Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science最新文献

{"title":"Effects of regional oceanography and climate variability on larval connectivity of the wedge clam Donax hanleyanus in South American beaches","authors":"Erika Meerhoff ,&nbsp;Vincent Combes ,&nbsp;Ricardo Matano ,&nbsp;Nicolas Barrier ,&nbsp;Barbara C. Franco ,&nbsp;Alberto R. Piola ,&nbsp;Freddy Hernández-Vaca ,&nbsp;Omar Defeo","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109346","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109346","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The wedge clam, <em>Donax hanleyanus</em>, inhabits sandy beaches in the subtropical and temperate regions of the Atlantic coast of South America. Its distribution spans over 20 degrees of latitude from Brazil to Argentina, with the southernmost part of its range being influenced by the Rio de la Plata (RdlP) estuary, which limits the southward larval expansion. We used an individual-based model (IBM) to assess the larval connectivity patterns of the wedge clam during the period 2000–2012. The IBM combines a 3D hydrodynamic model with a biological sub-model that considers larval mortality due to low salinity (&lt;7, and &lt;9) and sea surface temperature range (high &gt;30 °C or low &lt;9 °C). The main larval connectivity patterns were observed near the release/recruitment areas, suggesting a high potential for self-recruitment. Based on the IBM and adult abundance data, we also identified the likely source and sink areas within this metapopulation. Source beach areas were Navegantes and Cassino in Brazil (from 26.3° S to 34.34°S), Arachania in Uruguay (34.56°S), and Santa Teresita in Argentina (37.15°S). A low probability of larval transport towards the poleward limit of the species' distribution was observed, supporting an irregular recruitment pattern typical of sink populations located at the edge of the distribution range of metapopulations. Larval mortality due to warm or cold waters did not affect connectivity patterns for this subtropical species. Southward larval transport across the RdlP estuary (from Uruguayan to Argentine beaches) only occurred for larvae released on early January 2011, concurrently with the strongest La Niña year observed during the study period. In light of a changing climate, marked by potential increases in extreme La Niña events and a poleward shift of atmospheric circulation patterns over the South Atlantic, we anticipate a strengthening of larval transport across the RdlP and a subsequent poleward expansion of the species’ distribution range.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"321 ","pages":"Article 109346"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143931992","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Changes in the community composition of beach wrack macrophytes along thermal and latitudinal gradients","authors":"Fabien Verniest ,&nbsp;Elisa Alonso Aller ,&nbsp;Pauline Poisson ,&nbsp;Martin Thibault ,&nbsp;Isabelle Le Viol ,&nbsp;Christian Kerbiriou","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109342","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109342","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Marine species and ecosystems are highly threatened by many anthropogenic drivers of biodiversity loss, among which the various components of climate change play a key role. Bending the curve of marine biodiversity loss requires the development of decision-making tools, such as indicators that provide information on community responses to climatic change. Although monitoring marine environments, such as benthic habitats, is highly challenging, beach wrack monitoring may provide an alternative and complementary approach to inform changes in proximate intertidal and subtidal habitats under anthropogenic threats. However, the relationship between macrophyte in beach wrack and benthic macrophyte is not fully understood. In particular, the composition of beach wrack macrophyte communities in relation with climate has not been explored yet, although such research is a prerequisite for investigating the ability of macrophyte communities in beach wrack to monitor composition changes of benthic macroalgal and seagrass communities in the face of climate change. Here, we assessed the thermal and spatial patterns of thermal affinity of macroalgae and seagrass communities (84 taxa) in beach wrack sampled at 172 sites (from Saint-Jean-de-Luz, latitude 43.39°N, to Calais, latitude 50.89°N) along the Channel and Atlantic French coast. We also investigated the contribution of taxa to these patterns, and evaluated the latitudinal patterns of abundance of the most and least contributing taxa. We found that thermal affinity of macrophyte communities in beach wrack increased with sea-surface temperature and decreased with latitude. Latitudinal patterns were also identified at smaller spatial scales. Our findings, that are consistent with previously documented macroecological patterns of benthic macrophytes, suggest that beach wrack might provide insights into proximate benthic macrophyte communities, especially their composition in light of climate warming. We recommend further investigations to ensure the relevance of developing indicators of benthic habitats based on beach wrack.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"321 ","pages":"Article 109342"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143931962","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Shoreline movements around small reef islands of the Kalayaan Island Group, West Philippine Sea","authors":"Jeffrey Munar,&nbsp;Anne Drew Carrillo,&nbsp;Laura David,&nbsp;Fernando Siringan","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109343","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109343","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Reef islands have highly dynamic beaches, with shorelines that shift easily due to changes in wave patterns influenced by wind conditions, typhoons, and sea-level. Habitat conditions within and around reef island systems also impact shoreline integrity. Mapping shoreline movement patterns is essential for understanding their evolution and potential responses to climate and human-induced changes.</div><div>Shoreline positions for several islands in the Kalayaan Islands, West Philippine Sea—including Pag-asa, Parola, Kota, Likas, and Lawak—were traced from satellite images obtained via Google Earth, covering the period from 2005 to 2023. These are complemented by field-derived shoreline positions acquired during 2022. Statistics were calculated using the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS). Patterns and rates of shoreline change vary among the reef islands. Net accretion has taken place in Parola Island while the rest of the islands have net erosion. Erosion rates are generally high on the eastern sections of the islands, while the southwest sections experience the highest accretion rates. Islands positioned more east of their atolls show greater erosion. The overall shoreline patterns are attributed to the reduced southwest (SW) monsoon and relatively constant northeast (NE) monsoon intensities during the period covered by this study. Consequently, the southwest sediment drift driven by the NE winds dominated over the northeastward sediment drift driven by the SW winds.</div><div>Shorelines also respond to sudden natural and anthropogenic stressors. Episodes of high wave energy conditions, Typhoon Hagupit in 2014 and frequent typhoons in 2017, caused substantial losses in island area. Vegetation Index Green (VI_green) was also computed to assess the extent of vegetation coverage. Losses in vegetation cover also correlate with losses in the island area. A disturbance that likely tempered erosion, temporarily, is the elevation of sediment input to the coast caused by extensive dredging on the reef flat between 2013 and 2014. Dredging exposed and released sediment to the reef. However, this activity reduced the living coral cover and effectively increased the water depth on the reef flat. Consequently, this will decrease the reef's ability to sustain sediment supply to the island in the long term. These various natural and anthropogenic impacts are vital in managing limited sediment resources in light of rising sea levels on small reef island systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"321 ","pages":"Article 109343"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143936876","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparisons between estuary-associated ichthyofaunas in ecoregions around the Indian Ocean","authors":"Alan K. Whitfield ,&nbsp;Trevor D. Harrison ,&nbsp;James R. Tweedley","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109335","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109335","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This review examines possible fish colonisation processes that started in the Early Jurassic and gained momentum during the Cretaceous when plate tectonics and continental drift created the Indian Ocean between Africa, Madagascar, Asia and Australia. Initial colonisation of the newly created estuaries by fish is likely to have occurred during the Devonian in eastern Gondwana when these land masses were confined to the temperate waters of the southern hemisphere. A major marine extinction event 372 Ma would probably have eliminated many of these taxa from those estuaries. Tropical marine fish families from the Tethys Sea region would then have used the epicontinental seaways between Africa, Madagascar, India and Australia to colonise the estuaries on these drifting land masses. Speciation by some of these tropical taxa would then have occurred such that the southern temperate waters became occupied by a less species rich cool-water ichthyofauna. A Bray-Curtis similarity matrix was created using the presence/absence of fish families and species from selected ecoregions around the Indian Ocean rim. These analyses showed that fish families present in estuaries on the eastern and western side of the Indian Ocean were over 74 % similar but that the species present were only 40 % similar. In terms of past and present geodispersal of fish taxa, the northern route through tropical coastal waters was always viable but long distance movements through the large central or southern parts of the Indian Ocean basin was not. In addition, dispersal of fish species across arid coastal ecoregions where estuaries are scarce appears to have limited the continuity of ichthyofaunal colonisation processes around the ocean rim.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"321 ","pages":"Article 109335"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143943708","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Community metabolism and greenhouse gas emissions in abandoned tropical salt pans","authors":"Shu-Yen Huang ,&nbsp;Wei-Jen Lin ,&nbsp;Li-Hua Lee ,&nbsp;Hsing-Juh Lin","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109327","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109327","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A large area of coastal wetlands has been converted into solar salt pans over thousands of years. However, salt production declined significantly from the 20th century onward, leading to the abandonment of many salt pans globally. Coastal wetlands are generally recognized as blue carbon ecosystems, but little is known about the carbon flux of abandoned salt pans. This study aimed to assess the carbon flux of abandoned tropical salt pans, using a case study in Budai, southwestern Taiwan by measuring community metabolism and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The results of community metabolism showed that the pelagic community of the salt pans is autotrophic, which is closely related to water chlorophyll <em>a</em> concentration. However, the benthic community is heterotrophic, which is influenced by water temperature and dissolved inorganic phosphorus concentration. The combined metabolism of pelagic and benthic communities in the salt pans exhibited an average carbon absorption of 111.5 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹. The results of GHG emissions measured with floating chambers indicated that the CO₂ flux into the salt pans averaged 139.3 g CO₂ m⁻² yr⁻¹, but a small amount of averaging 354.8 mg CH₄ m⁻² yr⁻¹ and 136.0 mg N₂O m⁻² yr⁻¹ was emitted from the salt pans. Consequently, the net GHG balance indicated that the salt pans serve as systems for removing GHG at an average rate of 92.6 g CO₂e m⁻² yr⁻¹. The CO₂ removal capacity of abandoned tropical salt pans performed better than that of unvegetated coastal wetlands, showing the potential to mitigate climate change.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"321 ","pages":"Article 109327"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143924233","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Constancy and change in macrobenthic abundance, biodiversity and assemblage structure along the axis of a flood-tidal sand delta","authors":"R.S.K. Barnes","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109326","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109326","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Flood-tidal deltas commonly occur along microtidal coasts in the mouths of those inlets kept open by tidal currents, but they have seldom been studied ecologically. Such a delta of fine sand occurs in the Knysna estuarine bay, South Africa, extending for some 2 km upstream. Although macrofaunal assemblage metrics (overall abundance, observed and estimated species density, geometric mean morphospecies abundance, evenness, and patchiness) varied little along the deltaic axis, faunal composition changed markedly though without species replacement except in the paraonid polychaetes. Unusually, the sand was dominated by these paraonids (especially <em>Paradoneis lyra capensis</em>) and, over its proximal half, also by the amphipod <em>Urothoe pulchella</em>, but worms steadily increased in importance upstream whilst crustaceans decreased. Noteworthily, a psammodrilid was present - the first record from Africa. The flood-tidal shore fauna contrasted in composition with that of the facing ebb-channel shore (dominated by <em>Dipolydora</em>) and areas upstream of the mouth.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"321 ","pages":"Article 109326"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143902401","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The role of retention processes in the coastal filter of the Oder River","authors":"Sophie Kache ,&nbsp;Iris Liskow ,&nbsp;Johannes Pein ,&nbsp;Mindaugas Žilius ,&nbsp;Maren Voss","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109325","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109325","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Riverine nutrient export significantly impacts coastal and shelf seas, causing eutrophication. However, nutrient export can be mitigated by the coastal filter function, potentially resulting in permanent removal of nutrients through denitrification. Besides removal, nutrients can also be retained in the coastal zone through assimilation, remineralisation or nitrification, with repeated recycling prolonging their availability to organisms. While removal processes have been extensively studied, their effect on the riverine dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) loads reaching the coast may be small. There are only a few accurate estimates that include all processes of the coastal filter. In this study, nutrient concentrations and net autotrophic uptake rates in the water column, together with benthic NO₃⁻ reduction rates and solute fluxes across the sediment-water interface, were measured. We compared a lagoon with the open coast within the outflow area of the Oder River, one of the largest inflows to the southern Baltic Sea, over a seasonal cycle. Particle drift experiments using hydrodynamic model simulations of the Oder estuary yielded water residence times (WRT) along the outflow. In the lagoon, DIN concentrations, primary production and DIN uptake rates were higher than at the coastal station. The data suggested efficient DIN retention, as the majority of riverine DIN was assimilated (85 %), with a preference for NH₄⁺ over NO₃⁻ uptake. High retention in the lagoon was supported by long WRT of up to 180 days. In the open coast, productivity was lower due to continuous dilution of riverine nutrients by transport processes. The sediment served as a periodic source of nutrients for water column processes. Our data suggest that intense recycling in the water column and strong benthic-pelagic coupling promote a tightly coupled nitrification-denitrification, resulting in vital N removal rates in the sediment. Nevertheless, strong predominance of N retention processes, and specifically assimilation over N removal processes, illustrates that the former is an important component of the coastal filter function, as it provides substrates for nutrient removal (organic matter and NO₃⁻). These results extend the assessment of the effectiveness of the coastal filter and should be taken into account in further studies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"322 ","pages":"Article 109325"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144107837","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Microplastics and other plastic-like microdebris in sediments from the Dart River and Estuary, southwest England","authors":"Maia Killian,&nbsp;Andrew Turner","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109324","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109324","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Surficial sediment samples (<em>n</em> = 10) collected from a transect of a river-estuary (Dart) in southwest England have been analysed for geochemical characteristics, anthropogenic metals (Cr, Cu, Sn, Pb, Zn), and microplastics (∼50 μm–5 mm) and other microplastic-like debris. Results indicated the finest grains towards the lower river and upper estuary, a seaward increase in sedimentary Ca, and loss on ignition ranging from about 0.7 to 4 %. Anthropogenic metals were heterogeneously distributed throughout the catchment with maximum concentrations in the river or lower estuary. Microplastics were dominated by fibres, with concentrations ranging from 110 to 1800 kg⁻¹ and composition either cellulosic (cotton or rayon) or thermoplastic (polyester or acrylic). Microfibre abundance exhibited no clear relationships with geochemical characteristics or anthropogenic metals but fibres were enriched downstream of a wastewater treatment plant and accumulation of larger fibres was greatest where sediments were finest. Other microdebris was observed in four samples and consisted of fragments (mainly paint flakes) and hollow glass beads. Paint flakes identified as antifouling formulations enriched in Cu, Zn and Sn and road markings containing solid glass beads. Maximum sediment Cu and Zn concentrations coincided with the location where the majority of paint flakes (&gt;2000 kg⁻¹) were encountered. While not all microscopic particles identified in the present study are plastic, they share similar properties and likely have common impacts. Accordingly, and more generally, we recommend that a broader array of both plastics and plastic-like particles, coupled with measures of sediment geochemistry and anthropogenic impact, are considered in environmental studies and impact assessments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"321 ","pages":"Article 109324"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143904219","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tidal amplification and distortion in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa","authors":"Arame Dièye ,&nbsp;Patrick Marchesiello ,&nbsp;Bamol Ali Sow ,&nbsp;Habib Boubacar Dieng ,&nbsp;Duong Hai Thuan ,&nbsp;Luc Descroix","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109318","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109318","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding tidal behavior is of paramount importance in Guinea-Bissau, a vulnerable low-lying coastal zone with the highest tidal range of any West African country. Our aim is to improve tide prediction by analyzing its characteristics and mechanisms of amplification and distortion. To this end, we use a high-resolution coastal ocean model (CROCO) validated by tidal altimetry and new tide gauge data. We present and analyze the cotidal charts of the main constituents. The amplification occurs first in coastal waters due to resonance over the broad shelf and strengthens in the estuaries, especially in the Geba Channel where a tidal range of 7 m can be reached. This is due, in part, to the funneling of tidal energy, which travels from the south through the Bijagos Archipelago. There is also a resonance of a quarter wavelength (mode 0) for semi-diurnal tides. In smaller estuaries (e.g., Buba), there is no funneling, so the tides can only be amplified by resonance with reflected waves. A strong tidal asymmetry is also demonstrated due to the generation of overtides that are resonant with mode 1 at Geba and mode 0 at Buba. The asymmetry and Stokes drift associated with the progressive waves in the Geba Channel (leading to tidal setup) make it a complex local system with ebb dominance at the mouth, perhaps contributing to the continuous accretion in the Bijagos archipelago. Other smaller estuaries characterized by standing waves are more classically flood-dominated. All this affects the residence time of water along the coasts and estuaries of Guinea Bissau.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"320 ","pages":"Article 109318"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143887269","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Biodiversity and spatial heterogeneity of fish communities in response to geo-environmental disturbances","authors":"Zeng Lei ,&nbsp;Zheng Tingting ,&nbsp;Zhou Ziyi ,&nbsp;Liu Beibei ,&nbsp;Li Wuhui ,&nbsp;Chen Guobao","doi":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109322","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ecss.2025.109322","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Coastal ecosystems are intricately connected to human life. However, increasing human activities have exerted significant pressure on coastal fish communities. Understanding the relationship between fish communities and geo-environmental disturbances is essential for the scientific development of fish conservation and environmental restoration strategies. Despite this importance, our understanding of this relationship remains limited. To address this gap, we established 40 sampling points along the coast of Guangdong in the autumn of 2020 to enhance our understanding of how geo-environmental disturbances have affected the spatial pattern of fish communities. The fish communities along the coast of Guangdong were broadly categorized into three distinct regions (A, B, and C), which were primarily affected by geo-environmental factors including longitude, latitude, depth, and environmental disturbances such as bottom trawling. Notably, biodiversity indicators such as Shannon, Delta+, and FDiv varied significantly in different regions. They were negatively correlated with both longitude and latitude, but positively correlated with water depth and environmental disturbances (W). Furthermore, FDiv served as a critical link between the spatial heterogeneity of fish communities and the geo-environmental disturbances. The spatial average variation degree (SAVD) was positively correlated with biodiversity, but exhibited an opposite pattern with fish community stability. Fish species that significantly contributing to the spatial heterogeneity and stability of fish communities should be prioritized for protection. The results of this study provided valuable insights for developing effective fish conservation strategies within the coastal ecosystem.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50497,"journal":{"name":"Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science","volume":"320 ","pages":"Article 109322"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143887173","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}