Immmune parameters of the Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum collected from four tidal flats, Nudong, Gonam, Hwangdo and Bangpo on Anmyeon-do, Korea were optimized and evaluated at the single cell level using flow-cytometry Hemocytes were withdrawn from the sinus of each clam, and total hemocyte counts (THC), phagocytosis rate, hemocyte mortality (HM) and DNA damage of hemocyte were analyzed. The highest hemocyte counts was recorded from the clams collected from Gonam, followed by Hwangdo, Nudong and Bangpo (P<0.001). Phagocytosis rate and hemocyte mortality of Gonam and Nudong clams were significantly higher than those of clams from Hwangdo and Bangpo (P<0.001). DNA damage in the clams from Nudong was higher twice than that of clams from Gonam (P<0.05). We suggest that the flow-cytometry has a high potential for evaluation of immunity of marine bivalves.

Artificial structures have been designed as pilot structures to promote the creation and restoration of tidal flats. However, little information is available as to whether such artificial construction affects the macrobenthic community structure. We monitored the variation of the macrobenthic community structure and species composition near natural and artificial structures (seaweed and a timber fence) on the tidal flats near the Iwon Dike, Korea. In total, 137 macrobenthic species were recorded during this study, predominantly crustaceans (47%), polychaetes (18%), and molluscs (27%). Polychaetes comprised over 50% of the total density, followed by gastropods (38%) and crustaceans (11%). Macrobenthic species composition in the artificial and natural areas, was initially similar, but it differed after 7 months. The gastropod Umbonium thomasi, the most dominant species, was present at both sites in the first month after the start of the experiment, but disappeared at the artificial sites within 7 months, suggesting disturbance by the environmental factors. The number of species and diversity (H') varied significantly within sites at the beginning of the experiment, but no difference was observed after 7 months. Multivariate analysis (multidimensional scaling) revealed significant differences in community structure between the artificial and the natural areas from 7 months after the start of the experiment, except from 18 to 21 months. The community structures were mainly influenced by U. thomasi. Community structure at the artificial sites was affected by environmental variables, such as carbon, COD/IL sulfide, loss of ignition, kurtosis and silt, which changed over time. We observed no significant correlations between environmental variables and the dominant species, except in the case of Spio sp. and Macrophthalmus dilatatus, suggesting that the biological interactions and temporary disturbances such as typhoon, as well as the effects of artificial structures may also be important regulating factors in this system.

We examined the effect of predation by observing the changes in macrobenthic communities in a tidal flat at Seonjae, Korea, following the exclusion of large predators such as birds, fishes and crustaceans using protective screens. We conducted two interference experiments in the field from April to November 2004: (1) Experiment 1 was conducted at a mid-tidal flat in the western part of Seonjae-do, Incheon, Korea, (2) Experiment 2 was set up at a low tidal flat in the eastern part of Seonjae-do. predator exclusion showed different effects in the two experiments. Both the number of species and density were reduced by 20% in Experiment 1. Whereas in Experiment 2, they increased by up to 13% and 69%, respectively. In Experiment 1, a high density of brachyuran crabs observed in the treatment may have caused the difference in community composition between the treatment and the control, and this probably resulted from active predation of macrofauna (e.g., small crabs) under protection from megafaunal predators such as birds and fishes. However, in Experiment 2, as typically observed in other predator exclusion experiments, a lower density of benthic predators and the subsequent reduction of over predation probably resulted in a more diverse and abundant benthic community in the treatment. We confirmed that predation was a contributing factor in the formation of the macrobenthic community. We also demonstrated relationships that exist among different trophic groups (large predators, macrobenthic predators and prey) and what effects and responses occur in each component of the tidal flats.

We monitored the current macrozoobenthic community structure after the Sea Prince oil spill around Keumo-do and Sori-do, Korea. Macrobenthic animals were collected seasonally around Sori-Keumo do using a van Veen grab ($0.1m^2$) from October 1999 to April 2000. In total, 196 species were identified at 46 sites around Keumho-do. The mean density was 1,460 individuals/$m^2$, and polychaetes comprised 80% of the total density of the macrozoobenthic. Dominant species were the polychaete Tharyx sp. (51%), the echinoderm Amphioplus megapomus (5%) and the polychaete Lumbrineris longifolia (3%). We identified 176 macrobenthic species at 36 sites around Sori-do. The mean density was 1,068 individuals/$m^2$, and polychaetes was the most abundant faunal group, comprising 41%, followed by mollusks (24%) and echinoderms (20%). Dominant species in Sori-do were the mollusk Potamocorbula amurensis (23%), the chinoderm Amphioplus megapomus (14%), and the polychaete Tharyx sp. (10%). The overall community structures in the study area showed few seasonal changes, although there was a gradual change in the species composition within each benthic community. Tharyx sp. was the most abundant species in the study area. Because this species has not been found in the other coastal areas except during recent investigations, it is considered to have increased during the course of community succession after the oil spill. The macrozoobenthic around Keumo-do showed little change in species richness, whereas around Sori-do, it showed a few increases in species richness after the summer of 1998. The overall density showed the same trend as species richness. Based on improved community indices, we suggest that the macrozoobenthic communities around Sori-Keumo Islands are gradually recovering from the oil-spill damagecaused by the oil spill.

Food habits of the gavelin goby Acanthogobius hasta and the fine spot goby Chaeturichtys stigmatias populations were investigated in the Jangbong tidal flat near Incheon, Korea. Samples were taken monthly from November 1999 to January 2001. The gut contents of 248 gavelin gobies and 139 fine spot gobies were analyzed. The diet of the gavelin goby was dominated by the gammaridean amphipod Chitinomandibulum emargicoxa, the crabs Macrophthalmus japonicus and Ilyoplax pingi, the shrimp Exopalaemon carinicauda, the bivalve Raetellops pulchella and the macro-algae Porphyra tenera. On the other hand, the fine spot goby mainly feed on the shrimps Crangon affinis, Latreutes mucronatus, E. carinicauda and Alpheus japonicus, the gammaridean amphipods C. emargicoxa and Synchelidium miraculum, and the bivalve R. pulchella. A comparison between frequencies of occurrence and abundance of food items in the gut showed that crustaceans (gammaridean amphipods, crabs and shrimps) and bivalves were important foods for the two gobies. However, the main components of the gut contents were different between two species, though this was probably due to differences in spatial distribution patterns of gobies and their prey items. In conclusion, both the gavelin goby and the fine spot goby, despite being the related species and co-inhabiting the similar part of the tidal flat, had quite distinct food habits and low dietary overlap (Schoener's index: 0.4). These indicated that the two gobies are or were partitioning resources in space and time for maximum uitilization of available food.

We examined the effect of salt marsh vegetation on the benthic environment in macro-tidal flats at Donggeomdo, Ganghwa, on the west coast of Korea. Nine stations were established along a transect across the tidal flats, including salt marsh, and field sampling was conducted monthly from July 1997 to June 1998. During the study period, environmental parameters fluctuated as follows: salinity, 15.0 to 28.2 psu, exposure time, 613 to 702 hr/m, inundation time, 28 to 117 hr/m, sediment organic carbon, 0.71 to 1.34%, nitrogen, 0.07 to 0.16%, sulfur from 0.07 to 0.22%, mean grain size from 6.3 to $6.9{\phi}$, water content from 19.4 to 44.4%, water temperature from 4.4 to $20.4^{\circ}C$ and temperature of the surface sediments, 2.7 to $31.1^{\circ}C$, in total, seven halophyte species were sampled and found to be vertically distributed across the tidal levels. Carer scabrifolia, Suaeda maritima, Limonium tetragonum and Phragmites communis dominated the upper zone of the salt marsh, Juncus haenkei, Triglochin maritimum and P. communis dominated the middle zone, and Suaeda japonica predominated in the lower area. Principal component analysis (PCA) and non-metric multi-dimensional scaling revealed that the zonation of halophytes was related to environmental variables such as salinity and exposure time. The halophyte communities were likely related to the organic content of the surface sediment.

To elucidate the organic matter sources in soft-bottom macrozoobenthos at Tongyeong, Korea, macrozoobenthos and their potential food sources were sampled in May 2004, and their C and N stable isotope compositions were analyzed. In total we collected 128 macrozoobenthic species, which ranged from 465 to 3,775 individuals/$m^2$(average 2,108 ind.$m^2$) in density and from 47.8 to 539.9 gwwt/$m^2$(average 366.0 gwwt/$m^2$) in biomass. Cluster and multi-dimensional scaling analyses indicated that the macrozoobenthic community was divided into two distinct groups. Coastal inner stations, where commercial fish cages were established, were dominated by Amphioplus ancistrotus, Scoletoma longifoila and Tharyx sp., whereas open sea stations were dominated by Chaetozone spinosa, Scoletoma longifolia and Capitella capitata. ${\delta}^{13}C$ values of sedimentary organic matter showed a distinct gradient in the range of -18.4 to $-15.2\%_{\circ}$, with a declining trend from the coastal inner stations to open sea stations. This probably reflects the settling rate of organic wastes such as feces and pellets from fish cages near the coastal inner stations. The macrozoobenthos showed a broad ${\delta}^{13}C$ range from -19.5 to $-8.9\%_{\circ}$ at the coastal inner stations, and a relatively narrow range from -21.3 to $-12.9\%_{\circ}$ at the open sea stations. ${\delta}^{13}C$ values of macrozoobenthos paralleled those of sedimentary organic matter, Our isotope results suggested that macrozoobenthos near the coastal inner stations used organic wastes derived from fish cages along with phytoplankton, whereas the macrozoobenthos near the open sea stations used organic wasters derived mainly from phytoplankton.

We investigated the fecundity, egg size, reproductive output, and breeding frequency and season of Neocaridina denticulata denticulata and Latreutes planirostris which inhabit extremely different habitats. The marine shrimp Latreutes planirostris produced more eggs had at a given carapace length than the freshwater shrimp N. d. denticulata. However, N. d. denticulata had a larger egg volume and greater reproductive output than L. planirostris. The monthly gonadosomatic index (GSI) of the freshwater shrimp began to increase in April and reached a maximum in May, suggesting a single breeding period. In contrast, the GSI of the marine shrimp exhibited two breeding peaks: May-June and September. In both shrimps, the regressions between carapace length and ovarian weight were significant at the non-eyed and eyed embryo stages. For both species, an analysis of covariance revealed significant difference between the two regressions in elevation, but not in slope. These results indicate the potential for multiple ovulations within the reproductive season.

The spatial patterns of meiobenthic communities in deep-sea sediment were examined. Sediment samples for analyzing of meiobenthic community structure were collected using a remote operated vehicle (ROV), multiple corer TV grab at 20 stations at five sites. In all, 15 meiofauna groups were recorded. Nematodes were the most abundant taxon. Benthic foraminiferans, harpacticoid copepods, polychaetes, and crustacean naupii were also dominant groups at all sites. The total meiofauna density at the study sites varied from 49 to 419 ind./$10cm^2$. The maximum density was recorded at a site located in Challenger Deep in the Mariana trench where simple benthic foraminifera with organic walls flourish. These distinctive taxa seem to be characteristic of the deepest ocean depths. Active hydrothermal sediments contain up to 150 harpacticoid copepods per $10cm^2$ of sediment. In a inactive ridge sediments, devoid of macrofaunal organisms:, the abundance of harpacticoid copepods never exceeded 15 ind./$10cm^2$. Multivariate analysis (multidimensional scaling) revealed significant differences in community structure among the three regions; near an active hydrothermal vent, in the deepest ocean depths and at typical deep-sea bed sites.

Dominant species of macrobenthos were analyzed based on differentiation of three distinct methods: the density based method, the biomass based method and LeBris method, by considering the frequency of occurrence using quantitative data collected over 5 years (1993-1998) at 21 stations in Chonsu Bay. Sedimentary environments as well as species composition and diversity showed the spatial and temporal distribution patterns. The ranks of dominant species as determined by the density based method were more similar to the results by the LeBris method than to those from the biomass based method. Considering the temporal variation, LeBris method were more efficient than any other methods for the determination of dominant species in Chonsu Bay. Lumbrineris longifolia, Theora fragilis, and Moerella jedoensis were recognized by all three methods. A one-way analysis of variance indicated spatial distributions patterns among most of the dominant species. These species showed positive correlations to sedimentary parameters such as mean grain size. However, T. fragilis and Paraprinospio pinnata showed the temporal patterns in their distribution, and were also correlated to the benthic environment, organic content and dissolved oxygen. Some dominant species, e.g., T. fragilis, S. scutata, G. gurjanovae proved to be useful benthic indicators based on the environmental variations determinated by long-term benthic ecological monitoring in Chonsu Bay.

We investigated the spring and summer community structure of meiobenthos in a tidal-falt near Iwon, Korea, in 2002 and 2003. In total, 12 meiofaunal groups were found in the study area among which nematodes were the most dominant. Benthic foraminiferans, harpacticoid copepods, polychaetes, and crustacean nauplli were also dominant groups at all sites. The total density of meiobenthos at each station was be 246-2,177 ind./$10cm^2$. As the depth of sediment increased, the density of meiobenthos at each station gradually decreased. Changes in the vertical distribution of meiobenthos in the study area occurred mainly near the sediment surface (0-1 cm). Generally, between spring and summer the density of nematodes increased, and the density of other dominant meiofaunal groups (benthic harpacticoids, crustacean nauplii, benthic foraminiferans) decreased near the sediment trap the control site of sediment traps compared to that at the control site. The results of cluster and multidimensional scaling plots indicate that the meiofaunal community changed following construction of a low artificial wood groin structure.

Six echinoderm species were added to the echinoderm fauna of Dokdo, Korea based on the samples collected form inter - and subtidal areas of the Island on spring and autumn twice a year from 2002 to 2004. As result, sixteen echinoderm species were recorded from Dokdo.

We measured the secondary production of the amphipod Monocorophium acherusicum Costa in a seagrass bed (Zostera marina L.) in Gwangyang Bay, southern Korea. M. acherusicum biomass was positively correlated (P<0.05) with seagrass standing crop, suggesting that there were biological interactions between the two species. M. acherusicum displays two main breeding periods per year: spring (March to April) and fall (October to November). M. acherusicum biomass in the spring breeding periods was higher than in the fall. Annual secondary production of M. acherusicum was 3.54 g DW/$m^2$/yr with an annual P/B ratio of 3.48. Secondary production and the P/B ratio of M. acherusicum were lower than those observed for other amphipods inhabiting seagrass beds. These results suggest that biological interactions between M. acherusicum and seagrass, as well as dietary competition with other amphipods can potentially cause declines in secondary production and the P/B ratio.

We describe and illustrate five species of shrimp of the genus Solenocera, collected from the Korean exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between 2001 and 2003 and a commercial seafood market in Busan, South Korea, in 2005. Four of these species, S. alticarinata Kubo 1949, S. comata Stebbing 1915, S. koelbeli De Man 1911, and S. pectinulata Kubo 1949, are new records for the Koreas. The fifth, S. melantho De Man 1907, is a ubiquitous and commercially important species in the region. This report extends the known range of S. pectinulata to Jeju Island in the East China Sea. A key to these species is presented.

Thirteen decapod crustaceans of Dokdo Island were identified and classified based on samples collected around Dokdo Island from May 1999 to November 2004. Of the 13 species, 7 were unrecorded from Dokdo Island: Axiopsis princeps, Pagurus angustus, Pagurus japonicus, Pagurus nigrivittatus, Pagurus spina, Portunus trituberculatus, and Hemigrapsus penicillatus. Of these 7 species, Pagurus nigrivittatus and Pagurus spina were new to the Korean decapod fauna. However, P. spina was only reported as the type series from the Pacific coast of northern Japan. Its geographic range now extends to the East Sea. To date, 25 decapod crustaceans (1 caridean, 1 thalassinidean, 11 anomurans, and 12 brachyurans) have been reported from Dokdo Island.