Habitat suitability analysis of eelgrass <Emphasis Type="Italic">Zostera marina</Emphasis> L. in the subtidal zone of Xiaoheishan Island

We present a GIS-based habitat suitability index (HSI) model to identify suitable areas for Zostera marina L. restoration in the subtidal zone of Xiaoheishan Island. The controlling factors in the model, in order of importance, are Secchi depth, sediment composition, water temperature, salinity, current velocity, water depth and nutrient quality. Specific factor piecewise functions have been used to transform parameter values into normalized quality indexes. The weight of each factor was defined using expert knowledge and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method. All of the data thus obtained were interpolated using the inverse distance weighted (IDW) interpolation method to create maps for the entire region. In this study, the analysis of habitat suitability in the subtidal zone of Xiaoheishan Island was conducted for four seasons. According to the GIS-based HSI model, the optimal habitat of Zostera marina L. appears in spring, although habitat remains suitable all year round. On the whole, the optimum site for eelgrass restoration is located in the eastern region, followed by the western and southern regions. We believe that the GIS-based HSI model could be a promising tool to select sites for Zostera marina L. restoration and could also be applicable in other types of habitat evaluation.