Temporal changes in habitat structure and gastropod community assemblage in response to active restoration of a Central American mangrove
Mangrove forests are biodiversity hotspots that provide critical ecosystem services, from coastal protection to carbon storage. Yet, these ecosystems are disappearing at alarming rates, and while restoration efforts are expanding globally, long-term monitoring—especially in the Americas—remains scar...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Marine Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2025.1563965/full |
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| author | Linda López-Abuchar Christian Peralta-Madriz Carolina Soto-Navarro Gabriela Vinueza-Hidalgo Andrew Whitworth Christopher Beirne |
| author_facet | Linda López-Abuchar Christian Peralta-Madriz Carolina Soto-Navarro Gabriela Vinueza-Hidalgo Andrew Whitworth Christopher Beirne |
| author_sort | Linda López-Abuchar |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Mangrove forests are biodiversity hotspots that provide critical ecosystem services, from coastal protection to carbon storage. Yet, these ecosystems are disappearing at alarming rates, and while restoration efforts are expanding globally, long-term monitoring—especially in the Americas—remains scarce and often narrowly focused on vegetation structure, overlooking biological recovery. In this study, we evaluate whether gastropod community assemblages can serve as functional indicators of ecological recovery across different stages of mangrove restoration in Costa Rica. Using a space-for-time approach, we compared tree structure and gastropod assemblages across restored sites of varying ages, unrestored areas, and mature mangrove forests. We applied linear mixed models to examine how restoration stages influenced structure (tree height and DBH) and biodiversity metrics (gastropod abundance and composition). Tree structure improved consistently with restoration age, with five-year-old trees reaching nearly half the height and DBH of mature forest counterparts. Gastropod abundance exhibited a non-linear response—initially declining post-planting, then peaking by year five. Community composition also shifted: Melampus dominated early stages, while older sites supported Vitta, Cerithideopsis, and Littoraria. The exclusive presence of Thaisella in mature forests suggests its potential as a bioindicator of late-stage ecological recovery. Our results underscore the value of integrating biological indicators into mangrove monitoring. Gastropod assemblages offer a powerful lens through which to monitor ecological functionality, providing a low-cost, scalable tool to enhance adaptive management and guide future restoration efforts in tropical coastal ecosystems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a9a6dca5fc2641c4a75f86a2b70d472a |
| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 2296-7745 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-a9a6dca5fc2641c4a75f86a2b70d472a2025-07-18T11:31:38ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Marine Science2296-77452025-07-011210.3389/fmars.2025.15639651563965Temporal changes in habitat structure and gastropod community assemblage in response to active restoration of a Central American mangroveLinda López-Abuchar0Christian Peralta-Madriz1Carolina Soto-Navarro2Gabriela Vinueza-Hidalgo3Andrew Whitworth4Christopher Beirne5Mangrove Restoration and Conservation Program, Asociación Conservación Osa, Puerto Jiménez, Costa RicaMangrove Restoration and Conservation Program, Asociación Conservación Osa, Puerto Jiménez, Costa RicaWilder Nature, Rewilding Europe, Heilig Landstichting, NetherlandsMangrove Restoration and Conservation Program, Asociación Conservación Osa, Puerto Jiménez, Costa RicaMangrove Restoration and Conservation Program, Asociación Conservación Osa, Puerto Jiménez, Costa RicaMangrove Restoration and Conservation Program, Asociación Conservación Osa, Puerto Jiménez, Costa RicaMangrove forests are biodiversity hotspots that provide critical ecosystem services, from coastal protection to carbon storage. Yet, these ecosystems are disappearing at alarming rates, and while restoration efforts are expanding globally, long-term monitoring—especially in the Americas—remains scarce and often narrowly focused on vegetation structure, overlooking biological recovery. In this study, we evaluate whether gastropod community assemblages can serve as functional indicators of ecological recovery across different stages of mangrove restoration in Costa Rica. Using a space-for-time approach, we compared tree structure and gastropod assemblages across restored sites of varying ages, unrestored areas, and mature mangrove forests. We applied linear mixed models to examine how restoration stages influenced structure (tree height and DBH) and biodiversity metrics (gastropod abundance and composition). Tree structure improved consistently with restoration age, with five-year-old trees reaching nearly half the height and DBH of mature forest counterparts. Gastropod abundance exhibited a non-linear response—initially declining post-planting, then peaking by year five. Community composition also shifted: Melampus dominated early stages, while older sites supported Vitta, Cerithideopsis, and Littoraria. The exclusive presence of Thaisella in mature forests suggests its potential as a bioindicator of late-stage ecological recovery. Our results underscore the value of integrating biological indicators into mangrove monitoring. Gastropod assemblages offer a powerful lens through which to monitor ecological functionality, providing a low-cost, scalable tool to enhance adaptive management and guide future restoration efforts in tropical coastal ecosystems.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2025.1563965/fullmangrove restorationadaptive managementgastropod community assemblageecological indicatorsCosta Rica |
| spellingShingle | Linda López-Abuchar Christian Peralta-Madriz Carolina Soto-Navarro Gabriela Vinueza-Hidalgo Andrew Whitworth Christopher Beirne Temporal changes in habitat structure and gastropod community assemblage in response to active restoration of a Central American mangrove Frontiers in Marine Science mangrove restoration adaptive management gastropod community assemblage ecological indicators Costa Rica |
| title | Temporal changes in habitat structure and gastropod community assemblage in response to active restoration of a Central American mangrove |
| title_full | Temporal changes in habitat structure and gastropod community assemblage in response to active restoration of a Central American mangrove |
| title_fullStr | Temporal changes in habitat structure and gastropod community assemblage in response to active restoration of a Central American mangrove |
| title_full_unstemmed | Temporal changes in habitat structure and gastropod community assemblage in response to active restoration of a Central American mangrove |
| title_short | Temporal changes in habitat structure and gastropod community assemblage in response to active restoration of a Central American mangrove |
| title_sort | temporal changes in habitat structure and gastropod community assemblage in response to active restoration of a central american mangrove |
| topic | mangrove restoration adaptive management gastropod community assemblage ecological indicators Costa Rica |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2025.1563965/full |
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