• Ocean and Polar Research
• /
• v.35 no.2
• /
• pp.69-83
• /
• 2013

Metal concentrations in creek water, sewer outlets and core sediments were analyzed to identify the potential origin of metal pollution and to evaluate the extent of metal pollution and potential toxicity of Lake Shihwa. Mean concentrations for dissolved metals in creek water and sewer outlets were 1.6~136 times higher than those in the surface seawater of Lake Shihwa. Metal concentrations in creek water from an industrial region were also higher than those from municipal and agricultural regions, indicating that the potential source of metal pollution in the study area might be mainly due to industrial activities. The vertical profiles of metals in core sediments showed an increasing trend toward the upper sediments. Extremely higher concentrations of metals were observed in the vicinity of Banweol industrial complex. The results of a geo-accumulation index indicated that Cu, Zn and Cd were highly polluted. By comparing the sediment quality guidelines such as TEL and PEL, six metals such as Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb levels in core sediments nearby industrial complex exceeded the PEL value. Mean PEL quotient (mPELQ) was used to integrate the estimate of potential toxicity for measured metals in the present study. Mean PELQs in core sediments from Lake Shihwa ranged from 0.2~2.3, indicating that benthic organisms nearby the industrial complex may have been adversely affected.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
• /
• v.34 no.2
• /
• pp.183-201
• /
• 2018

The tolerance of Korean benthic macroinvertebrates to organic pollution has been analyzed since the early 1990s. However, considering the fact that there have been related studies carried out in some European countries since the early 20th century, the history of the research in Korea is very short and there is still much knowledge to supplement. We revised the saprobic valency, the saprobic value and the indicator weight value of 190 benthic macroinvertebrates taxa through the data of water quality and individual abundance collected from 7,086 sampling units in Korea from 2008 to 2014. The individual abundance of Uracanthella (Ephemeroptera) as a representative, one of the most common and abundant taxa in Korea, showed a typical lognormal distribution to 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) concentration, and a normal distribution to the class interval of BOD5 concentration according to saprobic series. The value combining the mean individual abundance and the relative frequency of occurrence was a more efficient indicator value than that of each property alone. Benthic Macroinertebrates Index (BMI) was newly proposed as a modification of the saprobic index of Zelinka and Marvan (1961). BMI showed extremely significant correlation (determination coefficient $r^2$ > 0.6, n = 569 sites) with the concentration of BOD5, and the coefficient was a little higher than those of the previous indices. Until now, there has been very little research on the assessment of biological integrity of benthic macroinvertebrates community in Korea. While continuing researches into improve the reliability of BMI, it is necessary to develop multimetric indices for evaluating the integrity, including the composition of species and functional guilds, and the richness and diversity of the community.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
• /
• v.24 no.1
• /
• pp.128-138
• /
• 2019

Effects of feeding type and food resource availability on community structure of mollusks inhabiting hard-bottom subtidal areas were investigated. By following guidance from several references, mollusks observed in this study were divided into 5 groups according to feeding type - 1) grazing, 2) filter feeding, 3) deposit feeding, 4) omnivorous and 5) predation. The results showed that both grazing and filter feeders were the most numerous, explaining grazing type in the East Sea accounting for 47.9%, 32.6% in the South Sea and 29.6% for filter feeding, and filter feeding as a dominant feeding type in Yellow Sea accounting for 42.3%. Results of this study showed distinctive difference in community structure depending on mechanism of feeding type and geographical areas where sampling took place. With the results, attempts were made to understand whether community structure could be affected by feeding type or feeding availability and found out that community structure depended heavily on food resource availability. In the East Sea where marine algal density was high, the algal community in the forms of thick-leathery and sheet often occurred in water column with high transparency which provides proper environment for growth. In the South Sea where grazing and filter feeding types were predominated similarly, the algal density was high, but had the relative highest phytoplankton density. Whereas in the Yellow Sea showing the lowest algal biomass compared to the one in the East and the South Sea, and phytoplankton density was similar to those. It might be a adequate environment for filter feeders than grazers. This study concluded that community structure of mollusks showing high abundance was present where food resource availability with types and quantity was high.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
• /
• v.26 no.1
• /
• pp.21-31
• /
• 2024

Macromia daimoji Okumura, 1949 was designated as an endangered species and also categorized as Class II Endangered wildlife on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List in Korea. The spatial distribution of this species ranged within a region delimited by northern latitude from Sacheon-si(35.1°) to Yeoncheon-gun(38.0°) and eastern longitude from Yeoncheon-gun(126.8°) to Yangsan-si(128.9°). They generally prefer microhabitats such as slowly flowing littoral zones of streams, alluvial stream islands and temporarily formed puddles in the sand-based lowland streams. The objectives of this study were to analyze the similarity of benthic macroinvertebrate communities in M. daimoji habitats, to predict the current potential distribution patterns as well as the changes of distribution ranges under global climate change circumstances. Data was collected both from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and by field surveys from April 2009 to September 2022. We adopted MaxEnt model to predict the current and future potential distribution for M. daimoji using downloaded 19 variables from the WorldClim database. The differences of benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages in the mainstream of Nakdonggang were smaller than those in its tributaries and the other streams, based on the surrounding environments and stream sizes. MaxEnt model presented that potential distribution displayed high inhabiting probability in Nakdonggang and its tributaries. Applying to the future scenarios by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), SSP1 scenario was predicted to expand in a wide area and SSP5 scenario in a narrow area, comparing with current potential distribution. M. daimoji is not only directly threatened by physical disturbances (e.g. river development activities) but also vulnerable to rapidly changing climate circumstances. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the habitat environments and establish conservation strategies for preserving population of M. daimoji.

• Korean Journal of Environment and Ecology
• /
• v.38 no.3
• /
• pp.263-276
• /
• 2024

Fish community characteristics and the influence of sampling gear were investigated in Lake Singal, South Korea, from August 2020 to October 2021. The employed sampling gears included a kick net, cast net, gill net, and fyke net, which are commonly utilized within the lake. Across three survey stations, a total of 18 fish species from seven families, comprising 3,501 individuals and contributing to a total biomass of 117,670 grams, were identified. Dominance among species was assessed based on individual count and biomass. Pseudorasbora parva was the most abundant, constituting 29.9% of the total catch, followed by Zacco platypus (25.1%) and Micropterus salmoides (19.3%). In terms of biomass, Carassius auratus was predominant, accounting for 45.1%, followed by Cyprinus carpio (17.4%) and M. salmoides (14.3%). Among the sampled species, three were identified as endemic to Korea: Squalidus japonicus coreanus, Cobitis nalbanti, and Odontobutis interrupta. Additionally, four exotic species were recorded, including M. salmoides and Lepomis macrochirus, both classified as invasive alien species, along with C. cuvieri and a variant of Cyprinus carpio (nudus type). Analysis of the average standard length (SL) and body weight (BW) revealed significant size variations among species. P. parva, the dominant species, measured 60 ± 24.1 mm (SL) and weighed 4.4 ± 3.42 g (BW). The subdominant species, Z. platypus, exhibited an SL of 82 ± 17.6 mm and a BW of 10.4 ± 7.27 g. M. salmoides, another dominant species, registered 96 ± 25.1 mm (SL) and 24.9 ± 96.02 g (BW), while C. auratus measured 125 ± 77.3 mm (SL) and weighed 168 ± 336.5 g (BW). In terms of gear-specific performance, the kick net captured eight species from three families, totaling 302 individuals with a biomass of 1,269 g. The cast net was more effective in coastal zones, collecting 11 species from four families, amounting to 948 individuals and 31,343 g of biomass. The gill net yielded the highest biomass, capturing 13 species from four families with 682 individuals weighing 69,695 g. The fyke net recorded the highest species diversity and number of individuals, capturing 15 species from seven families, totaling 1,569 individuals and 15,362 g of biomass. The fyke net proved most efficient in species and individual counts, whereas the gill net was superior for biomass collection. Conversely, the kick net demonstrated effectiveness in collecting small benthic species in coastal areas.