State Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin 130102, China; Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Environment, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin 130102, China.
Moutai Institute of Science and Technology, Zunyi, Guizhou 564501, China.
Sci Total Environ. 2024 Nov 20;952:175803. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175803. Epub 2024 Aug 26.
Restoration measures have been widely implemented in wetland ecosystems globally to bend the curve of biodiversity loss and restore associated ecological functions. However, assessments of the effectiveness of wetland restoration have predominantly focused on the recovery of taxonomic composition, while few studies have assessed the effectiveness of these efforts from a food web perspective. Here, we incorporated stable isotope approach to investigate trophic structure in natural and restored wetlands in Northeast China. The investigated consumers, including zooplankton, macroinvertebrates, and fish, exhibited lower δN and higher δC values in restored wetlands than in natural wetlands. Natural wetlands exhibited higher trophic positions and a wider range of trophic levels compared to restored wetlands. Primary consumers in natural wetlands relied more on particulate organic matter (POM, 42.9 % ± 24.1 %), while those in restored wetlands were more dependent on substrate organic matter (SOM, 42.3 % ± 23.9 %). Compared to natural wetlands, isotopic richness was significantly lower in restored wetlands, with smaller isotopic variation (SEAs) in basal resources, aquatic invertebrates, and fish. Our findings reveal that the recovery of trophic structures in restored wetlands lags behind that of taxonomic composition. Future restoration efforts should prioritize enhancing habitat heterogeneity and resource availability to support a diverse range of trophic levels. Monitoring trophic dynamics is essential for assessing the progress of wetland restoration and should be integrated into monitoring schemes.
恢复措施已在全球湿地生态系统中广泛实施，以扭转生物多样性丧失的趋势并恢复相关生态功能。然而，湿地恢复效果的评估主要集中在分类组成的恢复上，而很少从食物网的角度评估这些努力的效果。在这里，我们采用稳定同位素方法调查了中国东北自然湿地和修复湿地的食物网结构。调查的消费者，包括浮游动物、大型无脊椎动物和鱼类，在修复湿地中的δN 值较低，δC 值较高。与修复湿地相比，自然湿地具有更高的营养位和更广泛的营养级范围。自然湿地的初级消费者更多地依赖于颗粒有机物质（POM，42.9%±24.1%），而修复湿地的初级消费者更多地依赖于基质有机物质（SOM，42.3%±23.9%）。与自然湿地相比，修复湿地的稳定同位素丰富度显著降低，基础资源、水生无脊椎动物和鱼类的同位素变异（SEAs）更小。我们的研究结果表明，修复湿地的食物网结构恢复滞后于分类组成的恢复。未来的恢复工作应优先考虑提高生境异质性和资源可用性，以支持更广泛的营养级。监测食物网动态对于评估湿地恢复的进展至关重要，应将其纳入监测计划中。
