Community Structure and Health Assessment of Macrobenthic Assemblages during Spring and Summer in the Shellfish Farming Ground of Wonmun Bay, on the Southern Coast of Korea

Abstract

This study investigated the community structure and health assessment of macrobenthic assemblages in Wonmun Bay, in the southern coast of Korea. The total number of species and mean density were 170 species and 1,269 indivuduals/m 2 , respectively. The major dominant species were the bivalve Theora fragilis (230±446 individuals/m 2 ) and the polychaetes Lumbrineris longifolia (180±339 individuals/m 2 ), Sigambra tentaculata (124±153 individuals/m 2 ), Paraprionospio patiens (104±293 individuals/m 2 ) and Capitella capitata (82±223 individuals/m 2 ). Community statistics [cluster analysis and nonmetric multidimentional scaling (NMDS) ordination] revealed that the macrobenthic community structure in the study area was classified into three station groups for both seasons. Several biotic indices based on macrobenthic communities have been developed to assess the ecological quality of coastal ecosystems. In this study, the ecological status was assessed by four biotic indices Shannon's H', the AZTI Marine Biotic Index (AMBI), multivariate-AMBI (M-AMBI) and the Ecological Conservation Index (ECI). The ecological statuses of the macrobenthic communities in Wonmun Bay were poorer in the summer than in the spring. The results of the present study indicate that three biotic indices ( i.e.; Shannon's H', M-AMBI and ECI ) were better correlated with bottom dissolved oxygen than the AMBI in Wonmun Bay.

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

“…The BPI classifies macrobenthos into four ecological groups, considering their feeding patterns and pollution resilience [34]. In South Korea, indices like the AMBI, BPI, and M-AMBI have been extensively employed for marine evaluations [35][36][37]. Echoing the trend observed with heavy metal indices, much of the research on benthic indices either delves into their regional applicability or leverages them to gauge ecological quality [38][39][40][41].…”