Next Article in Journal
Fine-Scale Environmental Drivers Shaping Vegetation Communities in Yongneup Montane Peatland, Korea
Previous Article in Journal
Synergistic Efficacy of Hydrilla verticillata and Anodonta woodiana in Eco-Restoration of Hypereutrophic Aquatic Ecosystems
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Diversity
Volume 17
Issue 10
10.3390/d17100714
diversity-logo
Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Propose a Special Issue
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Identifying Keystone Species in the Mangrove Benthic Food Web of Yanpu Bay: Integrating Stable Isotope and Network Analysis Approaches

by
Chengye Hu
1,
Yuwei Qu
1,
Xuehe Fang
1,
Minghai Xu
2,
Jiayu Feng
1,
Mengjia Shi
1,
Jing Wang
1,* and
Bonian Shui
1,*
1
Fisheries College, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan 316022, China
2
Pingyang County Natural Resources Survey, Monitoring and Forecasting Center, Wenzhou 325400, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Diversity 2025, 17(10), 714; https://doi.org/10.3390/d17100714 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 4 September 2025 / Revised: 5 October 2025 / Accepted: 9 October 2025 / Published: 14 October 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Marine Diversity)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Keystone species play a critical role in sustaining ecosystem structure and function. Thus, accurately identifying keystone species is essential for effective biodiversity conservation. This study investigates the benthic ecosystem of Yanpu Bay’s mangroves, utilizing stable isotope analysis in combination with Bayesian mixture models and ecological network analysis to characterize trophic relationships and topological network structures, with the aim of identifying keystone species within the community. The benthic food web in this study comprised 96 connections and 27 nodes. Among them, Scartelaos histophorus preyed on eight benthos species, constituting 18.51% of the total prey sources in food web. Sedimentary organic matter (SOM) was identified as a critical food source, sustaining 17 consumer species, 62.96% of the total species recorded in the community. Quantitative analysis using criticality indices and key player problem indices identified Cerithidea cingulate, Littorinopsis scabra, Periophthalmus magnuspinnatus, S. histophorus, Bostrychus sinensis, and Metaplax longipes as keystone species. The identification of these keystone species provides valuable insights for developing targeted biodiversity conservation strategies and offers a robust scientific foundation for the restoration and sustainable management of the mangrove benthic food web.
Keywords: keystone species; ecological network analysis; mangrove; benthos keystone species; ecological network analysis; mangrove; benthos

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Hu, C.; Qu, Y.; Fang, X.; Xu, M.; Feng, J.; Shi, M.; Wang, J.; Shui, B. Identifying Keystone Species in the Mangrove Benthic Food Web of Yanpu Bay: Integrating Stable Isotope and Network Analysis Approaches. Diversity 2025, 17, 714. https://doi.org/10.3390/d17100714

AMA Style

Hu C, Qu Y, Fang X, Xu M, Feng J, Shi M, Wang J, Shui B. Identifying Keystone Species in the Mangrove Benthic Food Web of Yanpu Bay: Integrating Stable Isotope and Network Analysis Approaches. Diversity. 2025; 17(10):714. https://doi.org/10.3390/d17100714

Chicago/Turabian Style

Hu, Chengye, Yuwei Qu, Xuehe Fang, Minghai Xu, Jiayu Feng, Mengjia Shi, Jing Wang, and Bonian Shui. 2025. "Identifying Keystone Species in the Mangrove Benthic Food Web of Yanpu Bay: Integrating Stable Isotope and Network Analysis Approaches" Diversity 17, no. 10: 714. https://doi.org/10.3390/d17100714

APA Style

Hu, C., Qu, Y., Fang, X., Xu, M., Feng, J., Shi, M., Wang, J., & Shui, B. (2025). Identifying Keystone Species in the Mangrove Benthic Food Web of Yanpu Bay: Integrating Stable Isotope and Network Analysis Approaches. Diversity, 17(10), 714. https://doi.org/10.3390/d17100714

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop