Distribution and Abundance of Key Bioindicator Gastropod Species of the Sundarban Mangrove Ecosystem, India

Intertidal zones are the habitat of various gastropod species, and their survival and abundance are influenced by a range of environmental factors. The study aims to determine the abundance and spatial distribution of important bioindicator gastropod species (viz. Cerithidea obtusa , Cerithidea cingulata , Littoraria scabra , Nerita articulata , and Telescopium telescopium ) throughout the Indian part of the Sundarban, and to identify the set of environmental factors that explain the abundance of these species. A scenario analysis was performed in relation to climate change. Twenty‐four environmental factors influencing the abundance of these mollusk species were recorded for 1 year during field observation and laboratory experiments. The final set of predictors was selected after removal of multicollinearity through Variance Inflation Factor (VIF) analysis. Three multiple linear regression models (forward selection, backward elimination, and Lasso regression) were used to analyze the data. Spatial distribution pattern analysis of these mollusks was performed using the inverse distance weighting interpolation method. Based on various model performance metrics, Lasso regression showed the best result for all five species. The results of the study confirmed that atmospheric temperature, organic carbon, and clay content of soil are common predictor variables that influence the abundance of all five gastropods. In addition, water salinity, soil nitrogen and phosphorus content, and the presence of pneumatophore also influenced the abundance of different gastropod species. Scenario analysis predicted that an increase in average annual temperature and soil organic carbon content would lead to a higher abundance of these gastropod species.