Do seasonal dynamics influence traits and composition of macrobenthic assemblages of Sundarbans Estuarine System, India?

The present study investigates the influence of seasonal dynamics on macrobenthic assemblages in four seasons of 2017—2018 from the central sector of Indian Sundarbans which is under the constant threat of climate change. Besides taxonomic analysis, a traitbased approach has also been applied to assess the change in their ecosystem functioning. The maximum species density (11675 ± 11883.31 ind. m−2) was observed during the spring season which declines considerably in the monsoon season (5875 ± 6224.08 ind. m−2). A total of 95 macrobenthic taxa were recorded from Sundarbans and they were dominated by families like Capitellidae, Donacidae, Magelonidae, Nereididae, Paraonidae and Spionidae. Overall, polychaetes have shown higher taxonomic and functional variation than other groups. Opportunistic polychaete species have shown a prominent compositional shift during post-monsoon seasons. Both the univariate and multivariate analyses have shown a significant relation between macrobenthic composition and environmental parameters. SIMPER has depicted that environmental parameters made the station 4 unique for several types of molluscs like Acteocina estriata, Stenothyra deltae and Meretrix meretrix during spring. Trait percentages also showed a seasonal succession pattern and among the trait categories, burrowers and deposit feeders dominated the estuary. A gradual increase in suspension feeders in spring has been noticed. RLQ approach with fourth-corner analysis was used to unravel the relationship between traits and environmental parameters. Hence, the present study provided a comprehensive idea about the species composition along with their trait categories from such a dynamic habitat. That could be the first stepping stone for a long term monitoring of macrobenthic assemblages from this largest delta on earth.