Abstract
We performed a time-series analysis of environmental variables and biological parameters to understand temporal variations in the macrobenthic community in the Chokchon macrotidal flats, Incheon, Korea. Bimonthly sampling of macrobenthos and sediments was conducted from May 1989 through November 2001. A decomposition method composed of seasonality, trends and cyclical variation was employed in this study. We focused on trends of the selected variables and assumed that those with positive or negative trends caused changes in biological parameters. Most variables showed strong seasonality (≥ 95% of the total variance). Significant positive trends (p < 0.0001) were observed in sea water temperature and sediment ignition loss. Macrobenthic biomass and species number also showed significant positive trends (p < 0.0001). Biomass indicated that the study area underwent eutrophication since the mid 1990s. A notable increase in species number occurred throughout the study period. The flattened temperature trend after 1994 and intensified eutrophication after the mid 1990s indicated that the species increase in the former period was in response to increasing temperature, while that in the latter period was caused by eutrophication. Although our study suggested an increasing trend in diversity, it is important to check for unexpected changes and establish monitoring programs to provide early warnings, especially in lower latitudes.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Attrill MJ, Stafford R, Rowden AA (2001) Latitudinal diversity patterns in estuarine tidal flats: indications of a global cline. Ecography 24:318–324
Beukema JJ (1992) Expected changes in the Wadden Sea benthos in a warmer world: lessons from periods with mild winters. Neth J Sea Res 30:73–79
Beukema JJ, Cadée GC (1986) Zoobenthos responses to eutrophication of the Dutch Wadden Sea. Ophelia 26:55–64
Beukema JJ, Cadée GC (1997) Local differences in macrozoobenthic response to enhanced food supply caused by mild eutrophication in a Wadden Sea area: food is only locally a limiting factor. Limnol Oceanogr 42:1424–1435
Birchenough SN, Reiss H, Degraer S, Mieszkowska N, Borja Á, Buhl-Mortensen L, Braeckman U, Craeymeersch J, Mesel ID, Kerckhof F, Kröncke I, Parra S, Rabaut M, Schröder A, Colen CV, Hoey GV, Vincx M, Wätjen K (2015) Climate change and marine benthos: a review of existing research and future directions in the North Atlantic. WIREs Clim Change 6:203–223. doi:10.1002/wcc.330
Buchanan JB, Moore JJ (1986) A broad review of variability and persistence in the Northumberland benthic fauna - 1971-85. J Mar Biol Assoc UK 66:641–657
Choi BS (1992) Univariate time series analysis 1. Sekyoung-Sa, Seoul, 736 p (in Korean)
Clarke A (1992) Is there a latitudinal diversity cline in the sea? Trends Ecol Evol 7:286–287
Dauer DM, Alden RW (1995) Long-term trends in the macrobenthos and water quality of the lower Chesapeake Bay (1985-1991). Mar Pollut Bull 30(12):840–850
Diaz RJ, Rosenberg R (2008) Spreading dead zones and consequences for marine ecosystems. Science 321(5891):926–929
Drinkwater KF, Mueter F, Friendland KD, Taylor M, Hunter GL, Hare J, Melle W (2009) Recent climate forcing and physical oceanographic changes in Northern Hemisphere regions: A review and comparison of four marine ecosystems. Prog Oceanogr 81:10–28
Folk RL, Ward WC (1957) Brazos River bar: a study in the significance of grain-size parameters. J Sediment Petrol 27:3–27
Franklin JF (1987) Importance and justification of long-term studies in ecology. In: Likens GE (ed) Long-term studies in ecology. Springer-Verlag, New York, pp 3–19
Fromentin JM, Ibanez F, Dauvin JC, Dewarumez JM, Elkaim B (1997) Long-term changes of four macrobenthic assemblages from 1978 to 1992. J Mar Biol Assoc UK 77:287–310
Gaynor PE, Kirkpatrick RC (1994) Introduction to time-series modeling and forecasting in business and economics. McGraw-Hill, New York, 625 p
Hahn GJ (1977) The hazards of extrapolation in regression analysis. J Qual Technol 9:159–165
Hahn SD (1994) SST warming of Korean coastal waters during 1881-1990. KODC Newsletter 24:29–37
Hong JS, Yoo JW (2001) A revisit on zonal macrobenthic communities in Chokchon tidal flat, Incheon, Korea, after the survey in 1986. J Kor Soc Oceanogr 36(3):83–92
Hughes BB, Levey MD, Fountain MC, Carlisle AB, Chavez FP, Gleason MG (2015) Climate mediates hypoxic stress on fish diversity and nursery function at the land—sea interface. P Natl Acad Sci USA 112:8025–8030. doi:10.1073/pnas.1505815112
Hughes L (2000) Biological consequences of global warming: Is the signal already apparent? Trends Ecol Evol 15:56–61. doi: 10.1016/s0169-5347(99)01764-4
Josefson AB (1990) Increase of benthic biomass in the Skagerrak-Kattegat during the 1970s and 1980s - effects of organic enrichment? Mar Ecol-Prog Ser 66:117–130
Kang YS, Ohman MD (2014) Comparison of long-term trends of zooplankton from two marine ecosystems across the North Pacific: Northeastern Asian Marginal Sea and Southern California current system. Cal Coop Ocean Fish 55:169–182
Kim S, Zhang CI, Kim JY, Oh JH, Kang S, Lee JB (2007) Climate variability and its effects on major fisheries in Korea. Ocean Sci J 42:179–192. doi:10.1007/bf03020922
Lee HJ (2003) Long-term effects of coastal development on the benthic community in Songdo tidal flat, Incheon, Korea. M.D. Thesis, Inha University, 72 p (in Korean)
Maughan JT, Oviatt CA (1993) Sediment and benthic response to wastewater solids in a marine mesocosm. Environ Res 65:879–889
Nelson GC, Bennett E, Berhe AA, Cassman K, DeFries R, Dietz T, Obermann A, Dobson A, Janetos A, Levy M, Marco D, Nakicenovic N, O’Neill B, Norgaard R, Petschel-Held G, Ojima D, Pingali P, Watson R, Zurek M (2006) Anthropogenic drivers of ecosystem change: an overview. Ecol Soc 11(2):29
Pearson TH, Rosenberg R (1978) Macrobenthos succession in relation to organic enrichment and pollution of the marine environment. Oceanogr Mar Biol 16:229–311
Pitt MA, Myung IJ (2002) When a good fit can be bad. Trends Cogn Sci 6:421–425
Yoo JW (1998) The spatial distribution and long-term variation of macrofaunal communities on macrotidal flats in the west central coast of Korea. Ph.D. Thesis, Inha University, 352 p
Yoo JW, Hong JS, Lee JJ (1999a) Long-term environmental changes and the interpretations from a benthic ecologist's perspective (I) - Physical environment. Korean J Fish Aquat Sci 2(2):199–209
Yoo JW, Hong JS, Lee JJ (1999b) Long-term environmental changes and the interpretations from a benthic ecologist’s perspective (II) - Eutrophication and substratum properties. Korean J Fish Aquat Sci 2(2):210–217
Yoo JW, Lee YW, Ruesink JL, Lee CG, Kim CS, Park MR, Yoon KT, Hwang IS, Maeng JH, Rosenberg R, Hong JS (2010) Environmental quality of Korean coasts as determined by modified Shannon-Wiener evenness proportion. Environ Monit Assess 170:141–157. doi:10.1007/s10661-009-1222-0
Yoo JW, Lee YW, Lee CG, Kim CS (2013) Effective prediction of biodiversity in tidal flat habitats using an artificial neural network. Mar Environ Res 83:1–9
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Yoo, JW., Lee, HJ. & Hong, JS. Long-term variations in macrobenthic community diversity (species number) in the Chokchon macrotidal flat, Incheon, Korea. Ocean Sci. J. 51, 435–445 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12601-016-0039-3
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12601-016-0039-3