Impacts of sand mining on the macrobenthic community in Gyeonggi Bay, Korea

Abstract

Small-scale effects of sand mining on macrobenthic communities have been reported previously. However, little information is available as to how dredging affects the macrobenthic community structure. The objective of this study was to determine the impacts of large-scale exhibition dredging on the macrobenthic community of Gyeonggi Bay, Korea, where sand mining has continued for 20 years. Prior to dredging, the macrobenthic species composition was similar to that of areas near the dredging site, with several common dominant species found before dredging. After dredging, the number of species, density, and diversity (H′) in the experimental area (sites 0 and 1) decreased significantly, but no difference was observed at other sites. Multivariate analysis (multidimensional scaling) revealed significant differences in community structure before and after dredging. The amphipod Urothoe grimaldii japonica, which was the most dominant species at sites 0, 1, and 2, decreased rapidly at sites 0 and 1 after dredging, but no difference was observed at site 2. In addition, the index of multivariate dispersion (IMD) and the relative IMD (r.IMD) were large at sites 0 and 1, suggesting that the effects of dredging were direct at site 0 and 1, but indirect at site 2. The macrobenthic communities at sites 3 and 4 were not affected by dredging, but they were affected by physical conditions and biological interactions. We suggest that benthic biotope indices such as the IMD and r.IMD may constitute a valid tool for assessing the effects of dredging on the macrobenthic community; long-term monitoring is required to verify this.