• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.720-734
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• 2023

To understand the spatiotemporal distribution pattern of zooplankton and the environmental factors influencing zooplankton abundance in Gomso Bay, major harvesting area of Manila clam (Venerupis philippinarum) in South Korea, zooplankton sampling was conducted four times in autumn (October 2022), winter (January 2023), early spring (March 2023), and spring (May 2023). Among the environmental factors of Gomso Bay, water temperature, chlorophyll a concentration (Chl-a), dissolved oxygen (DO), and pH observed different patterns, while salinity and suspended particulate matter(SPM) showed no significant statistical differences between the survey periods. The zooplankton in Gomso Bay occurred 33, 29, 27, and 29 taxonomic groups during each respective survey period. In October 2022 and May 2023, arthropod plankton were dominated, while in January and March 2023, protozoa were primarily dominant. Among the Arthropods, copepods including Acartia hongi, Paracalanus parvus s. l., Corycaeus spp., and Oithona spp. commonly found along Korean coastal areas of the Yellow Sea, were dominated. Cluster analysis based on zooplankton abundance indicated a single community (stable condition) in each season, attributed to low dissimilarity distances, while three distinct clusters (autumn, winter-early spring, spring) between seasons indicated a highly seasonal environment in Gomso Bay.