title: The impact of heavy metal pollution gradients in sediments on benthic macrofauna at population and community levels.
abstract: The effect of sediment pollution on benthos was investigated in the vicinity of a large sewage treatment outflow at Incheon North Harbor, Korea. Animal size, vertical distribution and standard community parameters were analyzed along a 3 km transect line (n = 7). Univariate parameters showed a general trend of increasing species diversity with increasing distance from the pollution source. Multi-dimensional scaling analysis led to the clear separation of 3 locational groups, supporting gradient-dependent faunal composition. The innermost location was dominated by small sub-surface dwellers while the outer locations by large mid to deep burrowers. Looking for the size-frequency distribution, most abundance species (Heteromastus filiformis) showed the presence of larger size animals with increasing proximity to the pollution source. Meanwhile, species-specific vertical distributions, regardless of the pollution gradient, indicated that such shifts were due to species replacement resulting from a higher tolerance to pollutants over some species.
authors.affiliation: Office of Policy Research, Korea Ocean Research & Development, Ansan, PO Box 29, Seoul 425-600, Republic of Korea. jongseongkhim@korea.ac.kr
authors.forename: Jongseong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ryu
authors.forename: Jong Seong
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Khim
authors.forename: Seong-Gil
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Daeseok
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Chang-Hee
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Chul-Hwan
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Koh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry*; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D011077:Polychaeta / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D056910:Republic of Korea; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical