The diet composition of bluefin searobin, Chelidonichthys spinosus was studied using 397 specimens collected by fisheries resources survey vessels bottom trawls of national institute of fisheries science in February, June, May, August and November 2022 from nineteen areas in the South Sea of Korea. The species ranged from 9.7 cm to 42.0 cm in total length (TL). C. spinosus was bottom-feeding carnivore that fed mainly on Macrura, which constituted 85.7% of %IRI, especially Leptochela sydniensis. The proportion of Macrura decreased inversely proportional to body size, whereas the consumption of Brachyura and Stomatopoda increased gradually. With the increase in body size of C. spinosus, a significant rise in the mean weight of prey per stomach (mW/ST) was observed (one-way ANOVA, P<0.05).

In ecosystems within limited resources, interspecific competition is inevitable, often leading to the competitive exclusion of inferior species. This study aims to provide foundational information for the conservation and restoration management of Microphysogobio rapidus by evaluating species’ ecological response to biological factors within its habitat. To understand this relationship, we collected food web organisms from site where M. rapidus coexist with Microphysogobio yaluensis, a specie ecologically similar to M. rapidus, and evaluated the trophic levels (TL), isotopic niche space (INS), and the overlap of INS among fishes within the habitat using stable isotope analysis. Our analysis revealed that the M. rapidus exhibited a higher TL than M. yaluensis, with TL of 2.6 and 2.4, respectively. M. yaluensis exhibited a broad INS, significantly influencing the feeding characteristics of most fish. Conversely, M. rapidus showed a narrow INS and asymmetric feeding relationships with other species, in habitats with high competition levels. This feeding characteristics of M. rapidus indicate that the increase in competitors sharing the similar resources lead to a decrease in available resources and, consequently, is expected to result in a decrease in their density.

조류의 이상증식을 일으키는 새만금호 부영양화를 평가하기 위해 Carlson 지수를 적용하였다. 연구를 위해 2021년 월별로 새만 금호내 총 7개 정점에서 수질조사를 실시하였다. Chl.a의 농도는 동계에는 만경수계가 약간 높았고, 춘계와 하계에는 동진수계가 약간 높 게 나타났으나, 일부 시기를 제외하고는 전체적으로 호소 수질환경기준 3등급과 비슷하거나 낮은 농도를 나타내었다. COD는 만경수계와 동진수계 모두 하계와 추계에 호소 수질환경기준 4등급과 유사하거나 상회하는 수질을 나타내었다. TOC는 모든 지점에서 3등급 이내의 수질을 보였다. 총인 농도는 호수 수질환경기준 4등급을 초과하였고, 월별로는 1월과 강우 후 8월에 높게 나타났다. 수질인자간의 상관성 분석에서 염분 농도에 대한 유기물, 총인, 총질소의 상관성이 상대적으로 높게 나타나 배수갑문을 통한 해수유입과 상류 하천을 통한 담 수 유입에 의한 담수역, 기수역, 해수역의 수질 특징을 반영하고 있었다. 영양상태지수에 의한 새만금호의 부영양화 변동 특성을 보면, Chl.a와 SD, TN의 지수에서 부영양화 초기 단계의 수질을 보였으며, TP 지수의 경우 심각한 부영양화 상태를 나타내고 있었다. 수질인자 간 부영양화 지수의 크기는 모든 수계에서 TSI(TP) > TSI(TN) > TSI(SD) > TSI(CHL)의 순으로 나타났다. TSI(CHL)에 대한 TSI(TP) 및 TSI(SD)와의 편차를 2차원 평면으로 나타낸 사분면 분석 결과를 보면, 조류 성장에 대한 총인이 영향에서는 모든 수계에서 대부분의 총인 (TP)에 의한 제한적 영향은 나타나지 않았으며, 빛 감쇠에 영향을 미치는 인자는 외부로부터 유입되는 적은 입자상 물질에 의한 영향이 크게 나타나는 것으로 평가할 수 있다.

Invasive predators are one of the most damaging species groups to biodiversity. In the Nakdong River, the lake skygazer Chanodichthys erythropterus is a dominant species that is fiercely carnivorous and a concern for commercial fish. Although it is important to understand the ecological characteristics related to the feeding habit, studies on the diets of lake skygazer in Nakdong River have been limited to studies of gut contents. In this study, the trophic position (TP) and feeding habits of C. erythropterus were studied by calculating TPs using samples collected from 13 sites throughout the Nakdong River. Compound-specific isotopic analysis of amino acids provided reliable TPs from the muscle of Lake skygazer C. erythropterus without any isotope baseline. The results were approximately 3 to 3.6 and suggesting a carnivorous but size-dependent prey variation. In particular, the TP variability of C. erythropterus observed in the Nakdong River showed that it had a selective feeding habit compared to carnivorous fish species of relatively similar trophic levels.

Despite the consumption of disinfectants have been increased by COVID-19 pandemic, the fate of the chemicals in aquatic food webs are still unclear. In order to understand the trophic transfer of the chemicals, the concentration of disinfectants including six benzalkonium chloride (BACs) and five didecyldimethylammonium chlorides (DDACs) were measured at the Geum (2020), Han (2021), and Yeongsan River (2021), before and after rainfall. The highest concentration of ΣBACs (mainly C12 and C14) and ΣDDACs (mainly C10 and C14) were observed in the Han River, followed by Yeongsan River, Geum River Estuary, and Gapcheon. After rainfalls, both concentration and detection frequency were decreased in all sites. Although the BAC and DDAC seems to be accumulated in organisms, they were bio-diluted rather than magnified in the aquatic food web with the biomagnification factor (BMF) of less than 1, trophic magnification slope (TMS) from - 0.236 to 0.001, and trophic magnification factor (TMF) from 0.85 to 1.01.

The risk of various hazardous substances in aquatic environment comprises not only the concentration of substances in the environmental medium but also their accumulation in fish through complex food web and the health risks to humans through the fish. In Korea, the monitoring of residual toxicant in aquatic ecosystems began in 2016 following the enforcement of the Acts on registration and evaluation for the management of chemicals used in daily life (consumer chemical products), and attention has been paid to potentially hazardous substances attributed to them. Recently, studies have been carried out to investigate the distribution of these hazardous substances in the ecosystem and calculate their emission factors. These include the accumulation and transport of substances, such as detergents, dyes, fragrances, cosmetics, and disinfectants, within trophic levels. This study summarizes the results of recently published research on the inflow and distribution of hazardous substances from consumer chemical products to the aquatic environment and presents the scientific implication. Based on studies on aquatic environment monitoring techniques, this study suggests research directions for monitoring the residual concentration and distribution of harmful chemical substances in aquatic ecosystems. In particular, this study introduces the directions for research on trophic position analysis using compound specific isotope analysis and trophic magnification factors, which are needed to fulfill the contemporary requirements of selecting target fish based on the survey of major fish that inhabit domestic waters and assessment of associated health risk. In addition, this study provides suggestions for future biota monitoring and chemical research in Korea.

Understanding the characteristics of reservoir water quality is fundamental in reservoir ecosystem management. The water quality of reservoirs is affected by various factors including hydro-morphology of reservoirs, land use/cover, and human activities in their catchments. In this study, we classified 83 major reservoirs in South Korea based on nine physicochemical factors (pH, dissolved oxygen, chemical oxygen demand, total suspended solid, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total organic carbon, electric conductivity, and chlorophyll-a) measured for five years (2015~2019). Study reservoirs were classified into five main clusters through hierarchical cluster analysis. Each cluster reflected differences in the water quality of reservoirs as well as hydromorphological variables such as elevation, catchment area, full water level, and full storage. In particular, water quality condition was low at a low elevation with large reservoirs representing cluster I. In the comparison of eutrophication status in major reservoirs in South Korea using the Korean trophic state index, in some reservoirs including cluster IV composed of lagoons, the eutrophication was improved compared to 2004~2008. However, eutrophication status has been more impaired in most agricultural reservoirs in clusters I, III, and V than past. Therefore, more attention is needed to improve the water quality of these reservoirs.

Diet composition and trophic level of Trachurus japonicus were studied using 417 specimens collected by trawls, set nets and purse seine fisheries from March 2019 to February 2020 in the South Sea of Korea. The size of T. Japonicus ranged from 7.0 to 49.8 cm in total length. T. japonicus were a carnivore that fed mainly on euphausiids and pisces. In eddition, T. japonicus fed on small quantities of cephalopods, crabs etc. T. japonicus showed ontogenetic changes in feeding habits. The proportion of euphausiids decreased inversely proportional to body size whereas the consumption of pisces gradually increased. As body size of T. japonicus increased the mean number of prey per stomach and the mean weight of prey per stomach tended to increase, but the mean number of prey per stomach was not significantly different. As a result of the feeding strategy analysis, T. japonicus were specialized feeders with pisces and euphausiids as their dominant prey. The trophic level ranged between 3.57 ± 0.54 and 3.91 ± 0.65, and increased asymptotically with size of specimens. The average trophic level of the T. japonicus was 3.79 ± 0.61.

본 연구는 2019년 8월 한반도 주변해역(동해, 서해, 남해, 동중국해)에서 탄소 및 질소 안정동위원소 기법을 활용하여 하위영양 단계에서의 먹이망 구조를 파악하였다. 입자성 유기물(POM)의 δ13C 범위는 -26.18 ~ 20.61 ‰, δ15N 범위는 5.36 ~ 15.20 ‰의 넓은 범위를 보였다. POM과 각 생물별 개체군 사이의 δ13C 분별작용의 결과는 대부분 micro-POM을 섭식하는 것으로 확인하였으나 해역 간 차이를 보였 다. 각 생물별 영양단계는 chaetognaths (3.40±0.61)가 가장 높은 영양단계에 있음을 확인하였다. 동위원소 혼합모델을 적용한 결과에서 chaetognaths의 먹이원으로 copepods (13 ~ 48 %)와 euphausiids (20 ~ 51 %)가 가장 높은 기여도를 나타냈다. 본 연구결과 각 해역별 먹이원의 제한적 공급 및 다양성의 차이가 먹이망 구조 및 각 생물별 동위원소 비에 영향을 미친 것으로 판단된다.

낙동강에 위치한 신규조성 습지의 현황 파악 및 관리 방안 마련을 위한 기초연구의 일환으로 부착규조류의 서식현황과 종다양성을 분석하고 부착돌말영양지수(TDI, Trophic Diatom Index)의 적용가능성을 평가하였다. 조사 기간 동안, 부착규조류는 총 38과 173종이 출현하였으며, 봄과 가을에 각각 156종, 154종으로 비슷한 종수를 나타냈다. 자기조직화지도(SOM)를 활용한 분석 결과, 부착규조류의 분포는 각 습지의 영양염류의 농도와 강우 등의 환경요인에 따라 영향 받는 것으로 나타났다. 클러스터 1의 경우, 대부분 가을시기이며, 총인과 총질소 등의 영양염류의 농도와 부착규조류의 종수 및 풍부도가 낮음에도 불구하고, 부착돌말영양지수가 높은 지점들로 구성되었다. 이와 반대로, 클러스터 4는 봄시기의 지점들이며, 총질소가 높음에도 불구하고 부착돌말영양지수가 낮은 특징을 보였다. 신규조성 습지 대부분이 유입·유출구 기능이 원활하지 않은 점을 감안하면, 여름철에 증가된 유량은 가을철에 영양염류 값을 감소시키며, 탁도 증가로 인해 빛의 유입이 원활하지 않아 부착규조 류의 종수와 풍부도가 낮아진다. 이와 반대로, 봄철에는 낮은 수위로 인해 부착규조류가 부착할 수 있는 기질표면이 부족하며, 호오탁성 종이 정착 및 발달하기에 이른 시기이기 때문에 부착돌말영양지수 값이 낮게 측정된다. 다양한 기존 연구에서, 부착돌말영양지수를 서식환경 및 수질 평가지표로 활용하고 있으나, 본 습지는 흐름이 적고 정체수역에 가깝기 때문에 대부분 영양염류 농도가 높아 부착돌말영양지수의 평가지표 가치성은 낮은 것으로 판단된다. 여름강우나 유입·유출 조절부의 기능이 부착규조류의 종다양성과 분포에 영향을 미치는 점을 종합적으로 감안한 지속적이고 주기적인 추가 조사가 필요하다.

The objectives of this study were to analyze the influence of chemical water quality on fish guilds, pollution tolerance and the multi-metric ecological health, based on the Fish Assessment Index (FAI) in the main stream of Mangyeong River between 2009−2016. The quality of water with specific conductivity, TP, and NH4-N got worse dramatically in the down region. During the study, a total of 50 species were collected and the most dominant species was Zacco platypus. Also known as tolerant species, accounted 22.9% of the total abundances, thus indicating a trophic degradation. The downstream region (S5) had the highest number of fish external abnormalities, indicating a degradation of ecological health, based on the fish assemblages. Pearson correlation analysis indicated that relative abundance of tolerant fish species and omnivore fish species had a significant positive correlation (r>0.30, p<0.05) with values of BOD, conductivity and NH4-N. Whereas, the relative abundance of the sensitive species and insectivore species had a significant negative relations (r<−0.30, p<0.001) with the parameters. The mean obtained from the multi-metric fish model, based on the FAI of all sites was 47 (n=40). This indicated a “fair condition” in the ecological health, and the downstream regions (S3−S5) were judged as “bad condition”, indicating an influence of the chemical degradation on the ecological health.