Habitat suitability of Scapharca subcrenata （Lischke） inthe shallow water of the Xiaoheishan Island

• Published in: 海洋学报：英文版 2016, Vol.35 (12), p.51-57
• Main Author: ZHOU Jian SONG Jingjing BM Qianling LIU Chengyue ZHANG Zhipeng TANG Haitian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: habitat; index; Lischke; restoration; Scapharca; shallow; subcrenata; suitability; water
• ISSN: 0253-505X; 1869-1099

The habitat suitability index （HSI） model was used to identify potential sites for sustainable restoration of arkshell, Scapharca subcrenata （Lischke）, in the shallow water of Xiaoheishan Island, using a geographicinformation system framework, The seven input variables of the HSI model were sediment composition, watertemperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, water depth, pH, and ammonia. A non-linear suitability function foreach variable factor was used to transform the value into a normalized quality index ranging from 0 （non-suitability） to 1 （best suitability）. In present study, the analysis of habitat suitability was conducted for fourseasons respectively. The majority of the study area has a high HSI value （〉0.6） year round, which implies astrong suitability for restoration, with the optimal habitat located on the eastern side of the island.Correspondence analysis indicated that water temperature was the main factor causing seasonal variation,while sediment composition and water depth were the two major reasons for the differences in sites. Theresults of this work could provide support for restoration decision making through identification of potentialsites for sustainable establishment of S. subcrenata.