Comparison of the coexistence pattern of mangrove macrobenthos between natural and artificial reforestation

Abstract The abandoned pond‐to‐mangrove restoration project provides greater advantages than tidal flats afforestation in restoring mangrove ecosystem services and will be the primary method for mangrove restoration in the future. The existing methods for abandoned pond‐to‐mangrove restoration include artificial restoration through ‘dike‐breaking, filling with imported soil and tree planting’ and natural restoration through ‘dike‐breaking and natural succession’. However, little is known about which restoration strategy (natural or artificial restoration) provides more benefits to the biodiversity of mangrove macrobethos. Given a prevailing view suggested that artificial restoration should be the preferred approach for accelerating recovery of biodiversity and vegetation structure in tropical regions, we hypothesised higher macrobenthic biodiversity and more complex community structure in artificial restoration than in natural restoration. To test this hypothesis, macrobenthic biodiversity and ecological processes were monitored in a typical abandoned pond‐to‐mangrove area of Dongzhaigang Bay, China, where artificial and natural restoration methods were used concurrently. Differences in macrobenthic biodiversity, community structure and ecological processes were compared using diversity indices, complex network analysis and null models. Similar species composition and ecological niche overlap and width among macrobenthos were observed at artificial and natural restoration sites. The biotic heterogeneity and interaction among macrobenthos were higher at the natural restoration sites than at the artificial restoration sites. Macrobenthos community assembly at natural and artificial restoration sites was both determined by deterministic processes, with environmental filtering dominating, which explained 52% and 54% of the variations in macrobenthic community structures respectively. Although our findings did not validate the research hypothesis, higher biotic heterogeneity and species interaction among macrobenthos could support natural restoration as the primary method for abandoned pond‐to‐mangrove projects, because it is a nature‐based solution for mangrove restoration.