[Niche of macrozoobenthos in intertidal zone of Jiaojiang Estuary].
The niche width and niche overlap of macrozoobenthos dominant species in the intertidal zone of Jiaojiang Estuary in October 2007 were analyzed based on niche theory, and the effects of natural factors (salinity, water temperature, sediment temperature, beach width, and sediment grain size) and environmental factors (contents of oils and heavy metals) on the environmental heterogeneity as well as the relationships between selected environmental factors and quantitative distribution of various groups of macrozoobenthos were studied by using canonical correspondence analysis method. The macrozoobenthos dominant species in study area were classified into four groups, i. e., burrowing surface predator, surface grazer, subsurface filter feeder, and subsurface swallow feeder, based on their feeding types. There were great differences in the niche widths among the groups, with the maximum of 0.428 and the minimum of 0.168, which suggested that different groups had different adaptive capacity to the environmental factors. At the level of niche overlap value higher than 0.6, Macrophthalmus japonicas and M. definitus of Group 1, Lunatica gilva, Bullacta exarata, Decorifera insignis, Assiminea brevicula and Cerithidae ornate of Group 2, and Moerella iridescens, Glauconome chinensis and Potamocorbula laevis of Group 3 had a biologically significant niche overlap, indicating their similar behavior in utilizing natural feeding resources.
Zhao
Yong-Qiang
YQ
State Key Laboratory of Marine Ecosystem and Biogeochemistry, Second Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Hangzhou 310012, China. zhaoyq5257@126.com
Zeng
Jiang-Ning
JN
Gao
Ai-Gen
AG
Chen
Quan-Zhen
QZ
Shou
Lu
L
Liao
Yi-Bo
YB
Huang
Yi-Jun
YJ
D000818:Animals; D002681:China; D017753:Ecosystem; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D005618:Fresh Water; D019015:Geologic Sediments; D007448:Invertebrates / Q000145:classification / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology*; D045483:Rivers; D012623:Seawater