title: Impacts of environmental and anthropogenic stresses on macrozoobenthic communities in Jinhae Bay, Korea.
abstract: In this study, spatiotemporal dynamics of macrofaunal assemblages and their associations with environmental conditions were examined in Jinhae Bay (10 sites), where the obvious sources of pollution including industries, oyster farms (hanging cultures), and municipal discharges has surrounded. The survey had performed over five consecutive seasons in 2013-2014. Target sedimentary variables included grain size, organic content, C/N ratio, carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios, and some heavy metals. Five ecological quality indices (EcoQ) were calculated from the benthic community data to evaluate ecological qualities in site-specific manner. Jinhae Bay is a shallow (depths range, 11-24 m) and typical semi-enclosed bay. The benthic environments represented mud dominated bottoms (>70%) with fairly substantial organic content levels (>2%) over all five seasons. Seasonal patterns were observed with peak abundances in the spring and distinctive macrozoobenthos species shifts in the summer. The spring bloom could be explained by drastic increases of some polychaetes, mainly Capitella sp., at certain site, particularly near the shore. The oyster farms situated in the innermost locations seem to provide organic-rich bottoms being dominated by opportunistic species and/or organic pollution indicator species, such as Lumbrineris longifolia, Capitella sp., and Paraprionospio patiens. In general, the EcoQ indicators indicated that Jinhae Bay was moderately polluted, with exceptionally poor EcoQ in a few locations during the specific season(s). Overall, adverse effects on benthic community was broadly attributable to contaminations of heavy metals and nearby aquatic farm activities in Jinhae Bay, which requires a prompt action toward ecosystem-based management practice in the given area.
authors.affiliation: School of Earth and Environmental Sciences & Research Institute of Oceanography, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hanna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bae
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Biotechnology, Anyang University, Ganghwagun, Incheon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jung-Ho
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: School of Earth and Environmental Sciences & Research Institute of Oceanography, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sung Joon
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea, Seocheon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jinsoon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: School of Earth and Environmental Sciences & Research Institute of Oceanography, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Bong-Oh
authors.initials: BO
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.affiliation: Department of Ocean Environmental Sciences, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Seongjin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: Department of Marine Biotechnology, Anyang University, Ganghwagun, Incheon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jongseong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ryu
authors.affiliation: School of Earth and Environmental Sciences & Research Institute of Oceanography, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Kyungsik
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: School of Earth and Environmental Sciences & Research Institute of Oceanography, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: jskocean@snu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Jong Seong
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Khim
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017756:Aquaculture; D061006:Bays; D002244:Carbon / Q000032:analysis; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D019015:Geologic Sediments; D007221:Industry; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000032:analysis; D010125:Ostreidae; D011077:Polychaeta / Q000187:drug effects*; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012621:Seasons; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity; D014876:Water Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D002244:Carbon; D009584:Nitrogen
keywords: Ecological quality index; Jinhae bay; Marine pollution; Sediment quality assessment; Spatiotemporal distribution