Drivers of coastal benthic communities in a complex environmental setting

Yuting Vicky Lin; Pierre-Alexandre Château; Yoko Nozawa; Chih-Lin Wei; Rainer Ferdinand Wunderlich; Vianney Denis

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116462

Drivers of coastal benthic communities in a complex environmental setting

Mar Pollut Bull. 2024 May 14:203:116462. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116462. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Yuting Vicky Lin¹, Pierre-Alexandre Château², Yoko Nozawa³, Chih-Lin Wei¹, Rainer Ferdinand Wunderlich⁴, Vianney Denis⁵

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan.
² Department of Marine Environment and Engineering, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung 80420, Taiwan.
³ Tropical Biosphere Research Center, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa 905-0227, Japan; Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan; Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, Universitas Diponegoro, Semarang 50275, Indonesia.
⁴ Department of Bioenvironmental Systems Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan; INRAE, UR EABX, 33612 Cestas, France.
⁵ Institute of Oceanography, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan. Electronic address: vianneydenis@ntu.edu.tw.

PMID: 38749153
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116462

Abstract

Analyzing the environmental factors affecting benthic communities in coastal areas is crucial for uncovering key factors that require conservation action. Here, we collected benthic and environmental (physical-chemical-historical and land-based) data for 433 transects in Taiwan. Using a k-means approach, five communities dominated by crustose coralline algae, turfs, stony corals, digitate, or bushy octocorals were first delineated. Conditional random forest models then identified physical, chemical, and land-based factors (e.g., light intensity, nitrite, and population density) relevant to community delineation and occurrence. Historical factors, including typhoons and temperature anomalies, had only little effect. The prevalent turf community correlated positively with chemical and land-based drivers, which suggests that anthropogenic impacts are causing a benthic homogenization. This mechanism may mask the effects of climate disturbances and regional differentiation of benthic assemblages. Consequently, management of nutrient enrichment and terrestrial runoff is urgently needed to improve community resilience in Taiwan amidst increasing challenges of climate change.

Keywords: Anthropocene; Ecological dynamic; Ecological trajectory; Machine learning; Phase shift; Sessile benthos.