Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-15T15:21:09.884Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Patterns of polychaete communities in relation to environmental perturbations in a subtropical wetland of Hong Kong

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 June 2010

Ping-Ping Shen ,
Hong Zhou  and
Ji-Dong Gu
Ping-Ping Shen
Affiliation:
Key Laboratory of Marine-Bioresources Sustainable Utilization, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR
Hong Zhou
Affiliation:
College of Marine Science, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdado, Shandong 266003, People's Republic of China
Ji-Dong Gu*
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR Swire Institute of Marine Science, The University of Hong Kong, Shek O. Cape d'Aguilar, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: J.-D. Gu, Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Benthic polychaetes in the largest intertidal mudflat of Hong Kong were analysed for potentially stressed environmental conditions from pollution. Over a two-year period, a total of 14 species were recorded with the species diversity (H′(log2)) ranged from 0.54 to 2.4. The community was dominated by two large polychaetes (Neanthes glandicincta and Potamilla acuminata) and a number of small pollution tolerant species (Tharyx, Capitella capitata and Prionospio cirrifera). It was also characterized by both temporal and spatial variations in terms of abundance and species composition with the lowest species number observed at onshore Station B in August and the highest at offshore Station D in February. Two distinct polychaete communities were formed along the intertidal towards subtidal mudflat, particularly the assemblage at onshore Station B showing a significant difference from those at the other three stations (P < 0.05, N = 32). Results of the abundance–biomass comparison (ABC) indicated a typical impacted community at the whole study area, especially at Station B which was close to the Shenzhen River mouth and mangrove forest. The total organic carbon had a significant positive effect on the abundance of Capitella capitata (P = 0.037, N = 8) while sedimentary compositions were statistically related to the abundance of Potamilla acuminata, Tharyx and total abundance of polychaetes (P < 0.05, N = 8). In conclusion, both the polluted Shenzhen River and nearby mangrove may be responsible for the decline in species richness and diversity as well as changes in community structure. Polychaetes can be used as the appropriate indicators in habitat ecological condition assessment instead of the whole benthic community.

Keywords

polychaeteindicatorenvironmental stressintertidal mudflatsubtropical
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 90 , Issue 5 , August 2010 , pp. 923 - 932
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Alongi, D.M. (1987) Intertidal zonation and seasonality of meibenthos in tropical mangrove estuaries. Marine Biology 95, 447–458.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anderson, C. and McChesney, S. (1999) Composition and zonation of benthic macrofauna in the Mai Po marshes mangrove forest. In Lee, S.Y. (ed.) Proceedings of the International Workshop on the Mangrove Ecosystem of Deep Bay and the Mai Po Marshes, Hong Kong. The Mangrove Ecosystem of Deep Bay and the Mai Po Marshes, Hong Kong, 3–20 September 1993. Hong Kong, pp. 783–793.Google Scholar
Anon, (1994a) Stage one EIA. Environmental impact assessment study on Shenzhen River Regulation Project. Peking: Peking University.Google Scholar
Anon, (1994b) Final EIA Study Report (1). Environmental impact assessment study on Shenzhen River Regulation Project. Peking: Peking University.Google Scholar
Belan, T.A. (2003) Benthos abundance pattern and species composition in conditions of pollution in Amursky Bay (the Peter the Great Bay, the Sea of Japan). Marine Pollution Bulletin 46, 1111–1119.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Blanchet, H., Lavesque, N., Ruellet, T., Dauvin, J.C., Sauriau, P.G., Desroy, N., Desclaux, C., Leconte, M., Bachelet, G., Janson, A-L., Bessineton, C., Duhamel, S., Jourde, J., Mayot, S., Simon, S. and de Montaudouin, X. (2008) Use of biotic indices in semi-enclosed coastal ecosystems and transitional waters habitats—implications for the implementation of the European Water Framework Directive. Ecological Indicators 8, 360–372.Google Scholar
Brasil dos, S., Claudia, A., da Silva, G. and Henrique, S. (2000) Spatial distribution of Polychaeta in a soft-bottom community at Saco do Ceu, Ilha Grande, Rio deJaneiro, Brazil. Bulletin of Marine Science 67, 103–112.Google Scholar
Cai, L.Z., Lin, P. and Liu, J.J. (2000) Quantitative dynamics of three species of large individual polychaete and environmental analysis on mudflat in Shenzhen Estuary. Acta Oceanologica Sinica 22, 110–116.Google Scholar
Cai, L.Z., Lin, J.D. and Li, H.M. (2001a) Macroinfauna communities in an organic-rich mudflat at Shenzhen and Hong Kong, China. Bulletin of Marine Science 69, 1129–1138.Google Scholar
Cai, L.Z., Zhen, T.L., Lin, J.D., Ma, L., Gao, Y. and Lin, P. (2001b) Spatial and temporal distribution of Dendronereis pinnaticirris and Neanthes glandicincta (Polychaeta: Nereididae) in the organically-enriched mudflat of Deep Bay, China. Asian Marine Biology 18, 25–33.Google Scholar
Callier, M.D., Fletcher, R., Thorp, C. and Fichet, D. (2009) Macrofaunal community responses to marina-related pollution on the south coast of England and west coast of France. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 89, 19–29.Google Scholar
Cao, Y., Larsen, D.P. and Thorne, RSt-J. (2001) Rare species in multivariate analysis for bioassessment: some considerations. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 20, 144–153.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cardoso, P.G., Bankovic, M., Raffaelli, D. and Pardal, M.A. (2007) Polychaete assemblages as indicators of habitat recovery in a temperate estuary under eutrophication. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 71, 301–308.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cha, M.W. (1999) A survey of mudflat gastropods in Deep Bay, Hong Kong. In Lee, S.Y. (ed.) Proceedings of the International Workshop on the Mangrove Ecosystem of Deep Bay and the Mai Po Marshes, Hong Kong. The Mangrove Ecosystem of Deep Bay and the Mai Po Marshes, Hong Kong, 3–20 September 1993. Hong Kong, pp. 33–43.Google Scholar
Chiu, K.T. (1992) An assessment of the water pollution status of the Mai Po Marshes Nature Reserve, Hong Kong. PhD thesis. The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.Google Scholar
Clarke, K.R. and Warwick, R.M. (1994) Change in marine communities: an approach to statistical analysis and interpretation. Plymouth: Plymouth Marine Laboratory.Google Scholar
Clark, K.R. and Warwick, R.M. (2001) Change in marine communities: an approach to statistical analysis and interpretation. 2nd edition. Plymouth: PRIMER-E, M.Google Scholar
Dittmann, S. (1998) Spatial and temporal patterns of platyhelminth assemblages in intertidal sediments of northeast Australia. Hydrobiologia 383, 41–47.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dittmann, S. (2000) Zonation of benthic communities in a tropical tidal flat of north-east Australia. Journal of Sea Research 43, 33–51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Environmental Protection Department (EPD) (1998) Marine water quality in Hong Kong for 1997. Hong Kong: Monitoring Section, Water Policy and Planning Group. Government Printer.Google Scholar
Fauchald, K. and Jumars, P.A. (1979) The diet of worms: a study of polychaete feeding guilds. Oceanography and Marine Biology: an Annual Review 17, 193–284.Google Scholar
Gaston, K.J. (1994) Rarity. London: Chapman & Hall.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gray, J.S. and Pearson, T.H. (1982) Objective selection on sensitive species indicative of pollution-induced change in benthic communities. I. Comparative methodology. Marine Ecology Progress Series 9, 111–119.Google Scholar
Gray, J.S. (2003) Indicators of change in communities. Bioindicators for environmental management. In International Union of Biological Sciences (ed.) 12th International Symposium on Biological Indicators, Bioindicators for Environmental Management, Hong Kong, 2–5 December 2003. Hong Kong.Google Scholar
Hills, P., Zhang, L. and Liu, J. (1998) Trans boundary pollution between Guangdong Province and Hong Kong: threats to water quality in the Pearl River estuary and their implications for environmental policy and planning. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management 41, 375–396.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hutchings, P. (1998) Biodiversity and functioning of polychaetes in benthic sediments. Biodiversity Conservation 7, 1133–1145.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology (2003) Ecological Monitoring Program for the Mai Po and Inner Deep Bay Ramsar Site (Oct. 2001-Sept. 2002). Final Report submitted to Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, The University of Hong Kong.Google Scholar
Lai, M.Y., Shen, P. and Gu, J.-D. (2005) Heavy metals in the benthic infauna gastropoda (Sermyla riqueti and Stenothyra devalis) of Mai Po Nature Reserve and Inner Deep Bay Ramsar Site of Hong Kong. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 74, 1065–1071.Google Scholar
Lee, S.Y. (1993) Invertebrate species new to science recorded from the Mai Po Marshes, Hong Kong. In Morton, B. (ed.) Marine biology of South China Sea. Hong Kong, pp. 199–210.Google Scholar
McChesney, S. (1997) The benthic invertebrate community of the intertidal mudflat at the Mai Po marshes nature reserve, with special reference to resources for migrant shorebirds. MPhil thesis. The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.Google Scholar
Méndez, N. (2002) Annelid assemblages in soft bottoms subjected to human impact in the Urías estuary (Sinaloa, Mexico). Oceanologica Acta 25, 139–147.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morton, B. and Blackmore, G. (2001) South China Sea. Marine Pollution Bulletin 42, 1236–1263.Google Scholar
Morton, B. and Wu, S.S. (1975) The hydrology of the coastal waters of Hong Kong. Environmental Research 10, 319–347.Google Scholar
Neller, R.J. and Lam, K.C. (1994) The environment. In Yeung, Y.M. and Chu, D.K.Y. (eds) Guangdong: survey of a province undergoing rapid change. Hong Kong: The Chinese University Press, pp. 401–428.Google Scholar
Pearson, T.H. and Rosenberg, R. (1978) Macrobenthic succession in relation to organic enrichment and pollution of the marine environment. Oceanography and Marine Biology: an Annual Review 16, 229–311.Google Scholar
Qiu, J.W. (1999) Composition, structure and distribution of polychaete assemblages in Deep Bay, Hong Kong. In Lee, S.Y. (ed.) Proceedings of the International Workshop on the Mangrove Ecosystem of Deep Bay and the Mai Po Marshes, Hong Kong. The Mangrove Ecosystem of Deep Bay and the Mai Po Marshes, Hong Kong, 1993. Hong Kong, pp. 13–22.Google Scholar
Rossi, F., Como, S., Corti, S. and Lardicci, C. (2001) Seasonal variation of a deposit-feeder assemblage and sedimentary organic matter in a brackish basin mudflat (Western Mediterranean, Italy). Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 53, 181–191.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shen, P.P., Zhou, H., Lai, H.Y. and Gu, J.-D. (2006) Benthic infaunal composition and distribution at an intertidal wetland mudflat. Water, Air and Soil Pollution Focus 6, 575–581.Google Scholar
Shin, P.K.S. (2001) Population dynamics and secondary production of Neanthes glandicincta (Polychaeta: Nereididae) from a subtropical mudflat. Asian Marine Biology 18, 117–127.Google Scholar
Shin, P.K.S., Wu, R.S.S. and Huang, Z.G. (2003) Marine soft-bottom infaunal communities of Hong Kong: an update. In Shin, P.K.S. (ed.) Turning the tides: a festschrift in honor of professor Brian Morton. Hong Kong: The Marine Biological Association of Hong Kong, pp. 185–199.Google Scholar
Snelgrove, P.V.R. and Butman, C.A. (1994) Animal–sediment relationships revisited: cause versus effect. Oceanography and Marine Biology: an Annual Review 32, 111–177.Google Scholar
Snelgrove, P.V.H., Blackburn, T.H., Hutchings, P.A., Alongi, D.M., Grassle, J.F., Hummel, H., Kong, G., Koike, I., Lamshead, P.J.D., Ramsing, N.B. and Solis-Weiss, V. (1997) The importance of marine sediment biodiversity in ecosystem processes. Ambio 26, 578–583.Google Scholar
Tomassetti, P. and Porrello, S. (2005) Polychaetes as indicators of marine fish farm organic enrichment. Aquaculture International 13, 109–128.Google Scholar
Vassallo, P., Fabiano, M., Vezzulli, L., Sandulli, R., Marques, J.C. and Jørgensen, S.E. (2006) Assessing the health of coastal marine ecosystems: a holistic approach based on sediment micro and meio-benthic measures. Ecological Indicators 6, 525–542.Google Scholar
Warwick, R.M. (1986) A new method for detecting pollution effects on marine macrobenthic communities. Marine Biology 92, 557–562.Google Scholar
Warwick, R.M. and Pearson, T.H. (1987) Detection of pollution effects on marine macrobenthos: further evaluation of the species abundance/biomass method. Marine Biology 95, 193–200.Google Scholar
Warwick, R.M. and Clarke, K.R. (1993) Increased variability as a symptom of stress in marine communities. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 172, 215–226.Google Scholar
Weston, D.P. (1990) Hydrocarbon bioaccumulation from contaminated sediment by the deposit-feeding polychaete Abarenicola pacifica. Marine Biology 107, 159–169.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wu, B.L., Sun, R.P. and Yang, D.J. (1981) Studies on the Nereidae from China. Beijing: Ocean Press, pp. 72–135.Google Scholar
Young, L. and Melville, D.S. (1993) Conservation of the Deep Bay environment. In Morton, B. (ed.) The marine biology of the South China Sea, Proceedings of the First International Conference on the Marine Biology of Hong Kong and South China Sea, Hong Kong, 1990. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, pp. 211–231.Google Scholar
Yu, K.Y., Lan, M.H.W., Yen, Y.F. and Leung, A.P.K. (2000) Behavior of trace metals in the sediment pore water of intertidal mudflats of a tropical wetland. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 19, 533–542.CrossRefGoogle Scholar