Effects of exotic Spartina alterniflora invasion on benthic environments in the Yellow Sea

Jongmin Lee; Junsung Noh; Changkeun Lee; In Ok Lee; Inha Kwon; Bong-Oh Kwon; Moo Joon Lee; Jung-Ho Lee; Jongseong Ryu; Jinhyun Kim; Hojeong Kang; Ho Kyung Ha; Shing Yip Lee; Tieyu Wang; Jong Seong Khim

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.117017

Effects of exotic Spartina alterniflora invasion on benthic environments in the Yellow Sea

Mar Pollut Bull. 2024 Sep 23:208:117017. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.117017. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Jongmin Lee¹, Junsung Noh², Changkeun Lee¹, In Ok Lee¹, Inha Kwon¹, Bong-Oh Kwon³, Moo Joon Lee⁴, Jung-Ho Lee⁴, Jongseong Ryu⁴, Jinhyun Kim⁵, Hojeong Kang⁶, Ho Kyung Ha⁷, Shing Yip Lee⁸, Tieyu Wang⁹, Jong Seong Khim¹⁰

Affiliations

¹ School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea.
² Department of Environment and Energy, Sejong University, Seoul 05006, Republic of Korea.
³ Department of Marine Biotechnology, Kunsan National University, Kunsan 54150, Republic of Korea.
⁴ Department of Marine Biotechnology, Anyang University, Ganghwa-gun, Incheon 23038, Republic of Korea.
⁵ Division of Life Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, 26, Songdomirae-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon 21990, Republic of Korea.
⁶ School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea.
⁷ Department of Ocean Sciences, Inha University, Incheon 22212, Republic of Korea.
⁸ Simon F. S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China.
⁹ Institute of Marine Sciences and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Disaster Prediction and Prevention, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, China.
¹⁰ School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: jskocean@snu.ac.kr.

PMID: 39317107
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.117017

Abstract

For four decades, cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) has invaded salt marshes in the Yellow Sea, altering physical, biogeochemical, and biological processes. Here, we investigated the ecological effects of S. alterniflora invasion on benthic environments compared to native halophytes. S. alterniflora contributed to higher carbon accumulation rates compared with bare tidal flat in sediments (3.4 times), through greater primary production and root biomass, compared to Suaeda japonica (2.5 times) and Phragmites australis (2.4 times) over the given period. The results showed that S. alterniflora eradication treatments inhibited its growth but did not significantly affect the benthic communities. Compared to P. australis and bare tidal flats, S. alterniflora invasion resulted in lower greenhouse gas emission and higher contributions to macrobenthos nutrition, and increased sediment stability and carbon burial. Overall, these multiple lines of evidence provide new insights on S. alterniflora invasion, suggesting that the current eradication policy would be carefully reviewed.

Keywords: Blue carbon; Halophyte; Invasive species; Organic carbon; Spartina alterniflora; Tidal flat.