Correlation between rocky reefs and surrounding benthic habitats: Distribution and diversity patterns of polychaetes in the macrobenthic community in the East Sea of South Korea

Abstract

The movement of animals and materials among habitats can affect community structure. Subtidal rocky reefs are important in the productivity, food web, recruitment, and behavior of benthic animal communities and fish. We investigated how rocky reefs influence the composition and abundance of benthic species in the East Sea of Korea. In total, 157 species of macrobenthic fauna were collected, of which 56 were polychaetes, 49 were crustaceans, and 33 were mollusks. Polychaetes constituted the dominant taxon and accounted for 55% of the average density of the macrobenthos. The sediment around the rocky reef comprised mainly coarse-grained particles, and was dominated by suspension-feeding polychaetes. Cluster analysis divided the macrobenthic community into three groups, which were correlated with the distribution of polychaete species. The canonical correspondence analysis showed that sediment composition is an important variable in polychaete distribution patterns. This study suggests that polychaetes are a representative taxon around subtidal rocky reefs, and changes in sediment type is a key factor influencing the characteristics of polychaete communities.