Decoupling Patterns and Drivers of Macrozoobenthos Taxonomic and Functional Diversity to Wetland Chronosequences in Coal Mining Subsidence Areas

Surface subsidence caused by coal mining activities generates diverse wetland ecosystems. These newly formed wetlands exhibit distinct environmental characteristics due to variations in subsidence age, resulting in divergent biological communities. While species adapt to environmental changes through specific functional trait combinations, the response of aquatic community functional diversity to environmental gradients across chronosequences of mining subsidence wetlands remains unclear. This study investigated 13 coal mining subsidence wetlands (1–18 years) of macrozoobenthos in Jining, China. Through seasonal monitoring, we analyzed functional traits along with taxonomic and functional diversity patterns. Initial-stage wetlands were dominated by medium-sized (63.9%) and tegument-respiring taxa, whereas late-stage wetlands exhibited a shift toward large-sized (43.9%) and gill-respiring groups. Both species richness and functional richness declined over time, with taxonomic diversity demonstrating greater sensitivity to subsidence age. Seasonal community variability was more pronounced in initial-stage wetlands (1–4 years post-subsidence). Despite increasing habitat heterogeneity with subsidence age, functional redundancy maintains ecosystem stability. The shared origin and developmental trajectory of these wetlands may constrain functional divergence. Current research predominantly relies on traditional taxonomic metrics, whereas our findings emphasize functional trait analysis’s importance for ecosystem assessment, which provides a theoretical framework for ecological restoration and biodiversity conservation in post-subsidence wetlands.