Abstract: Coastal wetlands such as saltmarsh and mangrove support high biodiversity and complex food web, in which the benthic invertebrate communities play pivotal roles in energy transfer. The composition of benthic community could be easily disturbed by the exterior environmental changes, with consequences on biodiversity, nutrient cycling, and energy flow. As one of the most serious threats to the coastal wetlands in China, the invasion of Spartina alterniflora on the benthic community and trophic relationship deserve more concerns. There is no consensus on the effects of S. alterniflora invasion on the benthic community structure and food web relationship as such effects were determined by different factors. In this review, we discussed the factors influencing the invasive effects of S. alternifloraon the benthic community structure, including original vegetation type, invasive period, the growth characteristics of S. alterniflora and the taxonomic status of benthic invertebrates. We further focused on the change of trophic relationship of benthic invertebrate under the invasion o S. alterniflora and its underlying mechanism. The deficiencies of existing research were pointed out and suggestions on the management of coastal wetlands were proposed.

Key words: long-term continuous cropping, straw return, particulate organic carbon, cotton field, Fourier transform infrared