Detalle de Documento
Tidal barriers isolate intertidal areas from tides, creating distinct conditions on either side of the barrier,
and freshwater releases change the receiving area's hydrology and salinity. However, the combined effect
of these human actions is unknown. Using the macrobenthos community as a bioindicator, we sampled
part of the northern Yellow River Delta that has been managed using tidal barriers and freshwater releases,
in the spring and autumn of 2014, before and after the summer freshwater release. The macrobenthos
communities differed greatly on opposite sides of the barrier. During the spring, 7 to 8 species
were found inside the barrier (mainly Insecta and Crustacea), versus 22 in the intertidal area (mainly
Polychaetes, Mollusca, Crustacea, and Insecta). During the autumn, 10 to 13 species were found inside the
barrier and 16 in the intertidal area. Non-metric multidimensional scaling and hierarchical clustering
divided the macrobenthos communities into groups that mostly agreed with the spatial distribution of
the investigated areas. The characteristics of the modified ecosystems determined the similarity of the
macrobenthos communities. The effects of the tidal barriers and the freshwater releases interacted: the
barriers decreased sediment salinity compared with that in the intertidal area, and freshwater releases
increased this differentiation. To restore the delta's original freshwater ecosystems, the tidal barriers are
required to contain the freshwater releases. In addition, the effects of the freshwater releases were
generally positive. Therefore, it is reasonable to retain the barriers and to continue or increase these
releases.