• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.341-352
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• 2009

This study was carried out to investigated community structure of macrobenthic assemblages around the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant, East Sea of Korea and seasonal sampling was performed from October 2007 to July 2008. A total of 163 macrobenthic fauna were collected. The overall average macrobenthos density and biomass were 1,005 individuals $m^{-2}$ and $21.81\;gWWt\;m^{-2}$, respectively. Based on the LeBris (1988) index, there were 10 dominant species accounting for approximately 69.00% of total individuals. The major dominant species were the polychaetes Spiophanes bombyx (349 inds. $m^{-2}$), Mediomastus californiensis (82 inds. $m^{-2}$), Sigambra tentaculata (55 inds. $m^{-2}$), Magelona japonica (50 inds. $m^{-2}$), Scoletoma longifolia (33 inds. $m^{-2}$) and the Unidentified amphipod (Amphipoda spp., 72 inds. $m^{-2}$). The conventional multi-variate statistics (cluster analysis and non-metric multi-dimensional scaling) applied to assess spatial variation in macrobenthic assemblages. Cluster analysis and nMDS ordination analysis based on the Bray-Curtis similarity identified 2 major station groups. The major group 1 was associated with sand dominated stations and was characterized by high abundance of the bivalves Mactra chinensis, Siliqua pulchella and the polychaete Protodorvillea egena. On the other hand, major group 2 was connected with mud dominated stations and was numerically dominated by the polychaetes M. californiensis, M. japonica, Sternaspis scutata, S. longifolia and the bivalves Thyasira tokunagai and Theora fragilis. However, macrobenthic community structure were no significant differences between the environmental variables (sediment type and depth) and heated discharge.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.97-105
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• 2011

This study investigated the community structure and spatio-temporal variation of macrobenthic assemblages around Gijang Province, East Sea of Korea. Macrobenthos collected seasonally using a modified van Veen grab sampler from March to November 2006. A total of 157 macrobenthic fauna were collected. The overall average macrobenthos density were $552 \;ind/m^2$. The species number of macrobenthos was in the range from 62 in winter and spring to 122 in autumn. On the other hand, abundance fluctuated between 6,540 (in spring) and 17,920 (in autumn) inds./$18m^2$. Cluster analysis and non-metric multi-dimensional scaling (nMDS) were applied to assess the spatio-temporal fluctuation in the macrobenthic assemblages. Cluster analysis and nMDS ordination analysis based on the Bray-Curtis similarity identified 3 station groups. The group 1 (station 8~10, 12, 13, 17 and 18) was characterized by high abundance of the polychaete Lumbrineris longifolia, the bivalve Ennucula tenuis and the Amphipoda spp., with mean phi range from $6.2{\Phi}$ to $7.1{\Phi}$ (above 50m water depth). The group 2 (station 5~7, 11, 14~16) was numerically dominated by the po1ychaete Ampharete arctica and the bivalve Theorafragilis (mean phi: $6.0{\sim}7.0{\Phi}$; within 40 m water depth). Finally group 3 (station 1~4) was characterized by high density of the polychaetes Magelona japonica and Sternaspis scutata, with mean phi range from $3.5{\Phi}$ to $6.9{\Phi}$ (below 30 m water depth). In conclusion, the Macrobenthic community structure showed a distinct spatial and temporal trend, which seemed to be related to the water depth and sediment composition.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.73-79
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• 1996

This study was conducted to investigate the faunal composition and distribution patterns of macrobenthic community in the deep sea sediments of the KODOS area, the northeastern Pacific Ocean during May 1996. Benthic animals were collected at 25 stations using a spade type box corer. Sediments were sieved through -.3 mm mesh screen. A total of 17 faunal groups in 9 phyla and 363 specimens were identified. Nematoda was the most abundant faunal group which accounted for 30.0% of total abundance. Other dominant faunal groups were foraminiferans (25.1%), harpacticoids (10.2%), xenophyophores (5.2%), and polychaetes (4.7%), Polychaeta was a typically dominant component of macrobenthic community in the study area except traditionally recognized meiofauna taxa. Mean occurrence number of faunal taxa was ca. 6 per 0.01 m$\^$2/, and mean density was estimated as 1,288 indiv./m$\^$2/. The abundance of whole fauna and that of each faunal group was highest at the surface layer of sediment, and decreased monotonously along the sediment depth; 98% of faunal abundance was found within 10 cm depth layer.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.246-253
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• 2011

In this study, we investigated the effect of freshwater discharge on benthic community in Nakdong estuaries. The sediment was dominated by sand except few channels where heterogenetic sediment composition was observed. Sediment composition was rarely affected by freshwater discharge during the rainy season; however, organic content in the sediment slightly increased after the rainy season. Macrobenthic species composition differed spatially. For instance, species composition decreased after the rainy season near the barrage. Benthic community analysis revealed three groups, in which the first group was found between barrage and sand bars located at the mouth of estuary, the second group was observed outside the sand bars, and the last group was found in the channel. Opportunistic benthic species indicative of organic pollution, such as Sinocorophium sinensis, Magelona japonica, and Heteromastus filiformis, dominated areas close to the barrage. Organic pollution by freshwater discharge appears to be responsible for the emergence of opportunistic benthic species, and this influenced areas from the mouth of bay to sand bars. Outside the sand bars, freshwater discharge did not seem to have affected species composition.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.172-183
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• 2005

To assess the macrobenthic community of oligohaline Youngam Lake, which is located at the Youngsan Watershed on the southwest part of Korea, macrobenthic fauna were collected at 45 stations during May, 2002. A total of 16 species of macrofauna were recorded with a mean density of 240 individuals per $m^2$ and a mean biomass of 7.07 g wet weight per $m^2$. Major dominant faunal groups were crustacean arthropods in terms of the number of species and abundance, and polychaete annelids in terms of biomass. The mean grain size was $5.7\;{\phi}$ which was dominated by silt fraction. The hydrological environment of the lake was characterised as an oligohaline environment with a mean surface water temperature of $17.8^{\circ}C$ and a mean salinity of 2.08 psu. The major dominant species were amphipods, Corophium sp. ($31\%$) and Jesogammarus sp. ($25\%$). Lowe. values of species diversity (H') with a mean of 0.81 (less than 1.0 from most stations) reflected the overall poor faunal diversity in this area. Multivariate analysis suggested that this benthic faunal community could be divided into four sub-regions such as the area from lake proper to water channel to the south, the stations located at the entrance and northern water channel, the stations near the dike, and the lake proper area. Freshwater and brackish water species which occurred in each station group were corresponded to the oligohaline salinity regime. Bottom hypoxia appeared in the entrance part of the lake between dyke and lake proper on May, which was resulted from stratification from spring season. These facts imply that marine macrobenthos were severely impacted by low salinity and a consequent hypoxia after embankment of the lake due to the restriction of water circulation.

• 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.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.115-128
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• 2016

This study examined the relationship between macrobenthic distribution patterns and environmental factors in salt marsh vegetation in Donggeomdo, Ganghwa on the west coast of Korea. Nine stations were fixed on a transect across the salt marsh vegetation, and field sampling was carried out monthly from July 1997 to June 1998. A total of 38 species of macrobenthos were recorded: each of faunal groups, 13 (34.2%) Arthropoda, 12 (31.6%) Polychaeta, 8 (21.1%) Mollusca, and 5 (13.2%) others. The mean density was $2,659individuals/m^2$, with a mean biomass of $178.6gWWt/m^2$. Mollusca dominated in terms of abundance and biomass, with a mean density of $2,172individuals/m^2$ (81.7%) and a mean biomass of $131.9gWWt/m^2$ (73.9%). The number of species decreased in winter (January-February), while mean density increased in the spring (May-June). The biomass was relatively in Summer and Fall (July-November), than any other season. The number of species was high in pure stands of Suaeda japonica in the lower salt marsh vegetation, and the mean density and biomass were high in mixed halophyte communities in the middle salt marsh vegetation. Two Mollusca, the bivalve Glauconome chinensis and gastropod Assiminea lutea, were dominant. The densities of these two species were high in mixed halophyte communities in the middle salt marsh vegetation. Non-metric multi-dimensional scaling (nMDS) showed that the study area could be divided into four groups corresponding to the vertical distribution of tidal levels and halophytes. Spearman's rank correlation revealed that the distribution patterns and community structure of macrobenthos were related to environment variables such as salinity of the substrates, exposure time, and grain size compositions of the sediment in the salt marsh vegetation. Particularly, the distribution and density of some dominant species showed differences along the vertical distributions of halophytes.

• 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.14 no.4
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• pp.213-228
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• 2009

This study was conducted to investigate spatio-temporal changes in macrobenthic community structure and benthic environmental conditions in Geoje-Hansa Bay, which is the greatest oyster producing site in Korea. Field survey for benthic environment and macrobenthos was seasonally carried out at 15 stations covering oyster farming sites and non-farming sites from February to November, 2008. The grain size of surface sediments was dominated by very fine silt with the mean phi of about $9\;{\Phi}$ and TOC was 1.9% on average. Mean dissolved oxygen content was 8.1 mg/L and lowest in August corresponding to the 2nd degree in seawater quality criteria. Total species number was 351 and mean density was $3,675\;ind./m^2$, both of which were dominated by polychaete worms. Spatio-temporal variation in above two biological variables was great with higher values seasonally in spring and spatially in channels rather than inner bay. Dominant species were Lumbrineris longifolia (21.3%), Aphelochaeta monilaris (17.8%) and Ericthonius pugnax(6.1%), all of which are typical species of organically enriched area. From the multivariate analyses, the whole macrobenthic community was distinguished into two groups of channel and inner bay group. Spatio-temporal changes of macrobenthic community in Geoje-Hansan Bay were related to those of TOC and acid volatile sulfide (AVS). Our results showed that Geoje-Hansan Bay should be intermediately affected by organic pollution, and that such organic enrichment was more remarkable at farming stations in the inner bay.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.63-71
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• 2002

This preliminary study on the changes of macrobenthic assemblages in experimental sediment fences was conducted as a part of tidal marsh restoration project. Intertidal sediment fences were designed to increase the efficiency of trapping sediments on unvegetated tidal flats in order to raise sediment elevation and to allow colonization of intertidal vegetation. Although increment of soil surface level was not observed over the first three months of the study, it was possible to obtain some effects of the sediment fence. Three months later, the particle sizes of the surface sediment at experimental plots became much finer compared to unfenced areas on the natural mudflats located in the same tide level as that of the plots. The difference was much greater on the plot with drainage canals than on the plot without ones. Species diversity of the experimental plots became much higher than that of natural sites. Perinereis aibuhitensis and Glauconome chinensis which were absent from initial community appeared with high density in the plot with drainage canals. Those species were significantly different in abundance between the experimental plot and the natural mudflat. Changes in species composition were not detected in another experimental plot without drainage canals.