• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.85-97
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• 2011

The tidal flats of Korea today have reduced by 40% in size compared to 1964. To manage this important habitat properly, development of well-organized and nationwide-applicable grading systems is required. There have been several assessment systems proposed previously in Korea, but they are critically flawed in that selected biological indicators are not adequate and grading criteria are obscure and arbitrary. We reviewed the indicators used in these previous evaluation systems (e.g., diversity indices, quantity and quality of benthic macrofauna, halophytes, water birds, etc.) and subsequently proposed new indicators and an improved grading scheme. For the quantitative assessment of macrobenthic community, biomass reflecting production and ecosystem function is recommended over density, which is much less discriminatory among habitats. Of biodiversity indices used, within-, between-habitat and regional biodiversity indices that accurately reflect sampling efforts are suggested. In addition, we proposed to include species rarity, ecosystem engineers, and the ecological quality index ISEP (Inverse function of Shannon-Wiener Evenness Proportion). As for halophytes, their low spatial coverage on benthic habitat suggests that their presence can be used as an ecological indicator of benthic habitat, regardless of their protective status. We stress the need to introduce 1) quantile approach for quantitative indicators (e.g., diversity, biomass, etc.) in relation to grading, 2) presence-absence approach for spatial or aggregate indicators (e.g., boundaries of halophytes and feeding ground of water birds) and 3) benthic habitat mapping that combines all of these indicators.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.251-269
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• 2018

In 1997, the environmental score (Q) corresponding the tolerance value of Korean benthic macroinvertebrate species and the related biotic score, the ecological score of benthic macroinvertebrates (ESB) were proposed; ESB was similar to Beck's biotic index or Chandler's biotic score. This study was carried out to revise the Q values of individual species and the assessment scheme of ESB based on the taxonomic performance and ecological information accumulated since then. The original ESB was renamed as TESB (total ESB), and AESB (average ESB) was newly proposed. AESB is calculated by dividing the TESB (for a given station) by the number of species present in the sample. In this study, TESB showed a positively skewed distribution, while AESB showed a negatively skewed distribution. The correlation between TESB and the concentration of $BOD_5$ was a little stronger than that of the original ESB. TESB showed a very strong correlation (correlation coefficient r = 0.98) with Margalef's species richness, of which correlation coefficient was higher than that of AESB (r = 0.85). AESB showed a strong correlation (r = -0.79) with the concentration of $BOD_5$, while TESB showed a weaker correlation (r = -0.67). Applying TESB and AESB together in an assessment of the environment may be comprehensive because the physical and chemical states of the environment can be evaluated together. AESB is less dependent on the sample size, while TESB tends to increase as the sample size increases. In the evaluation of the environment using TESB, it is necessary to standardize the methods on monitoring.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.68-75
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• 2002

This study were observed to the conditions of organic pollution applying to tile environmental assessments based on macrobenthos around the raft culture ground which became an issue by organic matter input in Jinhae Bay. Three stations, mussel farm, oyster farm and the control station on which rarely culture activities were fixed and have analyzed to the sediment characteristics and macrobenthic communities. Muddy substrates between 6.0 and 6.60 on mean grain size have prevailed to the bottom layer in all stations. The highest organic matter content of 2.8% was observed to the mussel farm while the lowest one of 1.5% was recorded on the control area. As a total, 79 species from seven phyla were identified. Comparing to shell farms, the control station have composed to more diversified community structure. In the mussel and the oyster farm, opportunistic species, living in high organic contents area, Lumbrineris longifolia, Heteromastus. filiformis in polychaetes and Corophium sinense in amphipod were dominated. As results on environmental assessment, in spite of changing to the species composition and densities seasonally, the mussel farm have recorded only to moderately polluted condition.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.17-23
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• 2013

BACKGROUND: Today, environmentally friendly farming has become an important feature of agricultural policy. It promotes or sustains farming systems which protect and enhance the environment. This study was conducted to compare benthic invertebrate communities in an organic and a conventional paddy field in South Korea. METHODS AND RESULTS: Benthic invertebrates were collected at 11 regions of a rice paddy from June to August, 2009, 2010 and 2011. These comparisons undertaken using a community assessment approaches such as the number of individuals and species and community composition. Generally, the larger number of individuals and species of benthic invertebrates was observed in an organic paddy than in a conventional paddy field. Organic paddy fields could supported the wider range of species and abundance in aquatic invertebrates comparing to conventional paddy fields. Carrying capacity to support larger numbers of invertebrates also tends to be higher in organic paddy than in conventional paddy field. Specially, organic farming regions surrounded by forests were high quality habitat for benthic invertebrates than other surrounded regions such as grassland. CONCLUSION(S): We concluded that organic farming was more advantaged to benthic invertebrates than conventional farming. In order to improve biodiversity in rice paddy field, farming regimes without agricultural chemicals are recommended. The effect of organic management on biodiversity and abundance of benthic invertebrates could be maximized across highland farmland.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.119-128
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• 2001

A biological assessment of water quality was carried out in the Pyungchang River water system, Gangwon-do, Korea from September 1999 through August 2000. The benthic macroinvertebrates collected seasonally from 15 field sites were identified mostly up to species level. Benthic macroinvertebrates composed of 109 species, 77 genera, 31 families, 10 orders, 4 classes in 4 phyla. Dominant species occurring in all the field sites were mostly ephemeropterans and trichopterans. On the basis of the values of species diversity and biological indices such as Trent Biotic Index (TBI) Modified Biological Monitoring Working Party Score System (BMWP) and Biotic Index (BI), the Pyungchang River Water system was generally regarded as showing oligosaprobic water quality.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.139-160
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• 2024

The community structure of benthic macroinvertebrates in the Madongho Wetland protected area and inflow river located in Goseong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, was investigated in 2022 and 2023. We collected and identified 3,582 individuals belonging to 7 classes, 23 orders, 51 families, and 78 species over the 2 years from six sites. Gnorimosphaeroma naktongense was the dominant species with a ratio of 20%, and Caridina denticulata denticulata was the subdominant species with a ratio of 13.32%. Predators and gathering collectors were the most abundant in the functional feeding group, while sprawlers were the most diverse and numerous in the habitual dwelling group. Diversity, richness, dominance, and evenness were calculated as the biological indices. In addition, various biological water quality indices were calculated. Most insects in the inflow rivers belonged to group I in evaluating relative resistance and resilience, showing high colony stability. The results of analyzing the correlation between salinity and substrate particle size with brackish water species showed that Gnorimosphaeroma naktongense and Hediste japonica had a significant positive correlation with salinity, while Assiminea lutea and Neomysis awatschensis had a significant positive correlation with substrate particle size. Additionally, Sinelobus kisui was found to be a new record of Korean Tanaididae in this study.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.52 no.spc2
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• pp.765-776
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to provide the legal and institutional guidelines and standards that can be used in the whole river restoration project and to analyze and evaluate the performance of the river project. We constructed an assessment system of four biological taxa that can represent the river environments, namely, evaluation indexes and standards of vegetation and birds, benthic invertebrates and fishes. Specifically, the assessment indicator and criteria of biological characteristics are summarized, so that in case of vegetation community, vegetation diversity, vegetation complexity, and vegetation naturalness can be quantitatively assessed through the combination of three indices. Based on the scientific basis of the advanced techniques, benthic invertebrates, fishes, and birds were proposed to quantitatively evaluate assessment grades according to the classification of biological data. In order to evaluate biological characteristics, which are a part of river environmental naturalness, we proposed a comprehensive biological index and evaluation grade applying the weight of these four biological taxa, and it clearly reflects the characteristics of river environment in test bed.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.183-200
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• 2003

In order to assess the ecological changes induced by organic pollutants of the Shihwa Lake, BPI (Benthic Pollution Index) based on the benthic faunal community was employed. It was modified from Infaunal Trophic Index (ITI), and recommended as a pollution detecting method for the environmental assessment. The BPI values were calculated from the benthos data, which were collected for three terms: in 1980, before the Shihwa Lake was built up; in 1994-1997, which the Shihwa Lake was completely isolated from the outer seawater; in 1997-1999, after inflow of the outer seawater. Since the Shihwa Dike was constructed in February 1994, the pollution intensity of the lake had been increased from the narrow and inner part of the former Gyeonggi Bay and spread fast along the coast line of the Shihwa Lake. Then, in 1996 it showed the very high BPI levels all around the Lake. This serious polluted condition had been lasted till 1997, when the inflow of the seawater was begun. In 1998, from the nearest part of the Shihwa Gate, the BPI levels gradually became low in most area of the Lake, except its inner and narrow part. These greatly lowered BPI levels mean that the seawater inflow could be assumed to affect positively in the lake. Furthermore, BPI gave the same results from the other environmental assessment based on the abundance and the species richness of macrobenthic community. It shows that BPI could be useful as an effective method to assess the marine environment and evaluate the status of environmental conditions.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.779-793
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• 2023

Intensive and long-term aquaculture activities in Korea have generated considerable amounts of organic matter, deteriorating the sedimentary environment and ecosystem. The Korean government enacted the Fishery Management Act to preserve and manage the environment of fish farms. Based on this, a fisheries environment assessment has been conducted on fish cage farms since 2014, necessitating the development of a scientific and objective evaluation method suitable for the domestic environment. Therefore, a benthic health index (BHI) was developed using the relationship between benthic polychaete communities and organic matter, a major source of pollution in fish farms. In this study, the development process and calculation method of the BHI have been introduced. The BHI was calculated by classifying 225 species of polychaetes appearing in domestic coastal and aquaculture areas into four groups by linking the concentration gradient of the total organic carbon in the sediment and the distributional characteristics of each species and assigning differential weights to each group. Using BHI, the benthic fauna communities were assigned to one of the four ecological classes (Grade 1: Normal, Grade 2: Slightly polluted, Grade 3: Moderately polluted, and Grade 4: Heavily polluted). The application of the developed index in the field enabled effective evaluation of the Korean environment, being relatively more accurate and less affected by the season compared with the existing evaluation methods like the diversity index or AZTI's Marine Biotic Index developed overseas. In addition, using BHI will be useful in the environmental management of fish farms, as the environment can be graded in quantified figures.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.114-126
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to develop a Korean thermality index (KTI) based on the distribution patterns of benthic macroinvertebrates according to altitude and latitude. Analyzing seasonal data (4,853 sampling units) surveyed and collected during 2007 ~ 2011 at 846 sites in South Korea, we estimated thermal valency, thermal value and indicator weight value of 208 species. Among them, 40 species in 6 orders (Decapoda 1 species, Collembola 1 species, Ephemeroptera 5 species, Plecoptera 17 species, Diptera 3 species, Trichoptera 13 species) were selected as the candidate indicator species sensitive and vulnerable to warmth along with climate change. KTI and Benthic macroinvertebrate index (BMI) were tested at three clean streams (Hangye stream, Buk stream and Bangtae stream). KTI showed significant differences according to altitude and water temperature whereas the saprobity index BMI showed little differences. This result means that KTI can be applicable to assess the impact of water temperature independently of organic pollutants.