The tidal creek system is an active geomorphic unit in coastal wetlands, and the water environment of different level tidal creeks changes significantly, leading to spatial distribution differences of biological communities. This study selected a typical tidal creek unit in the Huanghe River Delta and used environmental DNA metabarcoding (eDNA) technique to detect the diversity of invertebrates. The biological co-occurrence network analysis and redundancy analysis (RDA) were respectively used to reveal the keystone species and driving factors of the invertebrate community in the typical tidal creek. The results showed that a total of 127 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) of invertebrates were detected in the tidal creek unit, belonging to 9 phyla, 24 classes, 53 orders, 103 families, 87 genera, and 90 species; among them, the class level was dominated by the Arthropoda (43.9%), and the genus level was dominated by the Perinereis (25.2%). The comprehensive diversity index (CD) analysis showed that the comprehensive diversity of invertebrates in the third-level tidal creek was the highest, and the comprehensive diversity of invertebrates in the first-level tidal creek was the lowest. The biological co-occurrence network analysis showed that the Perinereis linea and the Obelia dichotoma were the keystone species, which played a key role in maintaining the stability of the invertebrate community structure in the tidal creek. The RDA showed that the silicate content of the water body, temperature, and the proportion of fine sand and clay in the sediment were the main environmental factors affecting the invertebrate community characteristics in the tidal creek. Correlation network analysis showed that the keystone species were significantly affected by silicate content, clay, and nitrogen content in water (P < 0.05). The research results are helpful for understanding the community structure of typical tidal creek invertebrates, revealing the keystone species of typical tidal ditch invertebrates, and providing data support and theoretical reference for the monitoring and protection of invertebrate diversity.
| 科 Family | 属数 Number of genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) | 属 Genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 鹅膏菌科Amanitaceae | 2 | 11 | 5.26 | 鹅膏菌属 Amanita | 10 | 4.78 |
| 小菇科 Mycenaceae | 2 | 12 | 5.74 | 丝盖伞属 Inocybe | 5 | 2.39 |
| 多孔菌科 Polyporaceae | 8 | 14 | 6.70 | 蜡蘑属 Laccaria | 5 | 2.39 |
| 红菇科 Russulaceae | 3 | 23 | 11.00 | 小皮伞属 Marasmius | 6 | 2.87 |
| 小菇属 Mycena | 11 | 5.26 | ||||
| 光柄菇属 Pluteus | 5 | 2.39 | ||||
| 红菇属 Russula | 17 | 8.13 | ||||
| 栓菌属 Trametes | 5 | 2.39 |