Abstract: With more attention on ecological values of mangroves, mangrove afforestation programs have been continuously implemented globally. Previous evaluation on the effects of mangrove afforestation focused on quantitative aspects, such as afforestation area and survival rate, but few focused on its ecological functions. In this study, we analyzed the functional traits of macrobenthic assemblages and their correlation with environmental factors in mangroves of Shuidong Bay. In total, 40 species of macrobenthos from five phyla and six classes were identified in the one-year field sampling. The density, biomass and functional diversities of macrobenthic assemblages were significantly different among different dominant mangroves species and types. The ecological function of Sonneratia apetala plantation was similar to that of Avicennia marinanatural forest. Compared to the afforested Laguncularia racemosa monoculture, the mixed plantation can satisfy the habitat demand of more macrobenthic functional groups. The physicochemical properties of soil and water were significantly correlated with some macrobenthic functional traits. Environmental changes caused by mangrove colonization were mainly attributed to the diversification of macrobenthic assemblages.

Key words: banker plant system, Tytthus chinensis, Nilaparvata muiri, population parameters. , Leersia sayanuka