Ellobiid snail loss in seawall-fronted mangroves

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Marine Biology
• Coastal Management

Background:

• Seawalls protect coasts but harm wetland ecosystems.
• Coastal squeeze intensifies the need to understand seawall impacts.
• Benthic mollusk communities are vital indicators of wetland health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess seawall construction effects on benthic mollusk communities in subtropical mangroves.
• To compare mollusk assemblages in seawall-fronted mangroves versus natural mangroves.
• To identify potential indicator species for seawall ecological impact.

Main Methods:

• Compared mollusk assemblages in mangroves adjacent to seawalls and undisturbed natural mangroves.
• Analyzed species richness, Shannon diversity, and Simpson diversity indices.
• Documented the presence/absence of key mollusk species, particularly Ellobiidae.

Main Results:

• Species richness did not significantly differ between habitats (p > 0.05).
• Shannon and Simpson diversity indices were significantly higher in natural mangroves.
• Two common Ellobiidae species were absent in seawall-fronted mangroves.

Conclusions:

• Species richness alone is insufficient for assessing seawall ecological impacts.
• Ellobiid snails may serve as effective indicator species for seawall construction.
• Multi-dimensional diversity metrics and indicator taxa are crucial for robust biodiversity assessments.