Community structure and diversity of macrobenthos in Jiaozhou Bay

To understand the current community structure and diversity of macrobenthos in Jiaozhou Bay, a survey was conducted at eight sampling stations in April, July, and October 2018, as well as January 2019. Eighty-two macrobenthos species were collected, including 30 of Annelida, 21 of Mollusca, 20 of Crustacea, 8 of Echinodermata, and 3 classified as Others. Ruditapes philippinarum was a common dominant species in summer, autumn, and winter. The annual average abundance and biomass were 280 ind./m2 and 446.45 g/m2, respectively. Shannon-Wiener diversity varied from 0.09 to 2.45 with an average value of 1.14. Margalef richness was 0.17-2.32 with an average value of 0.89. Pielou evenness was 0.14-1.00 with an average value of 0.71. The seasonal variation patterns of all tested indices were largely the same, with the highest in spring, next highest in winter, and lower in summer and autumn. The diversity at different survey stations varies greatly.

Automated summary

The study of the community structure and diversity of macrobenthos in Jiaozhou Bay revealed a rich species composition, with Ruditapes philippinarum being a dominant species. Various diversity indices showed seasonal variation trends, with significant differences in diversity among survey stations.