• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.262-277
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• 2024

The mid-eastern coast of Korea is located at the boundary between cold and warm currents, which causes changes in the distribution and composition of marine organisms in response to fluctuations in the marine environment. To understand the seasonal changes in the seaweed community, we investigated its species composition, biomass, coverage, and frequency from November 2022 to August 2023. A total of 45 species (7 green, 18 brown, and 20 red algae) were found in the study area. In the intertidal zone, the number of species decreased from autumn to summer; the biomass peaked during winter (471.94 g wet weight m^-2). Seaweed groups were the dominant functional groups, which were coarsely branched, filamentous, and sheet-like during autumn, winter, spring, and summer. The morpho-functional group was dominated by turf species. In the subtidal zone, the number of species increased during autumn to spring, whereas the biomass peaked during spring (655.27 g wet weight m^-2). The functional group was dominated by coarsely branched species throughout all four seasons, whereas the morpho-functional group was dominated by canopy species. Consequently, changes in the biomass of brown and red algae are recognized as key drivers of seasonal changes in seaweed communities.