Assessing benthic ecological status in coastal area near Changjiang River estuary using AMBI and M-AMBI

• Published in: Chinese journal of oceanology and limnology 2014-03, Vol.32 (2), p.290-305
• Main Author: 刘录三 李宝泉 林岿璇 蔡文倩 王全超
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abiotic factors; Anthropogenic factors; Benthos; Biodiversity; Bioindicators; Biology; Brackish; Coastal ecology; Coastal zone; Coasts; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Ecological effects; Ecology; Estuaries; Estuarine dynamics; Estuarine ecosystems; Eutrophication; Freshwater; Human influences; Indicator species; Marine; Oceanography; Pollution; Rivers; 河口海岸; 沿海; 生态健康; 生态状况; 生物多样性; 生物指示剂; 评估; 长江口
• ISSN: 0254-4059; 2096-5508; 1993-5005; 2523-3521
• DOI: 10.1007/s00343-014-3125-3

The Changjiang （Yangtze） River estuary has been subject to a variety of anthropogenic pressures in recent decades. To assess the ecological health of the coastal benthic ecosystem adjacent to the estuary, three surveys were conducted in 2005, 2009, and 2010. The AZTI＇s Marine Biotic Index （AMBI） and multivariate-AMBI （M-AMBI） were used to analyse the benthic ecological status of this coast. The AMBI indicate that the ecological status of the coast adjacent to the Changjiang River estuary was only slightly degraded in all 3 years. In contrast, the M-AMBI indicated that the ecological status was seriously degraded, a result that is most likely due to pollution and eutrophication induced by human activities. The assessment of the coast＇s ecological status by the AMBI was not in agreement with that of the M-AMBI at some stations because of lower biodiversity values at those sites. The analysis of the two indices integrated with abiotic parameters showed that the M-AMBI could be used as a suitable bio-indicator index to assess the benthic ecological status of the coast adjacent to the Changjiang River estuary. The reference conditions proposed for the coast of the Changjiang River estuary should be further evaluated in future studies. Designation of local species could also provide an important reference for Chinese waters. To improve the reliability of AMBI and M-AMBI, further research into the ecology of local species is required to understand their arrangement in ecological groups.