All Issue

2023 Vol.10, Issue 4 Preview Page

Original Article

Ecological Characteristics and Their Implications for the Conservation in the Taehwagang River Estuarine Wetland, Ulsan, South Korea

울산 태화강하구습지의 생태적 특성 및 보전을 위한 제안

Pyoungbeom Kim1
,
Yeonhui Jang2
,
Yeounsu Chu34*
김 평범1
,
장 연희2
,
추 연수34*
1Researcher, Wetlands Research Team, National Institute of Ecology, Changnyeong 50303, Korea
2Researcher, Aquatic Ecosystem Research Team, National Institute of Ecology, Changnyeong 50303, Korea
3Junior Researcher, Wetlands Research Team, National Institute of Ecology, Changnyeong 50303, Korea
4Doctor Course, Department Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Inha University, Incheon 22212, Korea
1국립생태원 습지연구팀 연구원
2국립생태원 수생태팀 연구원
3국립생태원 습지연구팀 전임연구원
4인하대학교 바이오시스템융합학과 박사과정
*Corresponding Author
31 December 2023. pp. 171-183
PDF XML Citation
Abstract

Estuarine wetlands, which form a distinctive brackish water zone, serve as important habitats for organisms that have adapted to and thrive in this environment. Nonetheless, excessive development and utilization result in artificial disruptions that alter the distinctive functions and attributes of estuarine wetlands. To collect the basic data for the conservation of estuarine wetlands with excellent ecosystems, we investigated the vegetation distribution characteristics and biota status of the Taehwagang River Estuarine Wetland. Data from vegetation surveys have shown that 25 plant communities of six physiognomic vegetation types, including willow vegetation, lotic and lentic herbaceous vegetation, floating/submerged vegetation. In the upper reaches, where topographical diversity was high, various types of wetland vegetation were distributed. In terms of biodiversity, a total of 696 species, including 7 endangered wildlife species, were identified. Due to good ecological connectivity, tidal rivers are formed, brackish water species including various functional groups are distributed around this section. The inhabitation of various water birds, such as diving and dabbler ducks, were confirmed according to the aquatic environment of each river section. The collection of ecological information of the Taehwagang River Estuarine Wetland can be used as a framework for establishing the basis for conservation and management of the estuarine ecosystem and support policy establishment.

Keywords
Biodiversity
Ecotone
Endangered species
Intensive survey
Vegetation

하구습지는 독특한 기수역이 형성되며 이러한 환경에 적응하여 살아가는 생물에게 중요한 서식처로 기능을 수행한다. 그러나 과도한 개발과 이용에 따른 인위적 간섭으로 하구습지 고유의 기능 및 특성을 변화시킨다. 본 연구는 생태계가 우수한 하구습지 보전을 위한 기초자료를 수집하기 위해서, 태화강하구습지를 대상으로 식생 분포 특성 및 생물상 현황을 조사하였다. 연목림 식생, 정수 및 유수역 다년생 초본식생, 부유·침수식생 등 6개 상관식생형의 25개 식물군락이 확인되었다. 지형다양성이 높은 상류부에서 다양한 유형의 습지식생이 분포하고 있었다. 생물종 다양성은 멸종위기 야생생물 7종 포함 총 696종이 확인되었다. 생태적 연결성이 양호하여 감조하천이 형성되는 구간을 중심으로 다양한 기능군을 가지는 기수성 생물종이 분포하며, 하천 구간별 수환경에 따라서 잠수 및 수면성오리류 등 다양한 수조류의 서식을 확인하였다. 태화강하구습지의 생태정보의 수집은 하구 생태계의 보전·관리 기반을 마련하고 정책 수립을 지원하는 데 기초자료로 활용될 수 있을 것이다.

키워드
생물다양성
점이지대
멸종위기 야생생물
정밀조사
식생
References
1
Baek, C.R., Yi, J.H., Oh, T.H., Yeom, K.S., Han, I.H., Jung, J.W., and Cho, S.R. 2010. Investigation of habitat preferences, according to changed of water level in ducks. Kor. J. Orni. 17(3): 205-216. (in Korean)
2
Braun-Blanquet, J. 1965. Plant sociology: the study of plant communities. Transl. rev. and ed. by C.D. Fuller & H.S. Conard. Hafner, London, p. 439
3
Carlson Mazur, M.L., Kowalski, K.P., and Galbraith, D. 2014. Assessment of suitable habitat for Phragmites australis (common reed) in the Great Lakes coastal zone. Aquatic Invasions 9(1): 1-19. 10.3391/ai.2014.9.1.01
4
Chabrerie, O., Poudevigne, I., Bureau, F., Vinceslas-Akpa, M., Nebbache, S., Aubert, M., Bourcier, A., and Alard, D. 2001. Biodiversity and ecosystem functions in wetlands: a case study in the estuary of the Seine river, France. Estuaries 24: 1088-1096. 10.2307/1353020
5
Chu, Y., Cho, K.J., and Lim, J. 2022. Characteristics of Vegetation and Biota in the Gahwacheon Estuarine Wetland, Sacheon, South Korea: Proposals for the Ecosystem Conservation. Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure 9(4): 237-246. (in Korean)
6
Costanza, R., Kemp, W.M., and Boynton, W.R. 1997. Predictability, scale and biodiversity in coastal and estuarine ecosystems: implications for management. Ambio 22: 88-96. 10.4337/9781035303427.00028
7
Douglas, E.J., Bulmer, R.H., MacDonald, I.T., and Lohrer, A.M. 2022. Estuaries as coastal reactors: importance of shallow seafloor habitats for primary productivity and nutrient transformation, and impacts of sea level rise. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 56(3): 553-569. 10.1080/00288330.2022.2107027
8
Duarte, C.M., Borja, A., Carstensen, J., Elliott, M., Krause-Jensen, D., and Marbà, N. 2015. Paradigms in the recovery of estuarine and coastal ecosystems. Estuaries and Coasts 38: 1202-1212. 10.1007/s12237-013-9750-9
9
EAAFP. 2023. East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership. https://www.eaaflyway.net. Accessed 01 September 2023.
10
Greening, H., Janicki, A., Sherwood, E.T., Pribble, R., and Johansson, J.O.R. 2014. Ecosystem responses to long-term nutrient management in an urban estuary: Tampa Bay, Florida, USA. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 151: A1-A16. 10.1016/j.ecss.2014.10.003
11
Kim, H., Yoon, S.O., and Hwang, S.G. 2016. The Change of Vegetation Environment since middle-late Holocene in the lower reaches of Taehwa River, Taehwa-dong, Ulsan-si, Korea. Journal of the Korean Geomorphological Associtation 23(2): 1-13. (in Korean) 10.16968/JKGA.23.1.5
12
Kim, J.D., Yang, H., Cho, Y.C., Kim, Y.C., and Cho, M.Y. 2010. Monitoring of pathogens and characteristics of fish community in the Taewha River. Korean Journal of Environmental Biology 28(3): 143-149. (in Korean)
13
Kim, S.H., Kim, H.T., and Woo, H.S. 2011. Reviving the River of Life: Interactions between Rivers, Wildlife, and Humans. Water for future 44(5): 23-31. (in Korean)
14
KMA. 2022. Open MET Data Portal. https://data.kma.go.kr. Accessed 01 September 2023. (in Korean)
15
Lee, J.N. 2005. Winter bird monitoring of lower Taehwa river in the Ulsan city. Journal of Wetlands Research 7(4): 81-88. (in Korean)
16
Lee, S., Chu, Y., and Oh, J.S. 2023. Environmental Characteristics in Taehwa Estuary Zone and Its Sustainable Management. Journal of the Association of Korean Photo-Geographers 33(1): 19-31. (in Korean)
17
Lee, S.U. 2009. Ulsan's lifeline-Finding Taehwagang River Station. River and Culture 5(1): 71-78. (in Korean)
18
Lotze, H.K., Lenihan, H.S., Bourque, B.J., Bradbury, R.H., Cooke, R.G., Kay, M.C., Kidwell, S.M., Kirby, M.X., Peterson, C.H., and Jackson, J.B. 2006. Depletion, degradation, and recovery potential of estuaries and coastal seas. Science (New York, N.Y.), 312(5781): 1806-1809. 10.1126/science.112803516794081
19
NIE. 2020. Inland Wetland Survey Guidelines. National Institute of Ecology, Seocheon, South Korea. (in Korean)
20
NIE. 2022. Survey on Estuarine Ecosystem ('22). National Institute of Ecology, Seocheon, South Korea. (in Korean)
21
NIE. 2023. National Institute of Ecology. https://nie.re.kr. Accessed 01 September 2023. (in Korean)
22
NIER. 2017. The Intensive Survey on Estuarine Ecosystem (2017). National Institute of Environmental Research, Incheon, South Korea. (in Korean)
23
O'Brien, A., Townsend, K., Hale, R., Sharley, D., and Pettigrove, V. 2016. How is ecosystem health defined and measured? A critical review of freshwater and estuarine studies. Ecological Indicators 69(2016): 722-729. 10.1016/j.ecolind.2016.05.004
24
Park, H.J., Nam, B.E., Hong, M.G., and Kim, J.G. 2018. Slope and soil nutrients can explain the distribution of Phragmites australis and Phragmites japonica in riparian wetlands. River Research and Applications 34(9): 1229-1233. 10.1002/rra.3350
25
Sawyer, A.H., Shi, F., Kirby, J.T., and Michael, H.A. 2013. Dynamic response of surface water‐groundwater exchange to currents, tides, and waves in a shallow estuary. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 118(4): 1749-1758. 10.1002/jgrc.20154
26
van der Linden, P., Patrício, J., Marchini, A., Cid, N., Neto, J.M., and Marques, J.C. 2012. A biological trait approach to assess the functional composition of subtidal benthic communities in an estuarine ecosystem. Ecological Indicators 20(2012): 121-133. 10.1016/j.ecolind.2012.02.004
27
Wolanski, E. and Elliott, M. 2015. Estuarine Ecohydrology: An Introduction. 2nd edition. Elsevier Science, Amsterdam, Oxford. 10.1016/B978-0-444-63398-9.00001-5
28
Wołowicz, M., Sokołowski, A., and Lasota, R. 2007. Estuaries - a biological point of view. Oceanological and Hydrobiological Studies 36(3): 113-130. 10.2478/v10009-007-0025-2
29
Worm, B., Barbier, E.B., Beaumont, N., Duffy, J.E., Folke, C., Halpern, B.S., ... and Watson, R. (2006). Impacts of biodiversity loss on ocean ecosystem services. Science 314(5800): 787-790. 10.1126/science.113229417082450
30
Zu Ermgassen, P.S., Spalding, M.D., Grizzle, R.E., and Brumbaugh, R.D. 2013. Quantifying the loss of a marine ecosystem service: filtration by the eastern oyster in US estuaries. Estuaries and coasts 36: 36-43. 10.1007/s12237-012-9559-y
Information
  • Publisher :Korean Society of Ecology and Infrastructure Engineering
  • Publisher(Ko) :응용생태공학회
  • Journal Title :Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
  • Journal Title(Ko) :응용생태공학회 논문집
  • Volume : 10
  • No :4
  • Pages :171-183
  • Received Date : 2023-11-08
  • Revised Date : 2023-12-11
  • Accepted Date : 2023-12-11
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.17820/eri.2023.10.4.171
Journal Informaiton Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
  • NRF
  • KISTI Current Status
  • KISTI Cited-by
  • crosscheck
  • orcid
  • open access
  • ccl
Journal Informaiton Journal Informaiton - close