SpringerLink
Log in

A Network Perspective to Evaluate Hydrological Connectivity Effects on Macroinvertebrate Assemblages

  • Degradation and Ecological Restoration of Estuarine Wetlands in China
  • Published:
Wetlands Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The abundant estuarine wetlands supported by the complex river network in the Pearl River Delta are under intense anthropogenic influence, which threatens the local ecosystem. This paper examines the benthic macroinvertebrate diversity and abundance within the Pearl River Estuary through a field study. Fieldwork, based on the integral index of connectivity (IIC) of the wetland network, was carried out in the Pearl River Estuary. The responses of macroinvertebrate metrics to the integral connectivity gradient in the wetland network were examined. Statistical analyses (CCA) revealed that the benthic abundance in high-hydrological-connectivity riverine habitats was clearly distinct from that in low-connectivity habitats. Statistical analysis demonstrated that the diversity and abundance of the macrobenthos populations were determined by the integral connectivity of the wetland network. A non-linear model was developed to depict the relationship between macroinvertebrate diversity and network connectivity. Thus, conservation efforts in estuarine wetlands should focus on the macroinvertebrate diversity response in wetland patches with specific connectivity characteristics in the wetland network of the Pearl River Delta.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
EUR 32.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or Ebook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price includes VAT (Germany)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Álvarez-Cabria M, Barquín J, Peñas FJ (2016) Modelling the spatial and seasonal variability of water quality for entire river networks: relationships with natural and anthropogenic factors. Science of the Total Environment 545:152–162

    Google Scholar 

  • Amoros C, Bornette G (2002) Connectivity and biocomplexity in waterbodies of riverine floodplains. Freshwater Biology 47(4):761–776

    Google Scholar 

  • Aschonitis VG, Feld CK, Castaldelli G, Turin P, Visona E, Fano EA (2016) Environmental stressor gradients hierarchically regulate macrozoobenthic community turnover in lotic systems of northern Italy. Hydrobiologia 765(1):131–147

    Google Scholar 

  • Aufdenkampe AK, Mayorga E, Raymond PA, Melack JM, Doney SC, Alin SR, Aalto RE, Yoo K (2011) Riverine coupling of biogeochemical cycles between land, oceans, and atmosphere. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 9(1):53–60

    Google Scholar 

  • Battin TJ, Kaplan LA, Findlay S, Hopkinson CS, Marti E, Packman AI, Newbold JD, Sabater F (2008) Biophysical controls on organic carbon fluxes in fluvial networks. Nature Geoscience 1(8):95–100

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Beketov MA, Kefford BJ, Schäfer RB, Liess M (2013) Pesticides reduce regional biodiversity of stream invertebrates. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 110(27):11039–11043

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Benda LEE, Poff NL, Miller D, Dunne T, Reeves G, Pess G, Pollock M, Notes A (2004) The network dynamics hypothesis: how channel networks structure riverin habitats. Bioscience 54(5):413–427

    Google Scholar 

  • Chan TU, Hart BT, Kennard MJ, Pusey BJ, Shenton W, Douglas MM, Valentine E, Patel S (2016) Bayesian network models for environmental flow decision making in the Daly River, Northern Territory, Australia. River Research and Applications 28(3):283–301

    Google Scholar 

  • Di Sabatino A, Cristiano G, Pinna M, Lombardo P, Miccoli FP, Marini G, Marinib G, Vignini P, Cicolani B (2014) Structure, functional organization and biological traits of macroinvertebrate assemblages from leaf-bags and benthic samples in a third-order stream of central Apennines (Italy). Ecological Indicators 46:84–91

    Google Scholar 

  • Dilts TE, Weisberg PJ, Leitner P, Matocq MD, Inman RD, Nussear KE (2016) Esque TC (2016) multiscale connectivity and graph theory highlight critical areas for conservation under climate change. Ecological Applications 26(4):1223–1237

    Google Scholar 

  • Dou P, Cui BS, **e T, Dong DZ, Gu BH (2016) Macrobenthos diversity response to hydrological connectivity gradient. Wetlands 36(1):45–55

    Google Scholar 

  • Drake JC, Griffis-Kyle K, McIntyre NE (2017) Using nested connectivity models to resolve management conflicts of isolated water networks in the Sonoran Desert. Ecosphere 8(1):1–8

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Duncharne A, Baubion C, Beaudoin N, Benoit M, Billen G, Brisson N, Garniera J, Kieken H, Lebonvallet S, Ledoux E, Mary B, Mignolet C, Poux X, Sauboua E, Schott C, Théry S, Viennot P (2007) Long term prospective of the Seine River system: confronting climatic and direct anthropogenic changes. Science of the Total Environment 375(1–3):292–311

    Google Scholar 

  • Ehnes RB, Rall BC, Brose U (2011) Phylogenetic grou**, curvature and metabolic scaling in terrestrial invertebrates. Ecology Letters 14(10):993–1000

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Eros T, Olden JD, Schick RS, Schmera D, Fortin MJ (2012) Characterizing connectivity relationships in freshwaters using patch-based graphs. Landscape Ecology 27(2):303–317

    Google Scholar 

  • Fagan WF (2002) Connectivity, fragmentation, and extinction risk in dendritic metapopulations. Ecology 83(12):3243–3249

    Google Scholar 

  • Fergus CE, Lapierre JF, Oliver SK, Skaff NK, Cheruvelil KS, Webster K, Scott C, Soranno P (2017) The freshwater landscape: lake, wetland, and stream abundance and connectivity at macroscales. Ecosphere 8(8):e01911

    Google Scholar 

  • Freeman MC, Pringle CM, Jackson CR (2007) Hydrologic connectivity and the contribution of stream headwaters to ecological integrity at regional scales. Journal of American Water Resources Association 43(1):5–14

    Google Scholar 

  • Fusi M, Beone GM, Suciu NA, Sacchi A, Trevisan M, Capri E, Daffonchio D, Din N, Dahdouh-Guebas F, Cannicci S (2016) Ecological status and sources of anthropogenic contaminants in mangroves of the Wouri River estuary (Cameroon). Marine Pollution Bulletin 109(2):723–733

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gallardo B, Dolédec S, Paillex A, Arscott DB, Sheldon F, Mérigoux ZF, Castella E, Comín FA (2013) Response of benthic macroinvertebrates to gradients in hydrological connectivity: a comparison of temperate, subtropical, Mediterranean and semiarid river floodplains. Freshwater Biology 59(3):630–648

    Google Scholar 

  • Gattie DK, Schramski JR, Borrett SR, Patten BC, Bata SA, Whippe SJ (2006) Indirect effects and distributed control in ecosystems: network environ analysis of a seven-compartment model of nitrogen flow in the Neuse River estuary, USA steady-state analysis. Ecological Modelling 194(1–3):162–177

    Google Scholar 

  • Gebler D, Kayzer D, Szoszkiewicz K, Budka A (2014) Artificial neural network modelling of macrophyte indices based on physico-chemical characteristics of water. Hydrobiologia 737(1):215–224

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Grant EH, Lowe WH, Fagan WF (2007) Living in the branches: population dynamics and ecological process in dendritic networks. Ecology Letters 10(2):165–175

    Google Scholar 

  • Graybill FA, Bowden DC (1967) Linear segment confidence bands for simple linear models. Journal of the American Statistical Association 62(318):403–408

    Google Scholar 

  • Gusmao JB, Brauko KM, Eriksson BK, Lana PC (2016) Functional diversity of macrobenthic assemblages decreases in response to sewage discharges. Ecological Indicators 66:65–75

    Google Scholar 

  • Heathwaite AL (2010) Multiple stressors on water availability at global to catchment scales: understanding human impact on nutrient cycles to protect water quality and water availability in the long term. Freshwater Biology 55(S1):241–257

    Google Scholar 

  • Heino J, Melo AS, Siqueira T, Soininen J, Valanko S, Bini LM (2015) Metacommunity organization, spatial extent and dispersal in aquatic systems: patterns, processes and prospects. Freshwater Biology 60(5):845–869

    Google Scholar 

  • Hong SK, Koh CH, Richard RH, Kim JE, Lee JS, Ihm BS (2010) Land use in Korean tidal wetlands: impacts and management strategies. Environmental Management 45(5):1014–1026

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kerns L (2016) Construction of simultaneous confidence bands for multiple logistic regression models over restricted regions. Statistics 50(6):1332–1345

    Google Scholar 

  • Korpela J, Puolamaki K, Gionis A (2014) Confidence bands for time series data. Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery 28(5–6):1530–1553

    Google Scholar 

  • Labonne J, Ravigné V, Parisi B, Gaucherel C (2008) Linking dendritic network structures to population demogenetics: the downside of connectivity. Oikos 117(10):1479–1490

    Google Scholar 

  • Landeiro VL, Magnusson WE, Melo AS, Espírito-Santo HM, Bini LM (2011) Spatial eigenfunction analyses in stream networks: do watercourse and overland distances produce different results? Freshwater Biology 56(6):1184–1192

    Google Scholar 

  • Lasne E, Lek S, Laffaille P (2007) Patterns in fish assemblages in the Loire floodplain: the role of hydrological connectivity and implications for conservation. Biological Conservation 139(3–4):258–268

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee KM, Lee SY, Connolly RM (2012) Combining process indices from network analysis with structural population measures to indicate response of estuarine trophodynamics to pulse organic enrichment. Ecological Indicators 18(4):652–658

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Leigh C, Stewart-Koster B, Sheldon F, Burford MA (2012) Understanding multiple ecological responses to anthropogenic disturbance: rivers and potential flow regime change. Ecological Applications 22(1):250–263

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Leibold MA, Holyoak M, Mouquet N, Amarasekare P, Chase JM, Hoopes MF, Loreau M (2004) The metacommunity concept: a framework for multi-scale community ecology. Ecology Letters 7(7):601–613

    Google Scholar 

  • Liang J, He X, Zeng G, Zhong M, Gao X, Li X, Li XD, Wu HP, Feng CT, **ng XL, Fang YL, Mo D (2018) Integrating priority areas and ecological corridors into national network for conservation planning in China. Science of the Total Environment 626:22–29

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Linke S, Kennard MJ, Hermoso V, Olden JD, Stein J, Pusey BJ (2012) Merging connectivity rules and large-scale condition assessment improves conservation adequacy in river systems. Journal of Applied Ecology 49(5):1036–1045

    Google Scholar 

  • Lookingbill TR, Elmore AJ, Engelhardt KAM, Churchill JB, Gates JE, Johnson JB (2010) Influence of wetland networks on bat activity in mixed-use landscapes. Biological Conservation 143(4):974–983

    Google Scholar 

  • Paillex A, Castella E, Ermgassen P, Gallardo B, Aldridge DC (2017) Large river floodplain as a natural laboratory: non-native macroinvertebrates benefit from elevated temperatures. Ecosphere 8(10):e01972

    Google Scholar 

  • Pereira M, Segurado P, Nuno N (2011) Using spatial network structure in landscape management and planning: a case study with pond turtles. Landscape and Urban Planning 100(1–2):67–76

    Google Scholar 

  • Peršić V, Horvatić J (2011) Spatial distribution of nutrient limitation in the Danube River floodplain in relation to hydrological connectivity. Wetlands 31(5):933–944

    Google Scholar 

  • Pinto R, de Jonge VN, Marques JC (2014) Linking biodiversity indicators, ecosystem functioning, provision of services and human well-being in estuarine systems: application of a conceptual framework. Ecological Indicators 36(1):644–655

    Google Scholar 

  • Qiu GY, Zhou F, Shi X (2015) Effects of mangrove forest on the biodiversity of macrobenthos under the condition of severe water pollution. Ecohydrology 8(7):1262–1271

    Google Scholar 

  • Rayfield B, Fortin MJ, Andrew F (2011) Connectivity for conservation: a framework to classify network measures. Ecology 92(4):847–858

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Selleslagh J, Lobry J, Amara R, Brylinski JM, Boët P (2012) Trophic functioning of coastal ecosystems along an anthropogenic pressure gradient: a French case study with emphasis on a small and low impacted estuary. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 112(11):73–85

    Google Scholar 

  • Sponseller RA, Heffernan JB, Fisher SG (2013) On the multiple ecological roles of water in river networks. Ecosphere 4(2):1–14

    Google Scholar 

  • Tall L, Armellin A, Pinel-Alloul B, Méthot G, Hudon C (2016) Effects of hydrological regime, landscape features, and environment on macroinvertebrates in St. Lawrence River wetlands. Hydrobiologia 778(1):221–241

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tecchio S, Chaalali A, Raoux A, Rius AT, Lequesne J, Girardin V, Lassalle G, Cachera M, Riou P, Lobry J, Dauvin JC, Niquil N (2016) Evaluating ecosystem-level anthropogenic impacts in a stressed transitional environment: the case of the seine estuary. Ecological Indicators 23(12):833–845

    Google Scholar 

  • ter Braak CJF, Smilauer P (2002) CANOCO reference manual and CanoDraw for windows User’s guide: software for canonical community ordination (version 4.5) microcomputer power, Ithaca, NY, USA, 500 pp.

  • Valentine-Rose L, Layman CA (2010) Response of fish assemblages structure and function following restoration of two small Bhamian tidal creeks. Restoration Ecology 19:205–215

    Google Scholar 

  • Verdonschot PFM, Spears BM, Feld CK, Brucet S, Keizer-Vlek H, Borja A, Elliott M, Kernan M, Johnson RK (2013) A comparative review of recovery processes in rivers, lakes, estuarine and coastal waters. Hydrobiologia 704(1):453–474

    Google Scholar 

  • Wu H, Guan Q, Lu K, Han G, Li B, Yang M (2019). Effects of hydrological connectivity on snail assemblages in the intertidal zone of coastal wetlands. Wetlands https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-019-01241-z

Download references

Acknowledgments

The study was supported financially by the Key Project of National Natural Science Foundation of China (51639001), the National Science Foundation for Young Scientists of China (51709279, 51809287, 51909006), the Strategic Consulting Project of Chinese Academy of Engineering (2018-XZ-14), and the Key Project of National Natural Science Foundation (U1901212)。.

Authorship

PD, TX, BC and YL designed study; PD performed field and greenhouse experiment; PD and TX analyzed data; PD, TX and BC wrote the manuscript, and all authors contributed substantially to revisions.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Bei**g Normal University, Bei**g, 100875, China

    Peng Dou, Tian **e, Junhong Bai & Baoshan Cui

  2. Department of Water Environment, Bei**g Water Science and Technology Institute, Bei**g, 100048, China

    Peng Dou

  3. Department of Water Environment, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Bei**g, 100038, China

    Shanze Li

Authors
  1. Peng Dou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tian **e
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Shanze Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Junhong Bai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Baoshan Cui
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Tian **e or Baoshan Cui.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding publication of this paper.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Dou, P., **e, T., Li, S. et al. A Network Perspective to Evaluate Hydrological Connectivity Effects on Macroinvertebrate Assemblages. Wetlands 40, 2837–2848 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-020-01320-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-020-01320-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation