Abstract:

In order to understand the biological diversity and the stability of intertidal communities in Meizhou Bay, and to conduct assessement on the environmental quality, we investigated the benthic diversity in Meizhou Bay, Fujian Province in November 2005 and April 2006. A total of 225 species of intertidal benthos from shore wetlands in Meizhou Bay was reported. Polychaetes, Molluscs and Crustaceans accounted for 88% of all species. The number of benthic species differed between transects and was greater in spring than autumn. Average biomass and density were 22.91 g/m² and 388 inds./m², respectively. In terms of biomass, Molluscs exhibited the highest and Crustaceans the second, and in terms of density Polychaetes showed highest, followed by Molluscs. Biomass of middle tidal zones was higher than that of high or low tidal zones. Density of benthic invertebrates among tidal zones, ranked from highest to lowest, was as follows: low tidal zone, middle tidal zone, and high tidal zone. Both biomass and density were lowest in the high tidal zone. Both biomass and density were higher in spring than in autumn. Using the ABC (abundance biomass comparison) curve to analyze the structure of the intertidal community in Meizhou Bay, it was found that the overall disturbance is not apparent. The results suggest that this area retains some of its environmental carrying capacity.

Key words: shore wetlands, ecology, community structure