Effects of Ecological Restoration Using Non-Native Mangrove Kandelia obovata to Replace Invasive Spartina alterniflora on Intertidal Macrobenthos Community in Maoyan Island (Zhejiang, China)

Spartina alterniflora has extensively invaded the coastline of China, including in Maoyan Island Zhejiang Province. Ecological restoration been conducted using non-native mangrove Kandelia obovata to replace S. an attempt restore impacted intertidal zones. To illustrate ecological effectiveness projects, macrobenthos communities were studied among different habitats within restored areas, one non-restored marsh (SA) and three differently-aged K. stands planted 2003, 2009, 2011 respectively (KF14, KF8, KF6). Besides, unvegetated mudflat (MF) adjacent forest transplanted 2006 (RKF) at a previously barren without invasion history set as reference sites. A total 69 species collected from Island, richness was dominated by gastropoda (23 species), polychaeta (18 malacostraca (16 species). There no significant difference between six sites terms abundance macrobenthos, with average values peaking KF6 (734.7 ind m?2) being lowest RKF (341.3 m?2). The had differences biomass macrobenthos. KF8 site contained highest (168.3 g m?2), whereas MF (54.3 Shannon-Wiener diversity index Pielou’s evenness did not exhibit However, results permutational multivariate analysis variance (PERMANOVA) revealed spatial community structure Since KF14 shared similar RKF, while representing strikingly SA, we infer that can resemble normally about 15 years after restoration.