• Ocean Science Journal
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.61-66
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• 2005

Benthic amphipod, Grandidierella japonica widely inhabits the Korean coastal waters and is developed as a standard test species for sediment toxicity tests. We exposed G. japonica to various pollutants including 4 kinds of inorganic metals (Ag, Cd, Cu and Hg), tributyltin [TBT], ammonia and 7 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds (acenaphthene, chrysene, fluoranthene, fluorene, naphthalene, phenanthrene and pyrene) to estimate the no observed effect concentration (NOEC) and the median lethal concentration (LC50) of each pollutant during the 96-hour acute exposure. Among all tested pollutants, TBT was most toxic to G. japonica, and Rg was most toxic among inorganic metals. The toxicity of pyrene to G. japonica was greatest among PAH compounds, followed by fluoranthene, phenanathrene, acenaphthene, fluorene and naphthalene. The toxicity of PAH compounds was closely related to their physico-chemical characteristics such as $K_ow$ and water solubility. G. japonica responded adequately to pollutant concentrations and exposure durations, and the sensitivity of G. japonica to various inorganic and organic pollutants was generally comparable to other amphipods used as standard test species in ecotoxicological studies, indicating this species can be applied in the assessment of environments polluted by various harmful substances.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.694-707
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• 2016

This study investigated the community structure of macrobenthic assemblages in the Taehwa River Estuary, Ulsan, Korea. Macrobenthos were collected with a Van Veen Grab Sampler during February and November 2012. The total species number and mean density were $176species/9.6m^2$ and $1,992inds./m^2$, respectively. Polychaetes were the most dominant faunal group in terms of species (91 species) and abundance ($1,463inds./m^2$). The major dominant species were polychaetes Minuspio japonica ($609{\pm}1,221inds./m^2$), Hediste japonica ($174{\pm}318inds./m^2$), Tharyx sp.1 ($106{\pm}283inds/m^2$), Lumbrineris longifolia ($79{\pm}207inds./m^2$), bivalve Theora fragilis ($114{\pm}272inds./m^2$) and amphipod Grandidierella japonica ($88{\pm}223inds./m^2$). Based on community statistics (cluster analysis and non-metric multidimensional scaling (nMDS) ordination), the macrobenthic community was divided into three station groups. Group I(freshwater dominated stations 2-6 with coarse sediment) was characterized by a high abundance of polychaetes Minuspio japonica, Hediste japonica, Capitella capitata, Pseudopolydora kempi, amphipods Grandidierella japonica and Apocorophium acutum. Group II (ecotone, stations 7-9 with mixed sediment) was numerically dominated by bivalve Theora fragilis, polychaetes Cirriformia tentaculata, Tharyx sp.1, Lumbrineris longifolia and Chaetozone sp. Finally, Group III (seawater dominated stations 10-12 with fine sediment) was characterized by a high density of polychaete Magelona japonica. These results showed that changes in salinity gradient and sedimentary characteristics were the main factors behind spatial changes in the macrobenthic communities of the Taehwa River Estuary.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.8-19
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• 2002

Spatial distribution pattern of macrozoobenthos was studied along the salinity gradient and sedimentary environment in the Watancheon estuary, Beobseongpo, southwest coast of Korea. Ten stations were set from the mouth towards the head of estuary. Three replicate sediment samples were taken using a van Veen grab (surface area $0.1m^{2}$) at each station between June 1998 and January 1999. A total of 114 species were collected during the study period and they are composed of 44 species of polychaetes (39%), 34 of crustaceans (30%), 24 of molluscs (21%) and 12 of miscellaneous. The former two taxa together accounted for 69% in the total number of species. The mean density was 3,053 ind./m$^{2}$, comprising 2,536 ind./m$^{2}$ from polychaetes (83%) and 439 ind./m$^{2}$, crustaceans (14%). Moreover, the mean biomass was 58.23 gwwt./m$^{2}$, consisting of 29.56 gwwt./m$^{2}$ from polychaetes (51%), 23.38 gwwt./m$^{2}$, molluscs (40%). A spionid polychaete Minuspio japonica, two corophiid amphipods Grandidierella japonica and Corophium sinense, a bivalve Potamocorbula amurensis were major dominants at the head of estuary where the salinity was relatively lower compared with contiguous sites. The distributions of M. japonica and G. japonica were significantly related to the salinity and sediment environment, respectively, whereas C. sinense and P, amurensis showed no significance. The nereid polychaete, Hediste japonica, also predominated at the head of the estuary where bottom salinity was relatively low. Species diversity was high at the mouth area whereas low diversity and few species number were seen at the stations in the head of the estuary, influenced by freshwater and sandy sediment. Based on the cluster analysis, the macrobenthic community was classified into four station groups from head (station group A) toward mouth (group D) in the study area. The number of species and abundance between station group B and C were significantly different. And the abundance of between two neighboring station groups (station group A and B, B and C, C and D) was also different. These results suggested that the spatial distribution pattern of macrobenthos in this estuary seemed mainly related to gradients in bottom salinity and sediment grain size among environmental factors.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.73-88
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• 2021

The community structure and health status of macrobenthos assemblages were investigated in the subtidal area of the Nakdong River estuary, Southern Coast of Korea. Benthic fauna samples were collected seasonally at 8 stations in the subtidal area of the Nakdong River estuary from February 2013 to October 2015. During the survey, a total of 380 species and 4,603 ind./m² of macrobenthos in all sampling areas were collected. The major dominant species were the polychaetes Minuspio japonica, Pseudopolydora kempi, Heteromastus filifomis, Capitella capitata, the amphipod Grandidierella japonica and the bivalvia Arcuatula senhousia. Some species of polychaetes found in the study area consisted of opportunistic species that showed high densities when habitat condition was poor. On the other hand, macrobenthos assemblages in the study area were divided into brackish water and marine groups. Abundance was high in the brackish group, while the number of species and diversity index were high in the oceanic group. The three indices (AMBI, M-AMBI, and BHI) in the assessment of health levels based on the ecological characteristics and number of species in macrobenthic were commonly shown to be in good condition in the group of oceanic stations, while relatively poor conditions were reflected in the group of brackish stations. Compared to other indices, the M-AMBI index of the three indices for health assessment was considered to be a relatively more suitable one to assess benthic ecological conditions.