xiang Li; Wenqing Peng; Lizhe Cai

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112249

Comparison of benthic nematode assemblages in native mangrove forest and exotic mangrove plantations (Sonneratia apetala Buch-Ham) along the South China Coast

Mar Pollut Bull. 2021 May:166:112249. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112249. Epub 2021 Mar 20.

Authors

Sujing Fu¹, Yiyong Rao², Xinwei Chen², Xiping Zhou³, Chen Wu², Xiang Li², Wenqing Peng², Lizhe Cai⁴

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; College of the Environment & Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China.
² College of the Environment & Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China.
³ School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Xiamen University Tan Kah Kee College, Zhangzhou 363105, China.
⁴ Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China; College of the Environment & Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361102, China. Electronic address: cailizhe@xmu.edu.cn.

PMID: 33756351
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112249

Abstract

The exotic mangrove species Sonneratia apetala has been planted widely in China since 1985. As an exotic mangrove species, it is important to understand the influence of Sonneratia plantations on marine nematode assemblages. We studied the Zhanjiang and Xiatanwei mangrove wetlands on the South China Coast during the four seasons of 2010 and 2019. The results showed that S. apetala plantations increased the number of genera, Shannon-Wiener diversity, richness, evenness, maturity index (MI) and decreased the index of trophic diversity (ITD) values for nematodes compared to those in mudflats, but did not change significantly compared to those of native mangrove forests. In addition, Sonneratia plantations did not significantly change nematode assemblages compared to those of native mangroves, though they did change significantly compared to those in mudflats. Thus, interplanting S. apetala into native mangrove forests may be an effective substitute for using native mangroves in mangrove plantation.

Keywords: Introduced species; Mangroves; Marine nematodes; Sonneratia apetala; South China Coast.

MeSH terms

Animals
China
Lythraceae*
Nematoda*
Seasons
Wetlands