Interdecadal variability in ecosystem health of Changjiang (Yangtze) River estuary using estuarine biotic integrity index

Shouhai LIU; Haijing ZHANG; Yanlong HE; Xiangsheng CHENG; Haofei ZHANG; Yutao QIN; Xi JI; Riguang HE; Yaohui CHEN

doi:10.1007/s00343-020-0188-1

Your Location：

Home >

Browse articles >

Interdecadal variability in ecosystem health of Changjiang (Yangtze) River estuary using estuarine biotic integrity index

Updated：2023-05-20

- Interdecadal variability in ecosystem health of Changjiang (Yangtze) River estuary using estuarine biotic integrity index
- Journal of Oceanology and Limnology Vol. 39, Issue 4, Pages: 1417-1429(2021)
- Affiliations：
  
  1.East China Sea Environment Monitoring Center, State Oceanic Administration, Shanghai 201206, China
  2.Key Laboratory of Marine Ecological Monitoring and Restoration Technologies, Ministry of Natural Resources, Shanghai 201206, China
  3.East Sea Marine Environmental Investigating and Surveying Center, State Oceanic Administration, Shanghai 200137, China
  4.Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China
- Author bio：
  
  Haofei ZHANG, E-mail:zhanghf@ecs.mnr.gov.cn
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s00343-020-0188-1
  CLC：
- Received：15 May 2020，
  
  Accepted：29 June 2020，
  
  Online First：07 August 2020，
  
  Published：2021-07
- Accepted：
Scan QR Code
Shouhai LIU, Haijing ZHANG, Yanlong HE, et al. Interdecadal variability in ecosystem health of Changjiang (Yangtze) River estuary using estuarine biotic integrity index[J]. Journal of Oceanology and Limnology, 2021, 39(4): 1417-1429.
DOI：

Shouhai LIU, Haijing ZHANG, Yanlong HE, et al. Interdecadal variability in ecosystem health of Changjiang (Yangtze) River estuary using estuarine biotic integrity index[J]. Journal of Oceanology and Limnology, 2021, 39(4): 1417-1429. DOI： 10.1007/s00343-020-0188-1.

摘要

Abstract

Ichthyoplankton samples were collected from Changjiang (Yangtze) River estuary in May 2016. Species composition was studied by DNA barcoding and morphological identification. To make better use of the estuarine biotic integrity index (EBI) to assess the ecosystem health of the Changjiang River estuary over the past 30 years

we collected the data of a spring ichthyoplankton survey in the estuary from 1986 to 2016. The EBI was calculated using 12 evaluation metrics

namely

the number of total ichthyoplankton species

estuarine spawning species

estuarine nursery species

estuarine resident species

benthic species

pelagic species

and intolerant species

and the percentages of tolerant species

omnivores

insectivores

carnivores

and natural hybrid species. EBI was calculated in spring in four periods (1986

1999

2007

and 2016) by assigning points of 1

3 or 5

giving values of 50

and 32

respectively

corresponding to "Good"

"Fair-Poor"

and "Poor" EBI levels

respectively. Changes in species composition were the primary reason for the significant decreases in EBI between 1986 and 1999

and for the large differences between 1986 and 2007 and between 2007 and 2016. The changes in species composition were influenced by declines in ichthyoplankton species

pollution sensitive species

estuarine nursery species and estuarine sedentary species

and an increase in pollution resistant species. An analysis of EBI interdecadal variability showed that the health status of the Changjiang River estuary ecosystem over the last 30 years first declined and then stabilized at a lower level. This result further settled the argument for urgent protection and restoration of the Changjiang River estuary.

关键词

Keywords

references

Bi S P, Yang Y, Xu C F, Zhang Y, Zhang X B, Zhang X R. 2017. Distribution of heavy metals and environmental assessment of surface sediment of typical estuaries in eastern China. Marine Pollution Bulletin , 121 (1-2): 357-366.

Breine J J, Maes J, Quataert P, Van Den Bergh E, Simoens I, Van Thuyne G, Belpaire C. 2007. A fish-based assessment tool for the ecological quality of the brackish Schelde estuary in Flanders (Belgium). Hydrobiologia , 575 (1): 141-159.

Chen Y Z, Zhu J R. 2018. Reducing eutrophication risk of a reservoir by water replacement: a case study of the Qingcaosha reservoir in the Changjiang Estuary. Acta Oceanologica Sinica , 37 (6): 23-29.

Cheng J H, Ding F Y, Li S F, Yan L P, Li J S, Liang Z L. 2006. Changes of fish community structure in the coastal zone of the northern part of East China Sea in summer. Journal of Natural Resources , 21 (5): 775-781. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Cooper M J, Lamberti G A, Moerke A H, Ruetz III C R, Wilcox D A, Brady V J, Brown T N, Ciborowski J J H, Gathman J P, Grabas G P, Johnson L B, Uzarski D G. 2018. An expanded fish-based index of biotic integrity for great lakes coastal wetlands. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment , 190 (10): 580.

Costanza R, Mageau M. 1999. What is a healthy ecosystem? Aquatic Ecology , 33 (1): 105-115.

Crosby S C, Cantatore N L, Smith L M, Cooper J R, Fraboni P J, Harris R B. 2018. Three decades of change in demersal fish and water quality in a long island sound embayment. Estuaries and Coasts , 41 (7): 2 135-2 145.

Deegan L A, Finn J T, Ayvazian S G, Ryder-Kieffer C A, Buonaccorsi J. 1997. Development and validation of an estuarine biotic integrity index. Estuaries , 20 (3): 601-617.

General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People's Republic of China. 2007. Specifications for Oceanographic Survey (part 6), Marine Ecological Survey. China Standards Press, Beijing.

Guo J Q, Zhang G C, Chu C Y, Liang S K, Han X R. 2020. The input of nutrients through the Yangtze River and its effect on nutrient concentrations and structures of the Yangtze Estuary. Marine Environmental Science , 39 (1): 59-65, 74. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Han R, Chen Q W, Wang L, Tang X W, Shen X Q. 2016. Analysis of the ecosystem structure and energy flow of the Yangtze River estuary and adjacent seas, based on the Ecopath model. Acta Ecologica Sinica , 36 (15): 4 907-4 918. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Hughes J E, Deegan L A, Weaver M J, Costa J E. 2002. Regional application of an index of estuarine biotic integrity based on fish communities. Estuaries , 25 (2): 250-263.

Jiang M, Shen X Q, Chen L F. 2006. Relationship between with abundance distribution of fish eggs, larvae and environmental factors in the Changjiang estuary and vicinity waters in spring. Marine Environmental Science , 25 (2): 37-39, 44.

Karr J R, Dudley D R. 1981. Ecological perspective on water quality goals. Environmental Management , 5 (1): 55-68.

Karr J R, Fausch K D, Angermeier P L, Yant P R, Schlosser I J. 1986. Assessing Biological Integrity in Running Waters: a Method and Its Rationale. Illinois Natural History Survey Special Publication, Champaign. p. 1-28.

Karr J R. 1981. Assessment of biotic integrity using fish communities. Fisheries , 6 (6): 21-27.

Ko H L, Wang Y Z, Chiu T S, Lee M A, Leu M Y, Chang K Z, Chen W Y, Shao K T. 2013. Evaluating the accuracy of morphological identification of larval fishes by applying DNA barcoding. PLoS One , 8 (1): 1-7.

Kong D J, Li D J, Wu Y. 2007. Evolution of organic pollution in the Changjiang River estuary in the past fifty years. Transactions of Oceanology and Limnology , (2): 94-103. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Korsman B M, Kimball M E, Hernandez F J Jr. 2017. Spatial and temporal variability in ichthyoplankton communities ingressing through two adjacent inlets along the southeastern US Atlantic coast. Hydrobiologia , 795 (1): 219-237.

Li J S, Hu F, Lin N. 2015. Ecological distribution of fish larvae and juveniles in the Yangtze River estuary and its adjacent waters in spring. South China Fisheries Science , 11 (1): 1-8. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Li J S, Li S F, Ding F Y, Cheng J H. 2007. Analysis on annual change of fish diversity in Yangtze estuary offshore water area. Journal of Fishery Sciences of China , 14 (4): 637-643. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Li J T, Liu Y S, Yang Y Y. 2018a. Land use change and effect analysis of tideland reclamation in Hangzhou bay. Journal of Mountain Science , 15 (2): 394-405.

Li L, Jiang M, Liu Y, Shen X Q. 2019. Heavy metals inter-annual variability and distribution in the Yangtze River estuary sediment, China. Marine Pollution Bulletin , 141 : 514-520.

Li T H, Huang X L, Jiang X H, Wang X G. 2018b. Assessment of ecosystem health of the yellow river with fish index of biotic integrity. Hydrobiologia , 814 (1): 31-43.

Liao Y B, Shou L, Tang Y B, Zeng J N, Gao A G, Chen Q Z, Yan X J. 2017. Macrobenthic assemblages of the Changjiang River estuary (Yangtze River, China) and adjacent continental shelf relative to mild summer hypoxia. Chinese Journal of Oceanology and Limnology , 35 (3): 481-488.

Lin N, Chen Y G, Jin Y, Yuan X W, Ling J Z, Jiang Y Z. 2018. Distribution of the early life stages of small yellow croaker in the Yangtze River estuary and adjacent waters. Fisheries Science , 84 (2): 357-363.

Lin Q, Jin X S, Guo X W, Zhang B. 2009. Study on the structure and energy flow of the Yangtze River estuary and adjacent waters ecosystem based on ecopath model. Journal of Hydroecology , 2 (2): 28-36. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Liu L S, Zheng B H, Li B Q, Cai W Q, Han Q X, Lin K X. 2012. Long-term trends of macrobenthos in Changjiang Estuary, China in relation to environmental changes. Acta Oceanologica Sinica , 34 (3): 134-145. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Liu L S, Zhou J, Zheng B H, Cai W Q, Lin K X, Tang J L. 2013. Temporal and spatial distribution of red tide outbreaks in the Yangtze River Estuary and adjacent waters, China. Marine Pollution Bulletin , 72 (1): 213-221.

Liu R M, Chen Y X, Yu W W, Xu F, Shen Z Y. 2016. Spatial-temporal distribution and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation of total phosphorus and total nitrogen in the Yangtze River estuary. Water Science and Technology , 73 (4): 924-934.

Liu S H, Q Y T, Liu C C, Ji X, Zhang H F. 2017. Molecular identification of fish larvae and juveniles based on DNA barcoding. Ocean Development and Management , 34 (2): 92-95.

Liu S D, Xian W W. 2009. Temporal and spatial patterns of the ichthyoplankton community in the Yangtze estuary and its adjacent waters. Biodiversity Science , 17 (2): 151-159. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Liu S D, Xian W W. 2010. Ichthyoplankton community structure characteristics during spring in Yangtze River estuary before and after impoundment of Three Gorges Reservoir. Journal of Yangtze River Scientific Research Institute , 27 (10): 82-87. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Liu S H, Zhang H F, He Y L, Peng X J, Qin Y T, Ji X, Yang Z. 2018. The preliminary study of ecosystem health assessment in shanghai adjacent waters, in China, based on estuarine biotic integrity index. Ecology and Environmental Sciences , 27 (8): 1 494-1 501. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Lu W H, Xiang X Q, Yang L, Xu Y, Li X, Liu S M. 2017. The temporal-spatial distribution and changes of dissolved oxygen in the Changjiang Estuary and its adjacent waters for the last 50 a. Acta Oceanologica Sinica , 36 (5): 90-98.

Marshall K N, Duffy-Anderson J T, Ward E J, Anderson S C, Hunsicker M E, Williams B C. 2019. Long-term trends in ichthyoplankton assemblage structure, biodiversity, and synchrony in the Gulf of Alaska and their relationships to climate. Progress in Oceanography , 170 : 134-145.

Ni Y, Wu H L. 2006. Fishes of Jiangsu Province. China Agriculture Press, Beijing. (in Chinese)

Ruzicka J J, Kasperski S, Zador S, Himes-Cornell A. 2019. Comparing the roles of pacific halibut and arrowtooth flounder within the Gulf of Alaska ecosystem and fishing economy. Fisheries Oceanography , 28 (5): 576-596.

Shan X J, Xian W W, Wu Y F. 2004. Progress of studies on ichthyoplankton ecology of Changjiang River estuary. Transactions of Oceanology and Limnology , (4): 87-93. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Shan X J, Xian W W, Wu Y F. 2005. Dynamic changes in the ichthyoplankton community structure after the sluice of the Three-Gorges Dam. Periodical of Ocean University of China , 35 (6): 936-940. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Shen G Y, Shi B Z. 2002. Marine Ecology. 2nd edn. Science Press, Beijing. (in Chinese)

Shen X Q, Shi Y R, Chao M, Quan W M, Huang H J, Wu Q Y. 2013. Analysis of taxonomic diversity of fish community in Yangtze River estuary. Progress in Fishery Sciences , 34 (4): 1-7. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Shi Y R, Chao M, Quan W M, Tang F H, Shen X Q, Yuan Q, Huang H J. 2011. Spatial variation in fish community of Yangtze River estuary in spring. Journal of Fishery Sciences of China , 18 (5): 1 141-1 151. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Song C, Zhao F, Yang Q, Feng G P, Zhang T T, Wang S K, Zhuang P. 2018. On species composition and damage of deepwater stow-net catches of Coilia mystus in the north branch of the Yangtze Estuary. Marine Fisheries , 40 (6): 670-678. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Strydom N A, Whitfield A K, Wooldridge T H. 2003. The role of estuarine type in characterizing early stage fish assemblages in warm temperate estuaries, South Africa. African Zoology , 38 (1): 29-43.

Sun R, Yao P P, Wang W, Yue B, Liu G. 2017. Assessment of wetland ecosystem health in the Yangtze and Amazon River basins. ISPRS International Journal of Geo - Information , 6 (3): 81.

Sun Y, Zhou Y M, Zhang Q W, Yi S Z. 2011. Ecosystem health: theory, concept and assessment methods. Advances in Earth Science , 26 (8): 887-896. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Tucker T R, Roseman E F, DeBruyne R L, Pritt J J, Bennion D H, Hondorp D W, Boase J C. 2018. Long-term assessment of ichthyoplankton in a large North American river system reveals changes in fish community dynamics. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences , 75 (12): 2 255-2 270.

Waltham N J, McCann J, Power T, Moore M, Buelow C. 2020. Patterns of fish use in urban estuaries: engineering maintenance schedules to protect broader seascape habitat. Estuarine , Coastal and Shelf Science , 238 : 106729.

Wan R J, Jiang Y W. 2000. The species and biological characteristics of the eggs and larvae of osteichthyes in the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea. Journal of Shanghai Fisheries University , 9 (4): 290-297. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Wang J H, Huang X Q, Liu A C, Zhang Y F. 2004. Tendency of the biodiversity variation nearby Changjiang Estuary. Marine Science Bulletin , 23 (1): 32-39. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Wang L G, Li Y F, Du F Y, Ning J J, Xu L, Xiao Y Y, Li C H. 2018. Zooplankton community characteristics and impact on ichthyoplankton in artificial reefs and island reefs of Daya Bay. South China Fisheries Science , 14 (2): 41-50. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Washington H G. 1984. Diversity, biotic and similarity indices: a review with special relevance to aquatic ecosystems. Water Research , 18 (6): 653-694.

Wu H L, Shao G Z, Lai C F, Zhuang D H, Lin P L. 2012. Latin-Chinese Dictionary of Fish Names by Classification System. The Shuichan Press, Keelung, China. (in Chinese)

Wu H L, Zhong J S. 2008. Fauna Sinica. Ostichthyes Perciformes (V). Science Press, Beijing. (in Chinese)

Wu J H, Wang J Q, Dai X J, Tian S Q, Liu J, Chen J H, Wang X F. 2019. An analysis of spatial co-occurrence pattern of fish species of Yangtze River estuary based on probabilistic model. South China Fisheries Science , 15 (1): 1-9. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Xiao H H, Zhang C L, Xu B D, Xue Y, Liu H, Li Z G, Ren Y P. 2017. Spatial pattern of ichthyoplankton assemblage in the coastal waters of central and southern Yellow Sea in the spring. Haiyang Xuebao , 39 (8): 34-47. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Xu C, Wang S K, Zhao F, Song C, Zhuang P. 2018. Trophic structure and energy flow of the Yangtze Estuary ecosystem based on the analysis with Ecopath model. Marine Fisheries , 40 (3): 309-318. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Yan J, Sui J X, Xu Y, Li X Z, Wang H F, Zhang B L. 2019. Major environmental variables related to north-south differences in the macrozoobenthic community in adjacent sea areas of the Yangtze River estuary, China. Ecological Indicators , 105 : 70-81.

Yang D L, Wu G Z, Sun J R. 1990. The investigation of pelagic eggs, larvae and juveniles of fishes at the mouth of the Changjiang River and adjacent areas. Oceanologia et Limnologia Sinica , 21 (4): 346-355. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Yang Y, Xu R. 2015. The environment variation trend in the Changjiang River estuary in the past 30a. Marine Sciences , 39 (10): 101-107. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Ye S F, Ji H H, Cao L, Huang X Q. 2004. Studies on the impacts of large-scale estuarine engineering on species composition and biomass of benthos in the Yangtze River Estuary. Marine Science Bulletin , 23 (4): 32-37. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Ye S F, Liu X, Ding D W. 2007. Ecosystem health assessment of the Changjiang River Estuary: indicator system and its primarily assessment. Acta Oceanologica Sinica , 29 (4): 128-136. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Zhang H, Yoshizawa S, Iwasaki W, Xian W W. 2019. Seasonal fish assemblage structure using environmental DNA in the Yangtze Estuary and its adjacent waters. Frontiers in Marine Science , 6 : 515.

Zhang R, Xu B D, Xue Y, Zhang C L, Ren Y P, Chen W L. 2017. Evaluation of the biotic integrity of fish assemblages in the Yellow River estuary and its adjacent waters. Journal of Fishery Sciences of China , 24 (4): 946-952. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Zhang S Y, Wu Y M. 2005. The common fishes for a indicator of water quality in natura environment. Bulletin of Biology , 40 (4): 25-27. (in Chinese)

Zhou M Y, Chen X, Yang S Y. 2015. Identification of several fish eggs and larvae by DNA barcoding in Xiamen water. Marine Environment Science , 34 (1): 120-135.

Zhou X W, Wang L P, Zheng B H. 2011. Ecosystem health assessment for the Changjiang River estuary and its adjacent sea area. Journal of Hydraulic Engineering , 42 (10): 1 201-1 208, 1 217. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Zhu W T, Liu Y Y, Wang S T, Qian W. 2019. Development of microbial community-based index of biotic integrity to evaluate the wetland ecosystem health in Suzhou, China. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment , 191 (6): 377.

Zhu X H, Liu D, Sha X S. 2002. Relationship between community structure of ichthyoplankton and environmental factors in the estuary of Changjiang River in spring. Studia Marina Sinica , (44): 169-179. (in Chinese with English abstract)

Zhuang P, Wang Y H, Li S F, Deng S M, Li C S, Ni Y. 2006. Fishes of the Yangtze Estuary. Shanghai Science and Technology Press, Shanghai. (in Chinese)

Views

Downloads

CSCD

Alert me when the article has been cited

Submit

Tools

Publicity Resources

Ichthyoplankton recruitment from mainstream of the Changjiang River into the Dongting Lake, the second largest freshwater lake in China

Interdecadal sea level variation at the Japanese coast and large scale climate state

Numerical simulation of interannual and interdecadal variability of surface wind over the tropical Pacific

Interannual and interdecadal variability of East Asian monsoon and its relation to oceanic processes: a review

Interdecadal variability of the South China Sea monsoon and its relationship with latent heat flux in the Pacific Ocean

Related Author

Wenxuan CAO

Huanzhang LIU

Xiangchao QIN

Mingzheng LI

Qin MA

Cui Mao-chang

Zhao Yong-ping

Hu Dun-xin

Related Institution

Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

Yellow River Basin Water Environment Monitoring Center

Institute of Oceanology

Institute of Oceanology Chinese Academy of Sciences

Address：Editorial Office of JOL, 88 Haijun Rd. Qingdao, 266000, China
Tel：+86-532-82898754 Email：jol@qdio.ac.cn
Technical support is provided by Beijing Founder electronics co., LTD 京ICP备09064830号-19 京公网安备11010802024621
It is recommended to read the content of this site in Chrome&IE9+. Please switch to extreme mode in browser 360.
Cookies We use cookies to help provide and enhance our service and tailor content. By continuing, you agree to the use of cookies.

⁰