Abstract
This study investigated the composition and the distribution of the benthic polychaeta community in the semi-enclosed Yoja Bay on the southern coast of Korea and was designed to deduce temporal changes in the community with the comparison of the previous studies. In YoJa Bay, benthic polychaetous community structure was investigated on the base of the samples from 87 stations. The surface sediment was mainly composed of fine-grained sediment, mixed clayey silt and silty clay. The total benthic macrofaunal density was <TEX>$387 indiv./m^2$</TEX>, and the density was higher in the middle bay, and in the mouth of bay than in the inner bay. scapharca subcrenata (Bivalvia) and amphipods (Crustacea) were important species in the inner and the middle of the bar, respectively. Benthic polychaetes were comprised of 72 species with a mean density of <TEX>$149 indiv./m^2$</TEX>. Their distributions showed higher densities in the mouth of bay than in the rest of bay. The dominant species over 1.0 percentages were composed of the 20 species, and they occupied <TEX>$84.5\%$</TEX> of the total density. The most dominant species was Sternaspis scutata (<TEX>$13.6\%$</TEX>), fallowed fly Heteromastus filiformis (<TEX>$9.8\%$</TEX>), Polynoidae indet. (<TEX>$8.3\%$</TEX>), Sigambra tentacuzata (<TEX>$7.1\%$</TEX>) and others. The cluster analysis revealed that the study area was divided into three station groups. At the station group YI located in the inner bay, the most dominant species was Heteromastus filiformis . At the station group YII in the middle bay, the dominant species was Sternaspis scutata. And at the station group YIII in the mouth of bay, the dominant species was Paraiacydonia paradoxa. Whereas Sternaspis scutata and Mediomastus sp. were the dominant species in the past study, Heteromastus filiformis and Tharyx sp. appeared newly to be the dominant species, even if their low densities that in the past. These facts mean that Yoja Bay be maintained yet as little polluted area compared to other bays on the coast of Korea, but needed some caution of marine environmental management.
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