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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Artículo científico |
| Language: | en |
| Published: |
Marine pollution bulletin
2026
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41544509/ |
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| _version_ | 1868266097720950785 |
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| author | Sahu, Nosad Lakra, Raj Kiran Thiruchitrambalam, Ganesh |
| author_facet | Sahu, Nosad Lakra, Raj Kiran Thiruchitrambalam, Ganesh Sahu, Nosad Lakra, Raj Kiran Thiruchitrambalam, Ganesh |
| collection | PubMed - marine biology |
| contents | Ecosystem functions beneath the tide: A trait-based study of tropical intertidal macrobenthos. Sahu, Nosad Lakra, Raj Kiran Thiruchitrambalam, Ganesh Seashore Ecosystem Biodiversity Geologic Sediments Animals Environmental Monitoring The intertidal zone represents a dynamic interface between terrestrial and marine ecosystems, where habitat heterogeneity plays a crucial role in shaping the structure of macrobenthic communities and ecosystem functioning. Traditional taxonomic metrics describe species composition but offer limited insight into how organisms contribute to key processes such as bioturbation, nutrient cycling, and sediment restructuring. Trait-based approaches overcome this limitation by directly linking organismal attributes to ecosystem functions, providing earlier and more mechanistic indicators of ecological change. However, such assessments remain scarce in tropical intertidal systems. We therefore examined whether spatial variation in sediment texture and organic enrichment acts as the primary environmental filter shaping macrobenthic functional trait composition, and whether habitats with greater structural complexity support higher functional richness and lower redundancy than environmentally stressed sites. We present the first comprehensive trait-based analysis of intertidal macrobenthos around Port Blair, Andaman Islands, linking functional traits to environmental drivers across six contrasting coastal habitats. Using Biological Trait Analysis (BTA), multidimensional functional diversity indices, and RLQ-fourth-corner analysis, we identified key functional traits, burrowing, biodiffusion, subsurface deposit feeding, and low mobility, that dominated community functioning. Our results demonstrate that habitat heterogeneity, particularly variation in sediment texture and organic enrichment, significantly influences the composition of macrobenthic traits and functional diversity. High-complexity sites supported greater functional richness and more evident niche differentiation, whereas stressed habitats displayed compressed trait space and elevated redundancy. Although redundancy can stabilise short-term functioning, dependence on a few functionally unique taxa indicates increased vulnerability to long-term environmental change. These findings demonstrate the value of trait-based approaches over traditional taxonomic metrics for assessing ecosystem functioning and resilience, and underscore the need to incorporate functional diversity indicators into coastal monitoring under growing anthropogenic and climate pressures. |
| format | Artículo científico |
| id | pubmed_41544509 |
| institution | PubMed |
| language | en |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publisher | Marine pollution bulletin |
| record_format | pubmed |
| spellingShingle | Ecosystem functions beneath the tide: A trait-based study of tropical intertidal macrobenthos. Sahu, Nosad Lakra, Raj Kiran Thiruchitrambalam, Ganesh Seashore Ecosystem Biodiversity Geologic Sediments Animals Environmental Monitoring Ecosystem functions beneath the tide: A trait-based study of tropical intertidal macrobenthos. Sahu, Nosad Lakra, Raj Kiran Thiruchitrambalam, Ganesh Seashore Ecosystem Biodiversity Geologic Sediments Animals Environmental Monitoring The intertidal zone represents a dynamic interface between terrestrial and marine ecosystems, where habitat heterogeneity plays a crucial role in shaping the structure of macrobenthic communities and ecosystem functioning. Traditional taxonomic metrics describe species composition but offer limited insight into how organisms contribute to key processes such as bioturbation, nutrient cycling, and sediment restructuring. Trait-based approaches overcome this limitation by directly linking organismal attributes to ecosystem functions, providing earlier and more mechanistic indicators of ecological change. However, such assessments remain scarce in tropical intertidal systems. We therefore examined whether spatial variation in sediment texture and organic enrichment acts as the primary environmental filter shaping macrobenthic functional trait composition, and whether habitats with greater structural complexity support higher functional richness and lower redundancy than environmentally stressed sites. We present the first comprehensive trait-based analysis of intertidal macrobenthos around Port Blair, Andaman Islands, linking functional traits to environmental drivers across six contrasting coastal habitats. Using Biological Trait Analysis (BTA), multidimensional functional diversity indices, and RLQ-fourth-corner analysis, we identified key functional traits, burrowing, biodiffusion, subsurface deposit feeding, and low mobility, that dominated community functioning. Our results demonstrate that habitat heterogeneity, particularly variation in sediment texture and organic enrichment, significantly influences the composition of macrobenthic traits and functional diversity. High-complexity sites supported greater functional richness and more evident niche differentiation, whereas stressed habitats displayed compressed trait space and elevated redundancy. Although redundancy can stabilise short-term functioning, dependence on a few functionally unique taxa indicates increased vulnerability to long-term environmental change. These findings demonstrate the value of trait-based approaches over traditional taxonomic metrics for assessing ecosystem functioning and resilience, and underscore the need to incorporate functional diversity indicators into coastal monitoring under growing anthropogenic and climate pressures. |
| title | Ecosystem functions beneath the tide: A trait-based study of tropical intertidal macrobenthos. |
| topic | Seashore Ecosystem Biodiversity Geologic Sediments Animals Environmental Monitoring |
| url | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41544509/ |