Short-Term Variation of the Macrobenthic Fauna Structure on Rocky Shores after the Hebei Spirit Oil Spill, West Coast of Korea

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the initial response, such as ecological status, to the disturbance in macrobenthic fauna on a rocky shore after an oil spill. Sites polluted with oil spilled during the Hebei Spirit accident on December 7, 2007, showed continuous decreases in species of the Bivalvia class, including Lasaea undulata and Mytilus galloprovincialis, and no gastropods were observed. In addition, at polluted sites, the cold-water barnacle Chthamalus challengeri and the common periwinkle were present in low densities, whereas they appeared relatively stable at control sites. In this study, the macrobenthic community structure was distinct between polluted sites and control sites because of differences in species composition and densities of dominant species. Therefore, it is believed that the oil spill accident could lead to mass mortalities of the major macrobenthic fauna in the study area, by smothering or reducing breeding activities or recruitment, and thereby altered rocky shore ecosystems.