• Title/Summary/Keyword: Benthic communities

Search Result 190, Processing Time 0.021 seconds

Changes in Benthic Macroinvertebrate Communities in Response to Natural Disturbances in a Stream

  • Bae, Mi-Jung;Park, Young-Seuk
    • Journal of Ecology and Environment
    • /
    • v.32 no.3
    • /
    • pp.197-206
    • /
    • 2009
  • Benthic macroinvertebrate communities were collected from six different sites in the Dobong Stream in Seoul, Korea to investigate spatial and temporal changes in benthic macroinvertebrate communities in response to natural disturbances such as floods and droughts. We collected samples monthly or semimonthly with a Surber net ($30cm{\times}30cm$), and measured environmental factors, including stream temperature, discharge, width, conductivity, dissolved oxygen and pH at each sampling site. Benthic macro invertebrates were strongly affected by floods as well as droughts. In addition, benthic macroinvertebrate communities displayed different responses to the onset of the rainy season in summer 2006 and 2007, apparently due to differences in the intensity and amount of precipitation. Chironomids were particularly sensitive to heavy rain. Floods and droughts also affected the proportions of functional feeding groups during the survey period: the proportion of scrapers was high right after heavy rains, while the proportion of predators tended to increase in intermittent-type streams as the riffle zone decreased. Finally, although species richness and abundance were strongly influenced by heavy rain, they recovered to background levels for within one month, and varied consistently among stream types, indicating habitat stability.

Pattern Recognition of Long-term Ecological Data in Community Changes by Using Artificial Neural Networks: Benthic Macroinvertebrates and Chironomids in a Polluted Stream

  • Chon, Tae-Soo;Kwak, Inn-Sil;Park, Young-Seuk
    • The Korean Journal of Ecology
    • /
    • v.23 no.2
    • /
    • pp.89-100
    • /
    • 2000
  • On community data. sampled in regular intervals on a long-term basis. artificial neural networks were implemented to extract information on characterizing patterns of community changes. The Adaptive Resonance Theory and Kohonen Network were both utilized in learning benthic macroinvertebrate communities in the Soktae Stream of the Suyong River collected monthly for three years. Initially, by regarding each monthly collection as a separate sample unit, communities were grouped into similar patterns after training with the networks. Subsequently, changes in communities in a sequence of samplings (e.g., two-month, four-month, etc.) were given as input to the networks. After training, it was possible to recognize new data set in line with the sampling procedure. Through the comparative study on benthic macroinvertebrates with these learning processes, patterns of community changes in chironomids diverged while those of the total benthic macro-invertebrates tended to be more stable.

  • PDF

Comparison of the effects of physico-chemical factors on the zonation and vertical distribution of benthic microalgal communities in the tidal flats of south-west Korea (한국 남서부 갯벌의 저서성 미세조류의 대상분포와 수직분포에 미치는 이화학적 요인의 효과에 관한 비교)

  • 이학영
    • Journal of Environmental Science International
    • /
    • v.11 no.6
    • /
    • pp.529-535
    • /
    • 2002
  • Efffcts of physico-chemical factors on the zonation and vertical distribution of benthic microalgal communities in the tidal flats of Youngkwang and Canaiin, Korea, were studied. Concentrations of nutrients were low throughout the study period. A 38 species of benthic microaigae was identified. Most of the algae were pennate diatoms with small size. Cell numbers at silty sediments were higher than sandy sediments, and showed high patchy distribution. Zonal distributions of benthic microalgae showed higher variation from silty sediment than sandy sediments. Benthic microalgae showed vertical migration within the upper few mm of sediment with periodicity closely related to tidal cycles. Maximum cells were observed from 0 mm depth both sandy and silty sediments. Cells of benthic microalgae in the 1 - 2 mm depth decreased after desiccation of sediments. The variation of cells was higher at sandy sediments than silty sediments. Cell numbers of benthic microalgae showed no positive relationships with pH and nutrinets except NH$_4$-N.

The Influence of Artificial Structures on Benthic Macroinvertebrate Communities in Streams (하천의 인공구조물이 저서성 대형무척추동물 군집에 미치는 영향)

  • Kim, Bong Sung;Sim, Kwang Sub;Kim, Sun Hee;Kwon, O Chang;Seo, Eul Won;Lee, Jong Eun
    • Journal of Environmental Science International
    • /
    • v.22 no.3
    • /
    • pp.309-318
    • /
    • 2013
  • This study was conducted for determining the influence of artificial structures on benthic macroinvertebrate communities in stream. Sampling was taken at upper(pool), down(riffle) and control(riffle) from two check dams, two weirs, one agricultural reservoir, and one multipurpose dam in northern part of Gyeongsangbuk-do. The benthic macroinvertebrate communities of these structures were surveyed during 2009 to 2011. The simple habitat of benthic macroinvertebrates occurred at the upper sites due to pooling effects from artificial structures. Specifically, Check dam1, Jusanji, Imha dam showed very low biological attribute values compared to the down and control sites, which have greater difference in substrate characteristics. However, in the upper sites of Check dam2, Weir1 and Weir2, the difference of values of biological attributes was relatively smaller. Also, proportion of functional feeding groups and functional habit groups were relatively simpler at upper stream and the degree of community differences was greater between upper and down, control sites. Spearman's correlation between biological attributes and substrate characteristics, water quality parameters had significant correlations; particularly, the substrate characteristics were more significantly related. In conclusion, the pool caused by artificial structures had negative effects on benthic macroinvertebrate communities thus leading to simplified stream habitats at upper stream ecosystems.

Community-level facilitation by macroalgal foundation species peaks at an intermediate level of environmental stress

  • Scrosati, Ricardo A.
    • ALGAE
    • /
    • v.32 no.1
    • /
    • pp.41-46
    • /
    • 2017
  • In rocky intertidal habitats, abiotic stress due to desiccation and thermal extremes increases with elevation because of tides. A study in Atlantic Canada showed that, at low elevations where conditions are benign due to the brief low tides, fucoid algal canopies (Ascophyllum nodosum and Fucus spp.) do not affect the structure of benthic communities. However, at middle and high elevations, where low tides last longer, fucoid canopies limit abiotic extremes and increase the richness (number of invertebrate and algal species, except fucoids) of benthic communities. Using the data from that study, this paper compares the intensity of facilitation and its importance (relative to all other sources of variation in richness) between middle and high elevations, which represent intermediate and high stress, respectively. Facilitation intensity was calculated as the percent increase in benthic richness between quadrats with low and high canopy cover, while the importance of facilitation was calculated as the percentage of variation in richness explained by canopy cover. Data for 689 quadrats spanning 350 km of coastline were used. Both the intensity and importance of facilitation were greater at middle elevations than at high elevations. As canopies do not affect benthic communities at low elevations, this study suggests that the facilitation-stress relationship at the community level is unimodal for this marine system. Such a pattern was found for some terrestrial systems dominated by canopy-forming plants. Thus, it might be ubiquitous in nature and, as further studies refine it, it might help to predict community-level facilitation depending on environmental stress.

Spatial Distribution of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Community by Altitude in Streams Located in Both Facing Slopes of the Mt. Seorak, Korea (설악산 양사면 하천에서의 고도차에 따른 저서성 대형무척추동물 군집의 공간 분포)

  • Choi, Ah Reum;Kim, Ah Reum;Son, Se-Hwan;Yang, Hee Jung;Kong, Dongsoo
    • Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
    • /
    • v.30 no.1
    • /
    • pp.68-79
    • /
    • 2014
  • There are marked differences in climate condition between east-facing slopes and west-facing slopes in Mt. Seorak (1,708 m). This study was conducted to find out the differences of benthic macroinvertebrate communities between both slopes of Mt. Seorak. Quantitative (Surber net; $30cm{\times}30cm$, mesh: 1mm) and qualitative (Hand net; mesh: 1mm) samplings ware carried out seasonally in each site which had 100-meter-high difference from November 2010 to November 2011. Most of the survey sites showed sound environmental conditions because they were located in the protection area of the national park. The benthic macroinvertebrates collected from all survey sites were composed of 158 species, 62 families, 17 orders, 7 classes and 5 phyla. DCA (Detrended Correspondence Analysis) ordination based on the abundance of benthic mactoinvertebrates showed that altitude was a major factor governing the structure of benthic macroinvertebrate community. There was no significant difference of the communities between both slopes.

Effects of low-head dam removal on benthic macroinvertebrate communities in a Korean stream

  • Kil, Hye-Kyung;Bae, Yeon-Jae
    • Animal cells and systems
    • /
    • v.16 no.1
    • /
    • pp.69-76
    • /
    • 2012
  • This study was conducted to examine how a low-head dam removal (partial removal) could affect benthic macroinvertebrate communities in a stream. Benthic macroinvertebrates and substrates were seasonally sampled before and after dam removal (March 2006-April 2007). Benthic macroinvertebrates and substrates were quantitatively sampled from immediately upstream (upper: pool) and downstream (lower: riffle) sites, the location of the dam itself (middle), and immediately above the impoundment (control: riffle). After the removal, species richness and density of benthic macroinvertebrates as well as the EPT group (Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera and Trichoptera) increased to higher levels than those before the removal, while functional feeding groups and habitat orientation groups changed more heterogeneously at the upper site. At the lower site, species richness and density decreased somewhat immediately after dam removal, which was associated with an increase of silt and sand, but recovered after monsoon floods which helped to enhance substrate diversity at the upper site. Decreased dominance index and increased diversity index in both the upper and lower sites are evidence of positive effects from the dam removal. In conclusion, we suggest that even a partial removal of a dam, resulting in increased substrate diversity in the upper site, could sufficiently help rehabilitate lost ecological integrity of streams without major habitat changes.

Monthly Changes in Benthic Macroinvertebrate Communities in Different Saprobities in the Suyong and Soktae Streams of the Suyong River (수영강의 수영천 및 석대천의 저서성 대형무척추동물의 부수성에 따른 월별 군집 변이)

  • Kang Da Hyeung;Tae-Soo Chon;Young-Seuk Park
    • The Korean Journal of Ecology
    • /
    • v.18 no.1
    • /
    • pp.157-177
    • /
    • 1995
  • Monthly changes in communities of benthic macroinvertebrates collected in the Suyong and Soktae stream of the Suyong river were investigated from September 1993 to August 1994. The total number of species collected during the study period ranged from seven to seventy six species according to pollution levels at the study sites. Monthly changes in species richness appeared differently in different taxonomic assemblages. In chironomids differences in species richness responding to different levels of saprobity were shown consistently as time proceeded. In Ephemeroptera species richness at the relatively clean sites responded sensitively to slight enrichment. In connection with species richness the monthly changes in densities in taxonomic assemblages also appeared to effectively represent environmental impacts. Species diversity generally represented the pollution status also, however the monthly variations at the study sites appeared to be relatively high. The clustering analysis showed that the communities collected at polluted sites were grouped closely, and the communities collected at the relatively clean sites were clustered to the same stream although the degree of community association was low, Through the Principal Component Analysis, the impact of Pollution was reflected in a great degree in overall community variations.

  • PDF

Application of Biotic Indices to Assess the Health Condition of Benthic Community in Masan Bay, Korea (마산만 저서생태계를 중심으로 연안해역 건강성 평가를 위한 저서생물지수의 적용)

  • Choi, Jin-Woo;Seo, Jin-Young
    • Ocean and Polar Research
    • /
    • v.29 no.4
    • /
    • pp.339-348
    • /
    • 2007
  • In this work, we compared the characteristics of three benthic biotic indices (BPI, AMBI, BIBI) which indicates the health condition of benthic communities in Masan Bay, Korea where anthropogenic impacts have been concentrated. Also we evaluated the usefulness of these benthic indices and some problems if they were applied to the Korean coastal waters. For this we used the macrozoobenthos data collected using van Veen grab ($0.1\;m^2$) at 21 sites in Masan Bay in February and August 2004. Based on the BPI values, two stations in the inner bay were found in a very hard polluted condition and three stations in the middle bay were also in a highly polluted condition. Only one station located in the bay mouth was in a normal condition. The inner bay stations showed very high AMBI values (${\geq}5.0$), indicating a highly polluted condition. The bay mouth station was assessed in a moderately polluted condition. The overall BIBI values in Masan Bay were in the range between 1.0 and 3.0. The inner bay stations showed low BIBI values (${\leq}2.0$) in the severely degraded condition. The bay mouth station with high BIBI value over 3.0 was assessed as a normal condition. All three benthos indices showed that macrozoobenthic communities in the inner bay were in a seriously polluted condition all year round, and macrobenthic faunas in the bay mouth seemed in a bad healthy condition (slightly polluted) based on AMBI during summer season. These three benthic biotic indices showed the similar assessment result, and thus we consider that each of them is a useful tool for the assessment of coastal benthic ecosystems under the organic enrichment in sediment.

Effect of eco-friendly restoration on the community characteristics of benthic macroinvertebrates in forested bog (산지습지의 친환경복원이 저서성 대형무척추동물 분포에 미치는 영향)

  • Jung, Yu-Gyeong;Lee, Heon-Ho;Kang, Won-Seok;Park, Ki-Hyung;Kwon, Se-Myung
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
    • /
    • v.24 no.3
    • /
    • pp.33-47
    • /
    • 2021
  • This study was conducted to investigate the influence of eco-friendly restoration in forested bog on the structure of benthic macroinvertebrate community. The benthic macroinvertebrates collected from the surveyed sites were composed of 1,071 individuals, 60 species, 40 families, 13 orders, 6 classes and 5 phyla. At the control and Site 3(small dam), the number of species and individuals were larger than that of other sites, and EPT group ratio was same as well. Considered by index, the dominance index (DI) was found the highest at the biotope area. The diversity index (H') and richness index (RI) were the highest at the control and Site 3. In addition, the ecological score of benthic macroinvertebrate (ESB) showed the highest at site 3, while the lowest at biotope area. The stability and recovery of benthic macrointebrates showed different according to restoration types at forested bog. After restoration project, the benthic macroinvertebrates were observed to get recovery at Site 3, and to have the highest communities stability at control and Site 3. At biotope areas (Site 4, Site 5 and Site 6) communities stability were the lowest, but showed different community stability values according to the presence of water. It is confirmed that the eco-friendly restoration projects indeed provided the better environment for the inhabitation of benthic macroinvertebrate community. The change of community index depending on the restoration projects suggests that the eco-friendly restoration can provide a more suitable environment for benthic macroinvertebrate ecosystem that prefers the stream environment.