Biodiversity of Marine Invertebrates on Rocky Shores of Dokdo, Korea

Benthic fauna were collected from the intertidal rocky shores of Dokdo Is., Republic of Korea. Four qualitative surveys were performed at 9 stations between Aug. 2007 and June 2008. In total, 98 marine invertebrate species in 57 families were identified during the study period. Of these 98 species, 21 (> 20%) were newly recorded on Dokdo Is. shores including members of the Arthropoda (n = 8), Mollusca (n = 4), Annelida (n = 4), Echinodermata (n = 2), Porifera (n = 1), Cnidaria (n = 1), and Platyhelminthes (n = 1). By comparing related references, we identified that the 98 species found at Dokdo exist in mainland areas of both Korea and Japan. Topographical descriptions and ecological comments are given for each of the major species. Among the 7 phyla presented, the Mollusca and Arthropoda predominated, accounting for > 70%-100% of the total taxa at each station. A cluster analysis showed that the faunal composition and distribution of invertebrates considered by habitation types (attached, sessile, or mobile species) were possibly related to the topographical characteristics of each station. Altogether, 403 species (of 10 phyla and 172 families) from a combination of the present and previous studies indicate that the marine invertebrates inhabiting the rocky bottoms in the Dokdo ecosystem show high and dynamic biodiversity.