A comparison of the applicability of the Shannon-Wiener index, AMBI and M-AMBI indices for assessing benthic habitat health in the Huanghe (Yellow River) Estuary and adjacent areas

LUO Xianxiang; SUN Kaijing; YANG Jianqiang; SONG Wenpeng; CUI Wenlin

doi:10.1007/s13131-016-0842-9

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Article Navigation > Acta Oceanologica Sinica > 2016 > 35(6): 50-58

LUO Xianxiang, SUN Kaijing, YANG Jianqiang, SONG Wenpeng, CUI Wenlin. A comparison of the applicability of the Shannon-Wiener index, AMBI and M-AMBI indices for assessing benthic habitat health in the Huanghe (Yellow River) Estuary and adjacent areas[J]. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 2016, 35(6): 50-58. doi: 10.1007/s13131-016-0842-9

Citation:

LUO Xianxiang, SUN Kaijing, YANG Jianqiang, SONG Wenpeng, CUI Wenlin. A comparison of the applicability of the Shannon-Wiener index, AMBI and M-AMBI indices for assessing benthic habitat health in the Huanghe (Yellow River) Estuary and adjacent areas[J]. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 2016, 35(6): 50-58. doi: 10.1007/s13131-016-0842-9

Citation:

LUO Xianxiang, SUN Kaijing, YANG Jianqiang, SONG Wenpeng, CUI Wenlin. A comparison of the applicability of the Shannon-Wiener index, AMBI and M-AMBI indices for assessing benthic habitat health in the Huanghe (Yellow River) Estuary and adjacent areas[J]. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 2016, 35(6): 50-58. doi: 10.1007/s13131-016-0842-9

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A comparison of the applicability of the Shannon-Wiener index, AMBI and M-AMBI indices for assessing benthic habitat health in the Huanghe (Yellow River) Estuary and adjacent areas

doi: 10.1007/s13131-016-0842-9

1.
Key Laboratory of Marine Environment and Ecology, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China
2.
North China Sea Branch of State Oceanic Administration, Qingdao 266033, China;Laboratory of State Oceanic Administration for Marine Spill Oil Identification and Damage Assessment Technology, Qingdao 266033, China
3.
Laboratory of State Oceanic Administration for Marine Spill Oil Identification and Damage Assessment Technology, Qingdao 266033, China;North China Sea Monitoring Center, North China Sea Branch of State Oceanic Administration, Qingdao 266033, China

Received Date: 2015-01-18
Rev Recd Date: 2015-08-07

Abstract

Abstract

From a dataset of macrobenthos obtained from 18 cruises from 2004 to 2013 in the Huanghe (Yellow River) Estuary and its adjacent areas, the composition and characteristics of macrobenthos were analyzed, and the applicability of the Shannon-Wiener Index (H'), AZTI's Marine Biotic Index (AMBI) and multivariate AMBI (M-AMBI) for assessing benthic habitat quality was compared. The results showed a total of 203 macrobenthos in the study area. The macrobenthos were dominated by polychaetes, followed by mollusks and crustaceans. The macrobenthic ecological groups were dominated by EGI, EGII and EGIII, which respectively accounted for 31.5%, 36.0% and 21.2% of the total. There were significant differences between the evaluation results of the three indices. The ecological quality status (EQS) levels given by the AMBI were greater than those given by the H'and M-AMBI. The AMBI could not reflect the differences between 11 sites but the H'and M-AMBI could do. Moreover, the three indices responded well to the variations in salinity (S) and dissolved oxygen (DO) in the waters. The H' and M-AMBI also responded sensitively to the differences in physical parameters, such as water depth and sediment texture. The correlation between M-AMBI and environmental pressure gradient data was the strongest. The M-AMBI could effectively distinguish degraded conditions from undegraded but the H' and AMBI could not. Therefore, the M-AMBI reflected benthic habitat health well in the study areas. However, the objectivity of evaluation results of M-AMBI needs further verification by physical, chemical and biological methods. The thresholds also need further discussion.
- macrobenthos,
- ecological quality status,
- Huanghe Estuary,
- Shannon-Wiener index,
- AMBI,
- M-AMBI

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References(38)

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