Community organization of macrobenthic sessile organisms responding to the submerging time of artificial panels in the embayment of the East China Sea, South Korea

Abstract

This study was conducted to compare the variation of dominant species and community structure of sessile organisms on the two types of vacant artificial panels submerged in different seasons. The artificial panels were submerged at seasonal intervals from April, 2011 to January, 2012 and maintained for 6 months at the KIOST research pier in Jangmok Bay, Geoje Island, South Korea. The two types of artificial panels, rough surface tile (20 cm x 20 cm) and smooth surface PVC panel (20 cm x 15 cm), were used and submerged at depths of 0.5 m and 4 m. The highest species number was observed in mollusks at all panels submerged in spring and summer while the species richness of ascidians was highest in autumn and winter. The highest density of mollusks was observed in all seasons at the surface layer, whereas barnacles were abundant at panels submerged in July regardless of the substrates. In the bottom layer, the highest density of mollusks was observed only in spring, but barnacles showed the highest density in summer and ascidians in autumn and winter at all panels. The highest proportion of biomass was contributed by mollusks in spring, but it was changed by barnacles and ascidians occurred in summer and autumn and winter, respectively regardless of substrate and depth. From the results of both the non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination and the cluster analysis, the similarity of faunal composition based on the b intervals from April, 2011 to January, 2012 and maintained for 6 months at the KIOST research pier in Jangmok Bay, Geoje Island, South Korea. The two types of artificial panels, rough surface tile (20 cm x 20 cm) and smooth surface PVC panel (20 cm x 15 cm), were used and submerged at depths of 0.5 m and 4 m. The highest species number was observed in mollusks at all panels submerged in spring and summer while the species richness of ascidians was highest in autumn and winter. The highest density of mollusks was observed in all seasons at the surface layer, whereas barnacles were abundant at panels submerged in July regardless of the substrates. In the bottom layer, the highest density of mollusks was observed only in spring, but barnacles showed the highest density in summer and ascidians in autumn and winter at all panels. The highest proportion of biomass was contributed by mollusks in spring, but it was changed by barnacles and ascidians occurred in summer and autumn and winter, respectively regardless of substrate and depth. From the results of both the non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination and the cluster analysis, the similarity of faunal composition based on the b