• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.115-132
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• 1992

This study was conducted to clarify the distribution pattern of macrobenthic soft-bottom dwelling animals near the shellfish farming ground in Chinhae Bay, Korea Sampling was seasonally performed with van Veen grab$(0.1m^2)$ from October 1990 to July 1991. Benthic animals collected during the study comprised 107 species which amounted to 6,978 individuals: 52 species from polychaetes$(48.6\%)$, 34 species from crustaceans$(31.8\%),$ 14 species from molluscs$(13.1\%)$ and 7 species from other faunal groups$(6.5\%)$. The dominant species were four polychaetes and one amphipod: Lumbrineis longifolia, Capitella capitate, Mediomastus sp., Sigambra tentaculata and Erictonius pugnax. The study area could be divided into 3 regions based on the faunal similarity which was closely related to the content of organic matter in the surface sediment. The benthic community located near the shellfish farming ground showed large spatial and seasonal variations in species diversity and evenness in contrast to the stable values off the farming area. The oxygen deficient water mass below 2 ml/l In thi bottom layer during the summer stressed and depauperated the benthic community in the autumn of 1990. However, the benthic community did recover during the winter. It is postulated that the cyclic phenomenon of summer mortality followed by winter recovery may be a common characteristic in benthic communities subjected to a high level of organic pollution.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.35-45
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• 2002

Seasonal quantitative van Veen grab sampling was conducted to characterize the composition and structure of the benthic polychaete community inhabiting the shellfish farming ground of a coastal bay system of Jiniu Bay (Korea). A total of 132 polychaete species were identified and the polychaetes accounted for about $80\%$ of overall abundance of benthic animals. There was little significant seasonal difference in densities (abundances) of polychaetes, Maximum biomass was obseued in summer (August) and minimum value was recorded in winter (February) and spring (May). Conversely, diversity and richness were lowest in summer, indicating a seasonal variability in the polychaetous community structure, The cluster analysis indicated that such a seasonal variability resulted mainly from the appearance of a few small, r-selected opportunists in spring and the tubiculous species of the family Maldanidae in summer. On the other hand, several indicator species for the organically enriched environments such as Capitelia capitata, Notoniashs Jatericeus and hmbrineris sp. showed high densities during all the study period. Density and biomass of univariate measures of community structure were significantly lower in the arkshell-farming ground of the southern area than in the non-farming sites of the bay, A similar general tendency was also found in the spatial distributions of species diversity and richness. Principal component analysis revealed the existence of different groups of benthic assemblages between the arkshell-farming ground and non-farming sites, The lack of colonization of r-selected opportunists and/or tubiculous species in the former ground seemed to contribute to the spatial differences in the composition and structure of the polychaetous communities. Although finer granulometric composition and high sulfide concentration in sediments of the arkshell-farming ground and low salinity in the northern area were likely to account for parts of the differences, other environmental variables observed were unlikely. The spatial distribution of polychaetes in Jiniu Bay may be rather closely related to the sedimentary disturbance by selection of shells for harvesting in spring.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.908-926
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• 2014

This study investigated the community structure and health assessment of macrobenthic assemblages in Wonmun Bay, in the southern coast of Korea. The total number of species and mean density were 170 species and $1,269\;indivuduals/m^2$, respectively. The major dominant species were the bivalve Theora fragilis ($230{\pm}446\;indivuduals/m^2$) and the polychaetes Lumbrineris longifolia ($180{\pm}339\;indivuduals/m^2$), Sigambra tentaculata ($124{\pm}153\;indivuduals/m^2$), Paraprionospio patiens ($104{\pm}293\;indivuduals/m^2$) and Capitella capitata ($82{\pm}223\;indivuduals/m^2$). Community statistics [cluster analysis and nonmetric multidimentional scaling (NMDS) ordination] revealed that the macrobenthic community structure in the study area was classified into three station groups for both seasons. Several biotic indices based on macrobenthic communities have been developed to assess the ecological quality of coastal ecosystems. In this study, the ecological status was assessed by four biotic indices Shannon's H', the AZTI Marine Biotic Index (AMBI), multivariate-AMBI (M-AMBI) and the Ecological Conservation Index (ECI). The ecological statuses of the macrobenthic communities in Wonmun Bay were poorer in the summer than in the spring. The results of the present study indicate that three biotic indices ( i.e.; Shannon's H', M-AMBI and ECI ) were better correlated with bottom dissolved oxygen than the AMBI in Wonmun Bay.