Zooplankton Community and Distribution in Relation to Water Quality in the Saemangeum Area, Korea: Change in Zooplankton Community by the Construction of Sea Dyke

In order to examine the transition of zooplankton community by the Saemangeum sea dyke, the temporal and spatial distribution of zooplankton community with relation to environmental variables was investigated using data collected in 2004 and 2005. Sixty-one zooplankton taxa were identified. Average abundance (except Noctiluca scintillans) ranged from 236 to 1810 indiv. m super(-3), and was the highest in May 2005 and the lowest in February 2005. Dominant species were Acartia hongi and Paracalanus indicus, and cirripedia nauplii and zoea were dominant groups. After the closure of the 4th sea dyke, brackish species such as Tortanus derjugini and Pseudodiaptomus inopinus are widely distributed while the abundance of N. scintillans decreased in the northern area inside the dyke. In canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) for examining the relationships among zooplankton, stations and environmental variables, the northern area inside the dyke was distinguished from the other areas and was represented by Acartia spp. and brackish copepods. Also, this area was characterized by high chlorophyll a concentration and COD, and low diversity.