Changes in Phytoplankton Communities and Environmental Factors in Saemangeum Artificial Lake, South Korea between 2006 and 2009

2006년~2009년 새만금호에서 식물플랑크톤 군집과 환경요인의 변화

Between May 2006 and November 2009, we investigated the relationship between fluctuations in environmental factors and phytoplankton communities in Saemangeum Artificial Lake, South Korea. Nutrient concentrations in the lake increased because of the inflow of water from Mankyung and Dongjin Rivers during the summer rainy season; in particular, high concentrations were detected at an inner zone close to the estuaries. During the summer rainy season, salinity at the inner zone reduced more rapidly than that at the other zones, and it was similar to the changes in nutrient concentrations. Variations in phytoplankton communities were caused by fluctuations in environmental factors: the abundance of phytoplankton at the inner zone was higher than that at the other zones. Diatoms were the dominant species in the phytoplankton communities. A small centric diatom, Skeletonema costatum like species, was predominant, with a mean abundance of 19.5% in Saemangeum lake. Because of accelerated eutrophication in the lake, phytoplankton abundance increased continuously and the total number of species present in the community decreased. In particular, some dinoflagellates could intermittently cause red tides during low temperature and salinity conditions (at the inner zone). In 2006~2007, a red tide-forming dinoflagellate, Prorocentrum minimum, was the predominant species, while Heterocapsa triquetra, Karlodinium veneficum, and Heterocapsa rotundata were the newly recorded species in late 2008 to early 2009. Therefore, the dynamics of phytoplankton communities under the perennially eutrophic conditions in Saemangeum lake appear to be primarily affected by changes in water temperature and salinity. In particular, the growth of harmful algae may have been accelerated by the low salinity and temperature conditions during the spring season at the inner zone.

새만금호는 만경강과 동진강에서 유입되는 담수를 통해 영양염을 지속적으로 공급받아 부영양이 가속화되고 있었다. 또한 담수 유입에 따라 구역별로 환경요인들이 차이를 보이고 있었다. 이러한 환경의 차이는 식물플랑크톤 군집의 출현양상의 변화를 가져오고 있었다. 새만금호의 부영양화된 수계에서 식물플랑크톤 군집은 개체수가 증가하고 종 다양성이 감소하고 있었으며, 와편모조류 등의 일부 종이 대발생을 일으키고 있었다. 특히 2009년에는 기존에 크게 출현하지 않았던 Heterocapsa triquetra, Karlodinium veneficum, Heterocapsa rotundata가 우점하여 새만금호 내부의 부영양화에 따른 수환경변화로 식물플랑크톤 군집에 변화가 나타났다. 이와 같이, 새만금호의 서식환경의 변화는 와편모조류의 적조발생 등 식물플랑크톤 군집의 환경 적응력과 연관하여 파악하여야 하며, 이를 위해서는 지속적인 모니터링이 필요하다.