Assessing the Benthic Ecological Quality in the Intertidal Zone of Cheonsu Bay, Korea, Using Multiple Biotic Indices

Abstract

With the growing global focus on marine environmental conservation and management, it is imperative to evaluate the ecological quality of marine ecosystems accurately. In this study, we employed seven biotic indices, namely the AZTI marine biotic index (AMBI), BENTIX, benthic opportunistic polychaetes amphipods index (BOPA), benthic pollution index (BPI), multivariate AZTI marine biotic index (M-AMBI), abundance biomass comparison (W-value), and Shannon diversity index (H’), to assess the benthic ecological quality in the intertidal zone of Cheonsu Bay, South Korea. Except for the H’ and W-value, the indices (AMBI, BENTIX, BOPA, BPI, and M-AMBI) suggest that the ecological quality at most stations in the intertidal zone of Cheonsu Bay was acceptable. Furthermore, the influx of a large amount of eutrophic freshwater has impacted the intertidal zone of Cheonsu Bay, but the applicability of the seven biotic indices requires further investigation.

Using the Heavy Metal Indices and Benthic Indices to Assess the Ecological Quality in the Tidal Flats of Garolim Bay, South Korea

“…For a more straightforward assessment of ecological quality, we classified seven indices-PLI, PI Nemerow , AMBI, BENTIX, BOPA, BPI, and M-AMBI-into two categories, 'acceptable' and 'unacceptable', according to their respective values, as detailed in Table 2. Since the evaluation results of the seven indices may vary, we referred to previous research that if more than four indices are acceptable, the final ecological quality is deemed acceptable [53,54]. The Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyse the correlation between the indices and the correlation between the index and the environment.…”

Using the Heavy Metal and Biotic Indices to Assess Ecological Quality in the Central Area of the East Sea, South Korea

“…The values of the indices were classified into acceptable and unacceptable to facilitate ecological quality assessment based on previous research [17,49] (Table 3). When the ecological quality was deemed adequate according to five out of seven indices, the final ecological quality was classified as acceptable.…”

“…For example, only H' assessed the ecological quality as unacceptable at S7 in winter-the predominance of Aricidea spp., comprising over 50% of the total individuals, could be the reason for the underestimation of ecological quality by H'. We believe it is necessary to calibrate the thresholds before employing H' [49]. Furthermore, in most stations, EG1 and EGII are the main components of the macrobenthic community.…”

Using Benthic Indices to Assess the Ecological Quality of Sandy Beaches and the Impact of Urbanisation on Sandy Beach Ecosystems

“…To facilitate the evaluation and comparison of the ecological quality assessments of the seven benthic indices of sandy beaches, we classified their ecological quality into 'acceptable' and 'unacceptable' categories based on benthic values [40,41]. The formulae for calculating the benthic indices and the threshold values for categorising the ecological quality as 'acceptable' or 'unacceptable' are referenced in Table 1.…”