Developing a Model to Select Indicator Species Based on Individual Species’ Contributions to Biodiversity
Source abstract
Abstract
In both ecological research and engineering, the selection of indicator species is crucial. Biodiversity has always been an important policy objective for ecologists and environmental managers. Based on this target requirement, we developed a method that reveals the individual contributions of species to biodiversity to quantitatively identify indicator species for selection during environmental monitoring. The Siangshan Wetland in Hsinchu, Taiwan, was selected as an application case. The spread of mangroves not only changed the original habitat composition and function of benthic organisms in wetlands, but also led to problems such as estuary filling, flooding, and black mosquito breeding. Therefore, a large-scale mangrove removal project was undertaken by the Hsinchu City Government from October 2015 to March 2016. In this study, the biological effects of mangrove removal on benthic organisms and adjacent habitats were investigated from October 2015 to September 2016. According to biodiversity contribution algorithms, we identified five indicator species, namely, Mictyris brevidactylus, Macrophthalmus banzai, Uca arcuata, U. lacteal, and U. borealis. These indicator species had the most prominent biodiversity contribution, and they provided direct evidence of the beneficial effect of mangrove removal for wetland restoration. After mangrove deforestation, tidal flat species returned to their original habitats, and their related densities increased significantly in mangrove removal areas. Improving our understanding of the relationships between biodiversity and indicator species is crucial for the development of coastal management processes. Mangrove removal can be confirmed as an appropriate habitat rehabilitation strategy for benthic organisms. Consequently, these indicator species and the results obtained can provide valuable ecological information for those involved in coastal management or other officials seeking to control the spread of mangroves.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics · Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies · Marine and coastal plant biology
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
Fisheries College, Jimei University, Xiamen 361021, China
Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Fishery Resources and Eco-Environment, Xiamen 361021, China
Taiwan Wetland Society, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan
Department of Leisure & Tourism Management, Shu-Te University, Kaohsiung 824, Taiwan
College of Arts and Design, Jimei University, Xiamen 361021, China
Funding
Jimei University · Taiwan Wetland Society
References (62)
Show source-provided references
1. Biodiversity evaluation tools for European forests
2. Links between global taxonomic diversity, ecological diversity and the expansion of vertebrates on land10.1098/rsbl.2009.1024 ↗
3. Save those molecules! Molecular biodiversity and life *10.1046/j.1365-2664.2003.00803.x ↗
4. Sampling intensity influences the estimation of functional diversity indices of fish communities10.1016/j.ecolind.2020.107169 ↗
5. Biodiversity and Ecological Redundancy10.1046/j.1523-1739.1992.610018.x ↗
6. Gaston, K.J., and Spicer, J.I. (2013). Biodiversity: An Introduction, John Wiley & Sons.
7. Global patterns in biodiversity10.1038/35012228 ↗
8. Conservation Issues: Oceanic Ecosystems
9. Biodiversity and wetlands10.1007/BF00177296 ↗
10. Biodiversity in wetlands: An introduction
11. Ecological Uses of Vertebrate Indicator Species: A Critique10.1111/j.1523-1739.1988.tb00195.x ↗
12. Rosenberg, D.M., and Resh, V.H. (1993). A history of biological monitoring using benthic macroinvertebrates. Freshwater Biomonitoring and Benthic Macroinvertebrates, Chapman & Hall.
13. Biomarkers, bioindicators, and ecological risk assessment—A brief review and evaluation10.1080/15555270591004920 ↗
14. Bioindicators: Types, Development, and Use in Ecological Assessment and Research10.1080/15555270590966483 ↗
15. How do ecologists select and use indicator species to monitor ecological change? Insights from 14 years of publication in Ecological Indicators10.1016/j.ecolind.2015.06.036 ↗
16. Impacts of vegetation changes on the hydraulic and sediment transport characteristics in Guandu man-grove wetland10.1016/j.ecoleng.2004.07.003 ↗
17. Applying remote sensing techniques to monitor shifting wetland vegetation: A case study of Danshui River estuary mangrove communities, Taiwan10.1016/j.ecoleng.2008.01.007 ↗
18. Development of a salinity-secondary flow-approach model to predict mangrove spreading10.1016/j.ecoleng.2011.02.018 ↗
19. The salinity gradient influences on the inundation tolerance thresholds of mangrove forests10.1016/j.ecoleng.2012.12.049 ↗
20. Selecting Indicator Species to Monitor Ecological Integrity: A Review10.1023/A:1016136723584 ↗
21. Evaluating the biotic integrity of watersheds in the Sierra Nevada, California10.1111/j.1523-1739.1998.97161.x ↗
22. Assessment of Biotic Integrity Using Fish Communities10.1577/1548-8446(1981)006<0021:AOBIUF>2.0.CO;2 ↗
23. Defining and Restoring Biological Integrity in Wilderness Lakes
24. Conservation Value of Semi-Natural Pastures in Sweden: Contrasting Botanical and Avian Measures10.1046/j.1523-1739.1999.98125.x ↗
25. The effects of management regimes and location in landscape on the conservation of farmland birds breeding in semi-natural pastures10.1016/S0006-3207(99)00022-1 ↗
26. Bird Species Assemblages as Indicators of Biological Integrity in Great Basin Rangeland10.1023/A:1005712405487 ↗
27. Towards a Regional Index of Biological Integrity: The Example of Forested Riparian Ecosystems10.1023/A:1005962613904 ↗
28. The use of polychaetes (Annelida) as indicator species of marine pollution: A review
29. Pollution indicator species of macrobenthos in a coastal lagoon10.3354/meps018191 ↗
30. Brachyuran crabs as a biomonitoring tool: A conceptual framework for Chemical Pollution Assessment
31. Using indicator species to assess the state of macrobenthic communities10.1023/A:1026169520547 ↗
32. A latent process model approach to improve the utility of indicator species10.1111/oik.07334 ↗
33. The Use of Indicator species and ecological degradation model for rangeland condition assessment in Turkey
34. Conditional love? Co-occurrence patterns of drought-sensitive species in European grasslands are consistent with the stress-gradient hypothesis10.1111/geb.13323 ↗
35. Identifying indicator species in habitats created by coastal structures
36. Chu, T.-J., Shih, C.-H., Lu, Y.-M., Shih, Y.-J., Wang, J.-Q., and Huang, L.-M. (2021). Incorporating Species-Conditional Co-Occurrence When Selecting Indicator Species to Monitor Restoration after Mangrove Removal from the Siangshan Wetland, Taiwan. J. Mar. Sci. Eng., 9.10.3390/jmse9101044 ↗
37. A new method for detecting and interpreting biodiversity and ecological community thresholds10.1111/j.2041-210X.2009.00007.x ↗
38. Flood pulsing and the linkages between terrestrial, aquatic, and wetland systems
39. Magurran, A.E. (2004). Measuring Biological Diversity, Blackwell Science.
40. Monitoring change in biodiversity through composite indices10.1098/rstb.2004.1589 ↗
41. The measurement of diversity in different types of biological collections10.1016/0022-5193(66)90013-0 ↗
42. Pielou, E.C. (1975). Ecological Diversity, John Wiley and Sons.
43. A Mathematical Theory of Communication10.1002/j.1538-7305.1948.tb01338.x ↗
44. Shannon, E., and Weaver, W. (1963). The Mathematical Theory of Communication, University of Illinois.
45. Measurement of diversity10.1038/163688a0 ↗
46. Kuo, Y.Y., and Lee, L.C. (2006). Construct the Coastal Landscape and Ecology Environmentp, Chansbook. (In Chinese).
47. Effects of mangrove removal on benthic organisms in the Siangshan Wetland in Hsinchu, Taiwan10.7717/peerj.5670 ↗
48. Chen, Y.-C., and Shih, C.-H. (2019). Sustainable Management of Coastal Wetlands in Taiwan: A Review for Invasion, Conservation, and Removal of Mangroves. Sustainability, 11.10.3390/su11164305 ↗
49. Mangrove conservation: A global perspective10.1007/s10531-012-0388-x ↗
50. Chen, Z.B., and Xie, H.L. (2022, June 29). Report on the Hsinchu City Wild Animal Sanctuary Habitat Rehabilitation and Mangrove Research Program; Hsinchu City Government, Taiwan. (In Chinese).
51. Yang, S.S. (2011). Assessment of Wetland Habitat Restoration in Siangshan Wetland, The Academia Sinica Institutional Repository. (In Chinese).
52. Functional differences between the major and minor claws of fiddler crabs (Uca, family Ocypodidae, Order Decapoda, Subphylum Crustacea): A result of selection or developmental constraint?10.1016/0022-0981(95)00115-8 ↗
53. Eco-environmental impact assessment of artificial beach nourishment on benthic invertebrate community at Anping coast, Taiwan10.1007/s13344-011-0019-4 ↗
54. The current situation and challenges of Taiwan’s marine protected areas
55. Perspectives for biomonitoring at large spatial scales: A unified measure for the functional composition of invertebrate communities in European running waters10.1078/1439-1791-00039 ↗
56. Invertebrate traits for the biomonitoring of large European rivers: An initial assessment of trait patterns in least impacted river reaches10.1111/j.1365-2427.2005.01447.x ↗
57. Macrobenthic succession in relation to organic enrichment and pollution of the marine envi-ronment. Oceanogr
58. Flagships, umbrellas, and keystones: Is single-species management passé in the landscape era?10.1016/S0006-3207(97)00081-5 ↗
59. Morrison, M.L. (2009). Restoring Wildlife: Ecological Concepts and Practical Applications, Society for Ecological Restoration International.
60. Caro, T. (2010). Conservation by Proxy: Indicator, Umbrella, Keystone, Flagship, and Other Surrogate Species, Island Press.
61. Primack, R.B. (2010). Essentials of Conservation Biology, Sinauer Associates Inc. Press. [5th ed.].
62. Ecological indicators for measuring stream restoration success10.1016/j.ecolind.2013.01.039 ↗