• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.605-617
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• 2021

The recovery of the sedimentary environment around a fallowing shellfish farm during its rest period after 20 years of long-running operation, was explored in Tongyeong Bay of Korea. Seasonal survey on macrobenthos community was conducted from July 2016 to September 2018 at five stations, which included the fallowing shellfish farm after 20-year operation (FF), a newly installed shellfish farm (NF), a shellfish farm for comparison around the closed shellfish farm (CF), and control stations with no farming activities (Con1, Con2). The total number of species and the density of macrobenthos were higher at the shellfish farm stations than the non-shellfish farm station, and their seasonal changes were significant. The dominant species at the shellfish farm stations was Capitella capitata while Paraprionospio patiens was dominant at the non-shellfish farm stations. The two dominant species were potential organic contamination indicators usually inhabiting the areas with dense organic matter. This suggests that the overall survey area was highly polluted with organic matters. Multivariate analysis showed that the macrobenthic community of CF changed to a level similar to that of Con1 immediately after the investigation, but not to a state above the Con1 level. Furthermore, the changes in NF were not significant when compared to those in CF.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.23-34
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• 2017

This study was carried out to investigate the spatial distributions of the macrobenthic communities in the Seomjin River estuary from May, 2015 to May, 2016. The number of species was 163, the mean density was $1,865ind.m^{-2}$, biomass was $204g{\cdot}wet\;m^{-2}$ during this study period. The highest number of species and density appeared among polychaetes whereas the most biomass was contributed by mollusks due to the presence of Corbicula japonica in every season. The study area was divided into 3 regions with similar benthic fauna responding to the gradient of the salinity. Praxillella praetermissa was the dominant species in regions of over 30 psu during all seasons. C. japonica and Hediste diadroma were dominant in the upper regions of the Seomjin River where the salinity was less than 10 psu. Heteromastus filiformis showed the broadest distributional range and dominated in all seasons except for the most upper stream at st. 7. From the result of the Bio-Env analysis, salinity was the most important environmental factor affecting the formation of macrobenthic communities in the study area, and salinity and TOC were the highest contributors to the macrobenthic communities. From the correlation analysis between major dominant species and environmental factors, C. japonica, Prionospio japonica and H. diadroma showed a negative correlation with salinity, while P. praetermissa and Scolectoma longifolia showed a positive correlation. H. filiformis was little affected by salinity but showed a positive correlation with TOC or silt content of sediment.

• 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.

• Journal of Marine Life Science
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.38-43
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• 2018

The polychaetes are the dominant species in the benthic communities, and play an important role in improving the sediment quality through the action of ingesting organic materials. We evaluated the improvement ability of rockworm Marphysa sanguinea for the removal of organic matter. We used the three types of sediment (S1: coarse sand, S2: fine sand, S3: muddy sand), and analyzed TOC of seawater and sediment. Rockworm was effective in eliminating organic matter in the three types of sediment and the larger the particle, the higher the removal rate. Removal ability of rockworm for organic matter in sediment were calculated with 3.9856 ppm g^-1d^-1 in coarse sand, 2.8021 ppm g^-1d^-1 in fine sand, and 28.1142 ppm g^-1d^-1 in muddy sand. The results show that rockworm contributes to the removal of organic matter in the various sediment types.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.453-462
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• 1998

Macrobenthic community structure was studied at thirteen stations in Taebudo subtidal area, Korea, from July to October 1996. Triple macrobenthos samples were collected using a van Veen grab (0.1 $m^2$) at each station during the study period. A total of 209 species of macrobenthos was sampled with a mean density of 1,093 ind./$m^2$ and biomass of 134,86 g/$m^2$. Of these, there were 72 species of polychaetes ($34.5\%$), 69 crustaceans ($33.0\%$) and 49 molluscs ($23.4\%$). Polyalaetes were represented as a density-dominant faunal group with a mean density of 608 ind./$m^2$, comprising $55.6\%$ of the total benthic animals. It was followed by crustaceans with 307 ind./$m^2$($28.1\%$ of the total density), Echinoderms were represented as a biomass-dominant faunal group with a mean biomass of 54.21 g/$m^2$($40.2\%$ of total biomass). Total number of species and diversity were low in the inner part of the study area with high mud content and high in the offshore stations of mixed sediments. Major dominant species were three polychaetes, Heteromastus filifomis, Scoloplos armiger and Tharyx sp. whose mean densities were 70 ind./$m^2$, 67 ind./$m^2$, and 66 ind./$m^2$, respectively. Cluster analysis showed that the study area could be divided into five stational groups based on the faunal composition, that is, the innermost stations, coastal stations, transitional stations and two offshore station groups. The species diversity of these groups increased from the inner stational group toward the outer groups.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.100-117
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• 2022

This study examines the spatio-temporal characteristics of the macrobenthic community in the coastal areas of South Korea for the past six years(2015-2020). The relationship between the number of individuals of macrobenthic species and the benthic environments were investigated using data collected at a total of 154 stations located in the West (70), the South (61), and the East Seas (23), except for the Jeju Sea. We examined the benthic environmental characteristics such as water depth, sediment, grain size, ignition loss, and total organic carbon. A total of 1,614 macrobenthic species were found in the coastal area, with a mean density of 0.62 ind./m² by station. The mean density was relatively high in the spring and summer seasons (May to August) with more than 450 species. The most dominant species belong to Polychaetes and the top five of them accounted for more than 20% of the total number of populations. The top five species were Heteromastus filiformis, Scoletoma longifolia, Sigambra tentaculata, Sternaspis scutata, and Notomastus latericeus. Cluster analysis was performed on the top five dominant species. The stations were clustered into three groups with similar locations on the West, South, and East Sea. Cluster 1 and 3 represent Heteromastus filiformis (44% each), but cluster 2 represents Scoletoma longifolia (66%). Each cluster has different benthic environmental characteristics, especially in the sediment's sand (31.0%, 51.9%) and clay (15.9%, 9.7%) contents.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.102-117
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• 2009

This study was carried out to investigate the extent to which benthic environment of Ulsan Bay was disturbed by organic materials and trace metals from the megacity and industrial complex. Field survey for benthic environment and macroinvertebrate community was seasonally conducted from February to November 2006 at nine stations covering the inside and outside of the bay. TOC was on average 1.7% while four (As, Cu, Pb, Zn) out of seven trace metals measured exceeded the Effects Range Low (ERL) in most of the stations. Total number of species sampled was 199 and mean density was 4,578 ind./$m^2$, both of which were greatly dominated by the polychaetes. Dominant species were Aphelochaeta monilaris (22.6%), Ruditapes philippinarum (17.1%), Magelona japonica (12.2%), Lumbrineris longifolia (9.9%) and their distribution was ruled by the difference in the benthic environmental condition of each station. From the multivariate analyses, four stational groups were identified: northern part of the bay, middle and lower part of the bay, the intersection of Taewha River and Gosa stream and outside of the bay. As a result, the community heterogeneity of inner bay was much more greater than that of outer bay. SIMPER analysis showed that four groups were represented by R. philippinarum-Capitella capitata, A. monilaris-Balanoglossus carnosus, Sinocorophium sinensis-Cyathura higoensis and M. japonica-Ampharete arctica, respectively. Spatio-temporal changes of macroinvertebrate communities in Ulsan Bay were closely related to those of depth, mean grain size and organic content, and Zn was also a meaningful factor in that context.

• Journal of Marine Life Science
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.95-108
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• 2016

This study was performed to investigate the community structure of macrobenthic assemblages in the Environmental Conservation area, Korea. Benthic animals were collected by van Veen grab sampler at spring (May) and summer (August) 2009. The total species number and mean density were 195 species 5.6 m^-2 and 667 individuals m^-2, respectively. Polychaetes were the most dominant faunal group in species (96 species) and abundance (431 individuals m^-2). The major dominant species were the polychaetes Lumbrineris longifolia (76±224 individuals m^-2), Mediomastus californiensis (42±117 individuals m^-2), Tharyx sp.3 (26±110 individuals m^-2), the bivalvia Theora fragilis (54±78 individuals m^-2) and the amphipod Eriopisella schellensis (70±146 individuals m^-2). Based on the cluster and nMDS ordination analysis, macrobenthic communities were divided into three faunal groups. The first group was characterized by high abundance of the polychaeta Sternaspis scutata and the amphipod Ampelisca cyclops iyoensis, which is located by most stations of Hampyeong Bay and St. 4 of Deungnyang Bay. The second group was numerically dominated by the polychaeta Capitella capitata at St. 4 and St. 5 in Gamak Bay where was most pollutant area. Finally, the third group was dominated by the polychaetes Heteromastus filiformis, Tharyx sp.3 and the amphipod Sinocorophium sinensis. Therefore, geochemical characteristics such as the bay shape and pollution gradient may be important factors controlling of the macrobenthic community structure in Environment Conservation Area.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.11-23
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• 2016

An ecological study on subtidal macrobenthic fauna was conducted off the Namhaedo Island, south coast of Korea from July 2012 to April 2013. A total of 247 species of macrobenthos occurred with a mean density of $1,027ind./m^2$ and a mean biomass of $148.7g/m^2$. Polychaetes was the richest and most abundant faunal group that comprised 37% in both total species number and density whereas echinoderms were biomass-dominant faunal group that accounted for 44% of the mean biomass. There was a seasonal variation in the species richness and abundance of macrobenthos with more species in winter and higher density in spring. Mean faunal density was relatively high at the stations near Namhaedo Island, but gradually decreased toward offshore stations. The most dominant species in terms of density was an amphipod species, Eriopisella sechellensis which occurred as a top ranker during three seasons except spring recorded the fourth rank. E. sechellensis showed its high density at the near shore stations of Namhaedo Island, but this species did not occur around the entrance of Gwangyang and Saryang Bays where Theora fragilis and Lumbrineris longifolia showed high densities. In particular, Tharyx sp., recorded high density between Gwangyang Bay entrance and offshore after Sea Prince oil spill, did not occur in the same area during this study period. The bottom temperature and sorting value of the surface sediments were highly correlated to the spatial distribution of macrobenthic fauna from the Bio-Env analysis. From the cluster analysis, the study area has five station groups with more similar faunal affinities from inner area toward offshore area. Based on the SIMPER analysis T. fragilis, Magelona japonica, E. sechellensis, L. longifolia and Paraprionospio cordifolia were mainly contributed to the classification of station groups. From the BPI, benthic communities in the entrance of Gwangyang Bay and Saryang Bay were considered to be in a slightly polluted condition in contrast to the normal healthy community at the offshore of Namhaedo Island. These results suggested that the benthic community of this area should be regularly monitored to assess the health status of this benthic ecosystem.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.69-88
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• 2005

Distribution of benthic macrofauna was surveyed in the subtidal area and on the sand flat of Sindu-ri coast during July 2002. A total of 134 species, 3,511 individuals and 388g biomass of macrobenthos were sampled inclusively from the study sites. 109 species with a mean density of $1,298ind./m^2$ and biomass of $69.4g/m^2$ were collected from 10 stations established in the subtidal area. Polychaetes were represented as a dominant faunal group of the subtidal area in both species richness and density with values of 54 species and $813ind./m^2$. Cluster analysis based on the faunal composition showed that the subtidal area could be divided into four stational groups according to sedimentary characteristics: Cirrophorus armatus - Lumbrineris longifolia association on the mud sediment with pebbles near aqua-farms; Aonides oxycephala association on the rocky bed; Scoloplos armiger - Grandifoxus cuspis association on the sand-dominated sediment along the lowest low water; a association with higher evenness on the sand-dominated sediment in the depth. Although having characteristics of high value in species richness, density and species diversity, the macrobenthic association around the farming area was dominated by the opportunistic species such as Lumbrineris longifolia and Tharyx sp. Natural community represented by S. armiger and G. cuspis was developed in most sand-dominated areas. 50 species were sampled with a mean density of $2,443ind./m^2$ and biomass of $381.3g/m^2$ from eight+ stations along two transects on Sindu-ri sand flat. Mollusks were represented as a dominant faunal group of the sand flat in species richness, density and biomass with values of 20 species, $1,345ind./m^2$ and $350.4g/m^2$, respectively. Umbonium thomasi, Veneridae sp., Mandibulophoxus mai, Armandia lanceolata, Eohaustorius spinigerus, Urothoe convexa were dominant species and these species accounted for over 83% of total individuals. There were three distinct zones of macrobenthos on Sindu-ri sand flat according to the extent of exposure time. The upper zone was dominated by Scopimera globosa, the middle zone was characterized by M. mai, and the lower zone was dominated by E. spinigerus. Sindu-ri coastal area was considered as a healthy habitat for macrobenthos, except for around the farming area. It was considered that Sindu-ri coastal area including the sand flat connected to the sand dune of natural monument was a valuable habitat as a protected site in having no pollution source and no artificial structure.